The expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is projected to avoid almost 300,000 new cases of air-quality related diseases and over 1 million hospital admissions Londonwide by 2050.
The Mayor has invested £61 million of funding to support businesses and disabled and low-income Londoners to scrap older, more polluting vehicles – but what more could further encourage businesses to make this transition?
The London Assembly has today called upon the Mayor to make having a statement of intent and delivery plan to achieve a ULEZ and LEZ compliant vehicle fleet, a condition of accreditation for the Good Work Standard.
Leonie Cooper AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“Now the ULEZ has been expanded, millions more Londoners will benefit from cleaner air- saving the NHS billions in the coming decades.
“I want to see the capital make even more progress in switching to cleaner vehicles and it has been good to see the Mayor put £61 million into scrappage schemes aimed at helping businesses, charities and disabled and low-income Londoners.
“The Government has given financial support to cities such as Bristol, Birmingham and Portsmouth to set up their clean air zones. Ministers must now extend this helping hand to London and bolster the investment that City Hall has put into its existing scrappage schemes.
“The Mayor could also further encourage businesses to make the transition to ULEZ compliant vehicle fleets by making them a condition of accreditation for the Good Work Standard”.
The full text of the motion is:
This Assembly welcomes the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) up to the North Circular Road and South Circular Road.
The current ULEZ has contributed to a 44% reduction in roadside nitrogen dioxide within its existing boundary and in 2019 the number of state schools in the zone with illegal levels of pollution fell by 97 per cent compared to 2016.
Alongside other Mayoral policies on air quality, the expanded ULEZ is projected to avoid almost 300,000 new cases of air-quality related diseases and over 1 million hospital admissions Londonwide by 2050.
These policies will also reduce the pollution “exposure gap” between the most and least deprived areas by 71 per cent and between the areas with the highest and lowest proportion of BAME residents by up to 85 per cent.
Given the environmental and health benefits of the expanded ULEZ, the Assembly supports programmes such as the Mayor’s scrappage schemes to ensure residents and businesses are encouraged to make the transition to ULEZ compliant vehicles.
This Assembly recognises the Mayor has invested £61 million of funding to support businesses and disabled and low-income Londoners to scrap older, more polluting vehicles and calls on the government to support the Mayor and stop the exclusion of London from its Clean Air Fund.
In order to further encourage businesses to make this transition, the Assembly calls on the Mayor to make having a statement of intent and delivery plan to achieve a ULEZ and LEZ compliant vehicle fleet a condition of accreditation for the Good Work Standard.
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast.
- The motion was agreed by 14 votes for and 6 against.
- Leonie Cooper AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Emma Bowden 07849 303897. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.