Today I have written a letter to Sadiq Khan, co-signed by Conservative Tandridge District Councillors, criticising his decision to announce the ULEZ expansion and calling on him to halt all expansion plans with immediate effect.
The text of the letter reads:
"Dear Sadiq,
As elected representatives in Tandridge, we are writing to you about your decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include the outer-most boroughs of London.
You will be aware of significant public concern about how this will affect people who live just outside of London, including many of our constituents. They face having to pay huge sums of money just to continue with their everyday lives. They will be charged to visit the hospital, to send their children to school, to visit relatives and to go shopping. They have also had no say in a decision which will significantly affect their lives.
You will also be aware of the appalling reports that the consultation was manipulated to hide the scale of opposition to your proposals. We are concerned that you may have sought to wrongly exclude thousands of responses critical of your plans, and that taxpayers’ money was spent to artificially inflate support for the expansion.
The people most affected by this change will be those least able to afford it. People with older, non-compliant cars are often unable to afford newer cars which comply with ULEZ standards. They will also be unable to benefit from Transport for London’s scrappage scheme. This will punish people for not being able to afford a new car, and you will not provide them with any help to replace their vehicle.
Our constituents are struggling with the cost of living, with global inflation forecast to remain high for some time. The war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending soon, and energy bills are likely to continue putting significant pressure on incomes. This is the worst possible time to introduce a new daily tax on those who can least afford it.
We urge you to halt your plans to expand the ULEZ. It is not supported by the public and it will punish working people who need help, not a kick in the teeth.
Yours sincerely,
Claire Coutinho MP, MP for East Surrey
Cllr Lesley Steeds, Dormansland & Felcourt
Cllr Phil Flower, Chaldon
Cllr Matt Groves, Queens Park
Cllr Gill Black, Bletchingley & Nutfield
Cllr Carole North, Woldingham
Cllr Taylor O’Driscoll, Westway
Cllr Robin Bloore, Warlingham West
Cllr Michael Cooper, Harestone
Cllr Keith Prew, Warlingham West"
