ULEZ: Five councils launch legal challenge

Five councils are taking legal action to challenge the planned expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey councils are seeking a judicial review to scrutinise the legality of how the decision was made.

The plans, set to come into effect in August, will see all London boroughs become part of the ULEZ area.

Neither City Hall nor Transport for London has been served with a judicial review claim, a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson for the mayor of London added: "We will be defending any challenge to this vital scheme.

"The mayor urges the councils involved to abandon this costly and unnecessary legal challenge and instead focus on the health of those they represent."

Currently drivers of the most polluting cars have to pay £12.50 a day if they cross the boundary, which is within the capital's north and south-circular orbital roads. The expansion of the zone would cover the whole of London.

From the beginning, Mayor Sadiq Khan's plans have been met with opposition.

A public consultation found 80% of people in the affected areas were opposed to the expansion of the zone. Since the consultation concluded in November, Conservatives in London have alleged City Hall officials tried to "manipulate" the process.

Since then, some Labour councils and MPs have voiced their concerns about the implementation of the wider ULEZ area.

The expansion will see the zone border areas of Surrey, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. These councils have said previously that they will be blocking any ULEZ signage on their land.

Surrey County Council, which has joined the four London councils in the judicial review coalition, said it wanted concessions such as exemptions for taxi drivers and key workers, and corridors to NHS facilities near the border.

The judicial review will scrutinise "inadequate consultation" on the mayor's scrappage scheme, which offers a £110 reimbursement for those forced to change their vehicle, as well as the "conduct" of the whole consultation.

It will also examine what is described as a failure to comply with statutory requirements, unlawful failure to consider expected compliance rates in outer London and a failure to carry out a cost-benefit analysis.

Leader of Surrey County Council Tim Oliver said: "Our requests for due consideration to be given to these mitigations have not been acknowledged, let alone acted upon.

"It's disappointing that we, along with other local authorities, have to resort to legal proceedings to try and bring the mayor of London to the table, but we have no choice but to do so."

Leader of Hillingdon Council Ian Edwards said: "ULEZ is the wrong solution in outer London as it will have negligible or nil impact on air quality but will cause significant social and economic harm to our residents."

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