City Hall Tories' Leader Susan Hall AM has blasted Sadiq Khan for dismissing struggling Londoners concerns about his plans to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
In an interview today, the Mayor said: "You don’t need to buy a brand-new vehicle. You can buy a second-hand vehicle". He added: "The good news is that for your vehicle to be ULEZ compliant isn’t that expensive. You don’t need to buy a new car. All you need to do is have a petrol car that is [newer] than 2005 or a diesel car that is more recent than 2015".
The GLA Conservatives are pushing the Mayor to double the funding for ULEZ scrappage schemes to help Londoners switch to cleaner vehicles and avoid the charge when it expands in October 2021. The new funding could help scrap more than 7,000 vans, minibuses and heavy goods vehicles.
Susan Hall AM, Leader of the GLA Conservatives, commented: “Sadiq Khan’s patronising advice to Londoners who can’t afford the ULEZ charge shows he’s completely out of touch. If struggling Londoners can’t afford the £12.50 a day charge, how does the Mayor expect them to buy a second-hand car?
“Instead of unhelpful advice, the Mayor should support Londoners to scrap older vehicles and avoid the charge. Two of TfL’s scrappage schemes have been suspended for months. We’ve shown Khan how he could reopen them using City Hall’s business rate reserve. He needs to listen to our plan to offer £50 million in new grants to help Londoners, small businesses and charities to switch to cleaner alternatives. “Every Londoner is committed to improving our city’s air quality. But not everyone can afford it. Few Londoners have got Khan’s £152k salary, so perhaps he can keep his advice to himself.”
How will all the extra traffic on the N and S Circulars in static jams assist the low emissions? How will those living outside it visit relatives, care for others, go shopping, take children to school, go to work, attend hospitals, go to places of worship, attend funerals etc etc? What about the elderly and disabled. -Just Tax them, Tax them, Tax them until they cannot afford to feed themselves. The rich can pay but the poor and needy shall have even what they do have taken away. Steal from the poor! STOP the ULEZ.