Tory MP bids to overturn Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion: Dartford’s Gareth Johnson tables plan to axe ‘unfair stealth tax’ affecting millions of workers as it is revealed it generated £5.3million in its first week

• Figures show nearly 1,000 crimes against ULEZ cameras in just seven months

A Tory MP is to make an attempt to overturn Sadiq Khan’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone expansion in London after it was revealed the widened scheme generated £5.3million for the mayor’s coffers in its first week.

Kent MP Gareth Johnson is to try to get the Greater London Low Emission Zone Charging (Amendment) Bill into law to reserve what he said was an ‘unfair stealth tax’ on his constituents. 

The Dartford Conservative is targeting August’s expansion of ULEZ to all 32 boroughs which means everyone travelling within and into Great London in a non-compliant vehicle has to pay £12.50 every day.

It comes as data shows that the expansion from inner London netted almost 300,000 extra drivers who were  charged in the first week it was in operation. More than 425,000 ULEZ charges were paid in the week following the extension, compared to just 140,000 the week before. 

Mr Johnson said: ‘This is an unfair stealth tax on the people of Dartford and across the south east, hitting the poorest the hardest. The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan has no mandate for this. 

Sadiq Khan’s controversial ULEZ expansion generated £5.3million in its first week with 300,000 extra drivers charged for driving non-compliant vehicles within Greater London

‘Expanding ULEZ was not in his manifesto or in his transport strategy and the consultation on the expansion showed that people did not want it. It impacts people in Kent and other counties around London who cannot vote in or out the London Mayor. It is taxation without accountability.

‘It punishes those on lower incomes who can least afford to buy a newer car to avoid the daily charge. There are also no guarantees the standard for meeting the ULEZ threshold will not be changed in the future to include more vehicles.

‘My proposed bill is to overturn the ULEZ expansion and ensure the London Mayor cannot impose this unfair tax on the people of Dartford and beyond.’

Mr Johnson will table the new law as a Private Member’s Bill, which is unlikely to succeed unless it attracts government backing. 

The ULEZ scheme is designed to limit harmful pollution. Most petrol cars registered before 2006 and diesel cars registered before 2015 are non-compliant. 

It comes as police face anti-ULEZ activists vandalising or stealing cameras in record numbers, with almost 1,000 offences recorded between April 1 and October 31 this year. Just two people had been charged in relation to the offences, the Met said last month.

The new data was revealed in Freedom of Information Requests from the Times, and showed that 284,000 extra charges were paid in just the first week, from August 29.

Research by car marketplace Motorway previously showed that 16 percent of Londoners, or around 714,000 people, own a vehicle that is not compliant with the ULEZ restrictions. 

Motorway co-founder Alex Buttle told the Times: ‘With the continued cost of living crisis and the recent expansion of London’s Ulez, more drivers who use the zone are questioning their driving habits. 

‘We know from our research that the financial implications are causing concern among drivers in London and the surrounding areas.’

Previously, the ULEZ zone had been restricted to a large area of central London, but the expansion meant it now covers all of Greater London. 

Its boundaries now extend into Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Buckinghamshire.

The data comes as Transport for London (TfL) was accused of ‘misleading’ the public over the benefits of the scheme. 

The new data was revealed in Freedom of Information Requests from the Times , and showed that 284,000 extra charges were paid in just the first week, from August 29

Ulez cameras have been attacked nearly 1,000 times in just seven months, shocking figures reveal

Activists opposed to Mr Khan’s flagship policy – which recently expanded to cover the entire city – have attacked hundreds of static cameras

The advertising watchdog launched an investigation earlier this year after hundreds of people complained that the Mayor of London’s transport authority exaggerated the extent to which the scheme had improved air quality.

READ MORE: Nearly 1,000 Ulez cameras have been stolen or damaged in the last seven months – as two people charged with criminal damage

Now, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) report is set to criticise ‘misleading’ claims about the expansion of Ulez reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

A draft ASA report specifies these claims going out in Tfl’s radio and newspaper advertisements.

Recommendations in the report allegedly suggest that two complaints about two radio adverts and one in a newspaper are to be upheld.

Following the ASA’s investigation, it suggests two adverts were ‘misleading’ because they ‘did not clarify’ claims NO2 levels had ‘reduced by nearly half’ as a result of Ulez, and were based on ‘estimates or modelled scenarios’ and not ‘actual figures’. 

Anger against the scheme has been bubbling up for some time, with 987 recorded crimes concerning ULEZ cameras from April to October. 

The Met Police recorded 220 reports of cameras being stolen and 767 cameras being damaged, but arrested just five people. Just two have been charged.

A statement from the force said: ‘The Met continues to treat criminal activity in relation to ULEZ seriously and has deployed considerable resources to our operation. 

‘Where there are possible lines of enquiry, local investigators will follow up using a range of investigative approaches including CCTV trawls, witness searches and an assessment of forensic opportunities.’

Source: Read Full Article