ULEZ: Leader writes to the Mayor of London
With less than three months to go before the planned expansion of ULEZ to Havering, the Leader of the Council has written to the Mayor of London and the Deputy Mayor of London for Transport.
Councillor Ray Morgon writes:
Dear Sadiq,
I know that we are fast approaching the planned full implementation of ULEZ in outer London and I see that there have been some improvements to the scrappage scheme.
However, whilst this is welcome, I have to say that it does not go far enough and I maintain my position that this is the wrong time to introduce ULEZ and that it should be delayed to at least 2026.
As you may know, we decided not to join with some other councils who are against this in their legal action. I would rather we concentrate on finding the best solution moving forward.
What I wanted to do is present some further evidence to you on the impact ULEZ will have on the borough. We have said all along that many public sector workers will be affected.
In a recent survey of 169 care staff who responded in the borough, 130 said they were against ULEZ with 24 unsure. However, more worryingly for us, 101 said they will be badly impacted and will probably have to change their job.
I am sure that you will say that the enhanced scrappage scheme will help them, but the majority of these workers do not live in London and commute in from Essex. As a result, they will have no support.
This is why, once again, we would like to press that the scrappage scheme is made available to care and other public sector workers who have to drive in from outside London.
Alternatively, could councils like us be given our own scrappage fund so that we can distribute it to workers who are vital in keeping our public services running?
What is also clear is that the right public transport connections are not adequate enough locally for people to consider other means of getting about other than their car.
In relation to this, I am sure that you are aware that we recently launched an Infrastructure vision for the borough (attached).
This sets out what we need to help unlock housing, growth and investment, as well as make it easier for people to get around.
This includes extending the SuperLoop which at the present time is not intended to come anywhere near Havering, as well as build Beam Park Station and have a better north/south transport connection.
With regards to ULEZ and our vision, we would be very happy to meet with you to discuss how we work together to get the best outcomes for the residents of Havering.
Kind regards,
Councillor Ray Morgon,
Leader of Havering Council