Serious questions about the proposed expansion of ULEZ, including the impact on residents, remain.
Following a steady stream of enquiries to the council, the council confirms its continued opposition to the proposal and that it is questioning the basis of the Mayor of London’s decision.
Councillor Colin Smith, Leader of Bromley Council said, “Our complete opposition and cynicism as to Mayor Khan’s rationale for expanding ULEZ is well documented. In light of the widespread ongoing public interest on related matters, I thought it might be helpful to outline the council’s latest position.
“The decision to blatantly ignore a significant majority opinion of Londoners who responded to TfL’s consultation exercise, based on the highly questionable, selective and incomplete findings of a research paper commissioned by TfL themselves, simply cannot be allowed to pass unchallenged.
To that end Bromley Council, along with Bexley, Harrow and Hillingdon are currently examining the legal basis of the decision and have now formally served a Pre Action Protocol letter on the Mayor’s office and TfL seeking further information to demonstrate the lawfulness of the decision they have made.”
Councillor Smith continued, “Whilst we all support the call for cleaner air, it should be noted from the latest authenticated data to hand that Bromley already has amongst the cleanest air in London and indeed, that Bromley’s air remains cleaner than that of any of the boroughs already ensnared within the existing ULEZ scheme.
“It is also the case, that local asthma sufferers recorded the lowest incidence of attacks requiring hospital admission and long may that remain the case and improve upon further as drivers slowly but surely trade in or retire their petrol and diesel vehicles at the end of their serviceable, lives for Green and Hybrid vehicles.
“We all support that too, but it rather misses the point.”
Councillor Smith added, “The scheme isn’t actually about air quality in the final analysis. The stealthy, unstated and cynical intention remains, under the guise of ULEZ, to erect a network of traffic cameras across the whole of the capital which can then be used at the flick of a switch to introduce road price charging for all.
“Whether that is a good thing, or bad thing, clearly depends on your point of view, but it should at least be fully debated and publicly scrutinised as a policy initiative in its own right, rather than slyly slipped in through the back door under a false agenda as a fait accompli.”
ENDS
Editor’s notes – See the Asthma.Org.Uk website re emergency admissions for asthma.
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Head of Public Affairs Officer, on 020 8461 7670 or email Andrew.Rogers@Bromley.gov.uk.