Brentwood Lib Dems against ULEZ expansion
We know that some Brentwood residents are very concerned about the London Mayor's proposed ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) expansion to all 32 London Boroughs from August 29th 2023. This expansion will include the neighbouring London Borough of Havering.
It has become very clear that the London Mayor Sadiq Khan has no interest in the financial problems his expansion will cause to residents living in places like Brentwood who live on the edge of the new ULEZ zone and who travel into parts of Havering on a daily basis for school, work and leisure.
If you drive an older car or van it could cost you £12.50 per day to go into Havering and all the other London Borough's. If you want to check to see if your vehicle is ULEZ compliant you can go on the TFL website: tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/
Brentwood Liberal Democrats are against the imminent ULEZ expansion to all 32 London Borough's for the following reasons.
- We are all dealing with a cost of living crisis and now is definitely not the time to hit vulnerable and low income residents who drive older vehicles with the ULEZ charge. It will also have a very detrimental impact on many Brentwood businesses who have to operate with older vans.
- ULEZ should not be expanded until residents in Borough's like Brentwood have full access to the car and van scrappage schemes that are currently offered to residents in the 32 London Boroughs
- ULEZ should not be expanded until we have some serious investment in Brentwood's public transport, particularly in our local bus services.
We are determined to make a stand for Brentwood residents who will be directly affected by the ULEZ expansion. Whilst we all want to see cleaner air and less pollution the Mayor needs to seriously listen to peoples' genuine concerns and call a halt to his expansion plans now.
At the Ordinary Council meeting on 15th March Brentwood Conservatives moved a motion against the ULEZ expansion which completely failed to address the serious issues facing Brentwood residents if the expansion goes ahead as planned on August 29th. The Lib Dem group tabled an amendment clearly setting out our opposition to the ULEZ expansion and calling for action to support residents who will have to deal with the financial impact of the changes. Sadly the Conservatives voted against the amendment which left us with no choice but to abstain on their poorly worded motion.