Calling Labour out on the expanding London ULEZ

Calling Labour out on the expanding London ULEZ

Back in March, the Conservative Group of Councillors at Crawley Borough Council brought forward a motion to the Full Council meeting, for the council to formally object to the extension of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover the whole of Greater London from 29 August, as opposed to more central London within the North and South Circular Roads where it currently operates.  This is being brought in by Labour London Mayor Sidiq Khan.   

As the local elections were coming up in May and Crawley’s Labour Councillors didn’t want anything inconvenient to get in their way of tightening their grip of power at Crawley town hall, they cynically forced our motion to be deferred until July rather than voted on, so that they wouldn’t be seen to be on the wrong side of public opinion by (presumably) backing the position of their mayor in London.

This Wednesday evening’s Full Council meeting sees the return of our motion, proposed by myself and seconded by my colleague in Gossops Green and North-East Broadfield, Councillor Zack Ali.  Hopefully Labour won’t use their majority to either water it down or vote it down, and will back us by adding Crawley’s voice to other councils both inside and outside of London who support the concerns of their residents. 

Many Crawley residents have a need to travel by car to outer London Boroughs for a variety of purposes, including work and specialist hospital appointments. Residents on lower incomes are more likely to own older vehicles that are not exempt from paying the ULEZ charge.

The claim from the London Mayor is that this is about reducing air pollution but existing changes are already working and we are seeing a long-term trend of lower air pollution in both London and across the UK, and vehicles are not the only cause of air pollution.  This is more about raising money and hammering motorists. Once the infrastructure to record vehicle number plates is all in place, Labour will move the goalposts in future and more current vehicles will be added to pay (currently) £12 to enter London.      

 

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

19th July 2023

 

 

 

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