ULEZ expansion: Surrey County Council says it will not allow TfL warning signs

Surrey County Council (SCC) has said it will block signs warning of the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on its roads.

From 29 August drivers of the most polluting vehicles will have to pay £12.50 a day to drive anywhere in Greater London.

Transport for London (TfL) needs SCC's agreement to put warning signs in Surrey.

SCC wants more negotiations on the effects on drivers in the county.

The ULEZ, which is already in force in central London, will border several areas of Surrey, such as Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, and Spelthorne.

SCC wants concessions such as exemptions for taxis and key workers, corridors to NHS facilities near the border and extensions to public transport into Surrey.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, council officers have been told to stop discussions with TfL.

Matt Furniss, SCC cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and growth, told a meeting on Tuesday this would be until "a grown-up conversation has happened between the two authorities on mitigating the disruption and the financial cost to Surrey residents."

He said he had written to the Mayor of London and TfL, setting out the council's "absolute disappointment" that the plan would go ahead without "meaningful conversation" on how Surrey residents would be affected.

Surrey's councils were given the chance to respond to a consultation on the ULEZ expansion in 2022, with Elmbridge, Tandridge and Spelthorne, among others, submitting responses.

They called for a delay to the expansion, the scrappage scheme offered to London residents being extended to include Surrey car owners and the widening of the zone 6 Oyster card zone.

SCC leader Tim Oliver told the meeting "any conversation would be a good start", claiming there had been "no dialogue at all".

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