Hornchurch and Upminster’s MP, Julia Lopez, has submitted her consultation to the London Mayor’s consultation on extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

Mrs Lopez is very grateful to residents who wrote to her outlining their views on the proposals. Since inviting residents, Mrs Lopez has been inundated by concerns about the plan to charge drivers within Greater London £12.50 a day. Put simply, this is an additional tax on Londoners, and Mrs Lopez shares residents’ scepticism that its true purpose is to tackle air pollution rather than plug the hole in Transport for London’s (TfL) finances.

While residents and Mrs Lopez would welcome policies genuinely seeking to tackle air pollution without causing financial hardship, this scheme is simply applying an inner-London solution to outer-London boroughs without appreciating the differences in infrastructure and the greater reliance on cars.

Mrs Lopez shares the broad array of concerns raised by residents and it is vital that the voice of outer-London boroughs is heard in this consultation. Mrs Lopez said, ‘I welcome the focus on reducing air pollution but these proposals, including the £12.50 tax, will have a significant impact on our communities, particularly vulnerable and elderly people who rely on their vehicles for essential shopping and for seeing family and friends. Livelihoods could be adversely affected, especially if businesses are hit hard. I hope that the Mayor will rethink these incredibly damaging proposals and look to other measures to tackle air pollution which do not rely on taxing workers to repair TfL’s financial black hole.’