There is no legal impediment to the Mayor of London’s expansion of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to outer London, the High Court has ruled.
The London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Hillingdon and Harrow, along with Surrey County Council, challenged Mayor Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the ULEZ, arguing that the consultation process and the scrappage scheme had been inadequate.
The High Court today ruled that the process carried out on the proposal to expand the ULEZ was legally sound.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘This landmark decision is good news as it means we can proceed with cleaning up the air in outer London on 29 August.
‘The decision to expand the ULEZ was very difficult and not something I took lightly and I continue to do everything possible to address any concerns Londoners may have.
‘The ULEZ has already reduced toxic nitrogen dioxide air pollution by nearly half in central London and a fifth in inner London. The coming expansion will see five million more Londoners being able to breathe cleaner air.’
Cllr Ian Edwards, leader of Hillingdon Council, said he was ‘hugely disappointed’ by the decision.
‘Many thousands of low-income earners, vulnerable people ordinary workers and small businesses who are the beating heart of our borough will have to shoulder further costs which they cannot afford. It will cause even greater financial hardship and for some it will cause the loss of business or employment.’
Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, leader of the London Borough of Bexley, said: ‘I’m extremely disappointed at the outcome of the judicial review and the impact it will have on our residents and businesses. They have told us time and time again how worried they were about ULEZ which was why we took this action on their behalf.’
