PUBLISHED BY THE ROMFORD RECORDER
Dear Editor,
I read Keith Prince AM’s latest column in the Romford Recorder with incredulity.
Mr Prince rightly praises the Mayor for his work with Black Cabbies to ensure their vehicles meet emissions standards. However, his claim that the Mayor must do more to tackle air pollution in the capital appears hypocritical and incongruous in light of his repeated criticisms of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
It is a scandal that exposure to poor air quality in the capital continues to cause thousands of Londoners to die prematurely each year and stunt the development of children’s lungs. We cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand over this.
The ULEZ, due to be rolled out by the Mayor in April, is an example of the urgent and drastic action we need and is central to his plans to transform the air that millions of Londoners breathe. Let's not forget that air pollution has the biggest impact on the poorest Londoners who have the fewest cars.
Despite this and the fact that this measure is categorically backed by air quality campaign groups and health specialists, Mr Prince is on record, time and time again, criticising the ULEZ. This begs the question of whether Mr Prince actually wants more action to be taken on air pollution, or whether he is just tired of experts?
Yours,
Tom Copley AM
Londonwide Assembly Member