Government, not ULEZ expansion, causes crippling anxiety Khan tells ‘rebel’ council Harrow
Sadiq Khan has told Harrow council leader Paul Osborn he should be blaming the government and not City Hall’s ULEZ expansion for leaving residents filled with anxiety.
“The reason why people are stressed out is because of this government’s policy over the last 13 years,” the Mayor of London told Morning Wire
“What this Conservative council should do is understand why people are using food banks in record numbers, why people are choosing [between] heating and eating in record numbers, why pensioners are skipping meals.
“And if this Conservative councillor is honest with himself, he’d be spending more time lobbying his government and being ashamed of being a Tory rather than attacking us,” he added.
It comes after councillor Osborn wrote to City Hall on Monday evening, opposing the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) to the whole of Greater London from August.
Implemented to help clean London’s air, the traffic charge will force vehicles that don’t meet environmental standards to pay a daily charge of £12.50 to enter the area.
According to Osborn, the prospect of paying the ULEZ to enter Harrow was having a “serious adverse effect on many of my residents’ mental health.”
“They cannot afford to replace their vehicles, which they are reliant on, and they will also struggle to pay your ULEZ tax,” he wrote.
“Your indifference to their financial situation has left many of our poorest residents and struggling businesses filled with anxiety.”
Harrow is not the only council opposing the expansion, as Bexley, Bromley and Hillingdon have also joined the borough and refused last week to cooperate with TfL’s plans to install ULEZ cameras.
They have also threatened legal action, sending a pre-action letter to TfL in mid-January.
Tony Devenish, City Hall Conservatives environment spokesperson, refuted the mayor’s claims.
He said: “It is Sadiq Khan who should be ashamed of himself.
“The mayor ran a sham consultation, so that he could hit the poorest with a daily ULEZ charge they cannot afford. If the Mayor was honest with himself, he would know that his plans do next to nothing to improve air quality.
“An overwhelming majority of Londoners are telling him to stop. Sadiq Khan must scrap his ULEZ plans and invest in air quality policies that actually work, such as accelerating the move to zero emissions buses.”
“Outer London is completely different to central London and the leader of Harrow Council understands this, unlike Sadiq Khan who should stop being so rude.”