Sadiq Khan will extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North and South circulars in less than four months. Disappointingly, this will split the London Borough of Redbridge and severely hit struggling motorists and businesses.
Together with Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, I campaigned tirelessly against the expansion of this charge. Time and again, constituents raised concerns about Sadiq Khan's plan on the doorstep, and many backed Bailey to stop it.
Redbridge and Havering's opposition to the Mayor's proposed ULEZ expansion is clear to see in May's election results. Sadiq Khan's majority in the former fell from 8,743 votes to just 891, and in the latter, Shaun Bailey's majority rose by 37 per cent to 33,434 compared to the 2016 mayoral election.
Sadly, the Mayor has ignored this message and pledged to carry on regardless. The London Assembly does not have the power to stop this charge. However, we can pressure the Mayor to help Londoners who can't afford to pay Khan's ULEZ bill or buy a new car.
My Conservative colleagues and I have unveiled a plan to invest £50 million in ULEZ scrappage schemes to offer Londoners new grants to switch to cleaner vehicles and avoid the charge. That's enough to help scrap or retrofit thousands of vans, cars and motorcycles.
Our plan would help limit the blow of Sadiq Khan's ULEZ hammer on working Londoners, small businesses and charities. That's why I am pushing Sadiq Khan to adopt it.
Article by Keith Prince AM first published in the Ilford Recorder.
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