Susan Hall to scrap 'tax grab' Ulez expansion on day one if elected Mayor over Sadiq Khan
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The Conservative candidate slammed the expansion, calling it 'disastrous'
The Conservative candidate for the 2024 London mayoral election has promised to scrap the Ulez expansion on her first day in office if she gets elected.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone has been one of the most controversial schemes introduced for motorists in recent years.
Many in the capital are furious with the latest expansion to the boundary of Greater London, citing the daily £12.50 charge for driving petrol and diesel vehicles.
Susan Hall, who was leader of City Hall Conservatives between 2019 and 2023, will be challenging Sadiq Khan for the London Mayor role next year and has the Ulez scheme firmly in her sights.
The mayoral candidate has previously targeted the Ulez expansion, claiming that Sadiq Khan is “ripping off the poorest” in London.
She also accuses the London Mayor of “causing charities and businesses to shut down” with the “disastrous” Ulez expansion.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, she claimed: “Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion is nothing but a tax grab.
“He's already made over £52m from the expanded zone. So many have been forced to pay his daily tax or been unable to drive their vehicles and it’s unacceptable.
“As Mayor, I will cancel the Ulez expansion on day one in office.”
Hall, who has been a Member of the London Assembly since 2017, has also pledged to build more affordable homes to get rents down and invest £200million to cut crime.
This represents a huge improvement since the first clean air measure in 2017, when compliance was just 39 per cent.
Between May 2022 and September 2023, vehicle compliance has risen from 85 per cent to 95 per cent.
Petrol drivers must have a car that is Euro 4, which is generally those that have been registered after 2005.
Most diesel vehicles registered after September 2015 are exempt from the charge, with the vehicles achieving Euro 6 status.
Sadiq Khan praised the momentum of the Ulez scheme, saying that despite the difficult decision to expand, it was “already working”.
He added: “I am determined to do all I can to ensure that Londoners now and the next generation can grow up breathing cleaner air, wherever they live in the capital.”
According to TfL, 15,232 total vehicles have been scrapped for the central and inner zone of the Ulez.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The expansion was launched at the end of August
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The scrappages includes almost 10,000 cars, more than 5,000 vans, 123 HGVs and 52 motorcycles.