ULEZ expands across the whole of London

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has expanded the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) London-wide to include the whole city today (29 August).

The move, which reduces overall carbon emissions in outer London by a further 27,000 tonnes, is part of plans to cut air pollution, with the former zone reducing it by 50% across central London and a fifth in all of inner London.

According to the Mayor’s office, 90% of vehicles driving on an average day in outer London are already compliant, with non-compliant vehicles offered £2,000 for scrapping a vehicle. Small businesses and charities can receive increased grant payments of between £6,000 and £11,500 and eligible charities, businesses and sole traders can now apply for up to three vans or minibuses to be scrapped or retrofitted in total.

Payment for wheelchair accessible vehicles has increased from £5,000 to £10,000, with grants of £6,000 available to retrofit a van to ULEZ standards.

There have been more than 15,000 applications received since 21 August, and nearly £6m of new funds committed to Londoners with the total amount the Mayor has invested in the scrappage scheme for the ULEZ expansion is £160m.

It is hoped the move will reduce nitrogen dioxide by nearly half in central London and by a fifth in inner London, helping to reduce the number of air pollution-related asthma admissions for children by a third, and saving 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2019 – the equivalent of 1.1 million flights from London to New York.

Any net revenue raised through the ULEZ will be reinvested back into public transport, including on the expansion of bus services in outer London, the Mayor said.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This is a landmark day for our city which will lead to a greener, healthier London for everyone. The decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide was a difficult one, but necessary to save lives, protect children’s lungs and help prevent asthma, dementia and other health issues.

“All the evidence shows that it’s clean air zones like ULEZ that are the gamechanger in a city like London when it comes to cutting toxic air quickly and meaningfully to protect people’s health. It’s thanks to the ULEZ that we are now set to get London’s air to within legal limits in the next couple of years, 184 years earlier than previously projected.”

Christina Calderato, TfL’s Director of Strategy and Policy said: “The expansion will play a significant role in our fight against the triple challenges of air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion. We know that clearing up the air in the capital is vital, as thousands of people in our city are developing life-changing illnesses due to pollution, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma. The ULEZ expansion to all London boroughs will help a further 5 million people living in outer London who suffer from the impacts of air pollution.”

Professor Kevin Fenton, London Regional Director for Public Health, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, said: “Simply put, air pollution is deadly.  All of London, including the outer London boroughs, exceed the WHO guidelines for NO2 and PM2.5 pollution and these outer boroughs have the highest number of premature deaths due to toxic air.  We’ve already seen the health benefits to Londoners from the central London ULEZ, and it’s about time every single Londoner had a chance to breathe cleaner air. This is a crucial step to reducing the health impacts and inequalities seen across communities now and in the future.”     

Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive, Asthma & Lung UK, said: “More than 60% of people with a lung condition in London live in the outer boroughs. Air pollution triggers symptoms including breathlessness, coughing and wheezing, and in more severe cases these flare-ups result in hospitalisation. Expanding ULEZ across the whole city will help protect the lung health of millions of people, every day.”  

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, WHO Breathe Life Ambassador, said: “Today, 10 1/2 years after my daughter Ella died, ULEZ is rolling out across London. For the last 28 months of her life Ella suffered horrendously. Her KC Richard Herman equated it to torture. That is why it is crucial that the experts in Ella’s second inquest are listened to and ULEZ is implemented London-wide, so no child will ever suffer and die like she had to, due to illegal levels of pollution on the South Circular.” 

Dr Chinthika Piyasena, Consultant Neonatologist in London said: “There is mounting evidence that air pollution is linked pregnancy complications that can have lifelong consequences for babies. Air pollution particles can cross the placenta, and this increases the risk of stillbirth, or babies being born too early or too small. Studies have also shown that exposure to toxic air during pregnancy is associated with altered structure of the newborn brain. ULEZ is a chance to clean up our city’s air and protect life at its most fragile. Pregnant women and babies will be healthier for it.”    

Dr Phil James, Chief Executive Officer at the CIEH said: “The expansion of ULEZ in London signifies not just a move towards a cleaner city but an investment in public health. The role of EHPs in this journey cannot be understated. Every step taken towards better air quality translates to fewer hospital admissions, reduced strain on the NHS, and ultimately, more lives saved.”

Oliver Lord, Head of Clean Cities Campaign in the UK said: “I haven’t met a single person who wants to drive a dirty vehicle and pollute their own community but it can often be a necessity in the UK and that’s what we urgently need to fix. As the ULEZ expands, our leaders should be working together, not against, to help struggling households by providing cheaper, convenient and greener alternatives to driving a polluting car, such as safer cycling routes, more electric buses and car sharing rental schemes.”

John Dickie, Chief Executive of BusinessLDN, said: “The ULEZ expansion will play an important role in making London’s air cleaner and saving lives across the capital. It will also make the city a more attractive place to live, work and visit. We urge businesses and households to take advantage of the extended scrappage scheme, which will help them make the transition.”

James Watkins, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Head of Policy and Public Impact, said: “Dialogue with the Mayor and his officials have resulted in some positive developments with respect to the ULEZ vehicle scrappage scheme. We hope this collaboration will continue to ensure London businesses are able to transition smoothly to non-polluting vehicles, while keeping the logistics and infrastructure limitations in mind”. 

Tom Kordel, Director of XCO2, said: “The Mayor of London has continued to give me the certainty of direction I need to know that the green economy’s capital will continue to be London. The ULEZ expansion will make London cleaner and healthier for my staff and the help offered by the Mayor should help small businesses make the transition to cleaner vehicles.” 

Cllr Louise Krupski, Lewisham Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Action, said: “We have already seen the impact ULEZ has had in inner London – reducing the number of polluting vehicles on our roads, lowering emissions and ensuring cleaner air for millions of people. Expanding ULEZ to cover the whole of London is a welcome step that will help improve air quality here in Lewisham and across the capital. This sort of bold, decisive action from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is vital for reducing air pollution and tackling the climate emergency.”

Adrian Keen, CEO of InstaVolt, said the scheme was “critical” in protecting the transition to EVs. He said: “The number of mixed messages from the Government recently has been astonishing, with proposals made to extend the 2030 deadline and row back support of ULEZ. This was the vote of approval needed to keep the country on track and is an opportunity that will create a seismic shift in our country’s emissions – and it’s not to be taken lightly.

“We’re investing heavily in our charging network across the country and specifically within ULEZ expansion zones, forming infrastructure to meet the needs of EV users, with plans in progress for a charging super hub at Syon Park in Brentford, among multiple other developments.

“Recent statistics show that air pollution is the country’s biggest environmental health threat, with outdoor pollutants estimated to contribute towards 40,000 excess premature deaths per year, costing the economy upwards of £20 billion a year. ULEZ directly helps to mitigate this. We need to push aside our prejudices and understand that this is not just a political scheme, but one that directly impacts our country’s health and environment.”