No plans for Ulez scrappage scheme says Essex County Council

Essex County Council said it had "no plans" to have its own car scrappage scheme to help residents with the ultra low emission zone (Ulez) in London.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said counties near London should have plans to help people due to its expansion from 29 August.

A scrappage scheme for non-compliant vehicles has been put in place in the capital, but there is no support for commuters coming from outside the city.

Councils in Kent and Surrey said London's scheme should work for all.

Ulez is an attempt to reduce pollution levels in London, with non-compliant vehicles being charged £12.50 to enter the zone. It is expanding across all boroughs later this month.

"Essex County Council has no plan to introduce a car scrappage scheme," a spokesperson for the local authority said.

Of the counties surrounding London, only Slough has granted City Hall permission to erect Ulez signs warning motorists they are about to enter the zone.

Thurrock Council is one of the bordering authorities refusing to allow signage to be put up.

Its leader, Andrew Jefferies, previously said it was "completely opposed to the expansion of Ulez to our borders".

"It will not only negatively impact residents with older vehicles that need to drive into the zone, we are very concerned that it will simply displace traffic from the zone directly into Thurrock as drivers avoid the fee," he said.

Surrey County Council, along with the Tory-run London boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Harrow and Hillingdon, failed in getting the High Court to declare the Ulez expansion unlawful.

City Hall said 90% of cars seen driving in outer London complied with Ulez standards, which had been backed by the UK Statistics Authority - although the watchdog criticised the mayor over data transparency..

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