...CAZ
CRISIS...CAZ CRISIS..
GOVERNMENT INDICATES IT WON’T INTERVENE ON LONDON ULEZ EXPANSION
The government has indicated it will not be intervening on the ULEZ extension, after being called upon to take action in a petition and letter sent to the Prime Minister. Havering Residents’ Association (HRA), which forms the borough's administration in coalition with Labour, has garnered more than 700 signatures on its petition requesting the government step in and veto the ULEZ extension. In it, the umbrella group claims the £12.50-a-day scheme for non-
compliant vehicles, due to be implemented on August 29, poses a threat to workers, families, elderly, the sick and disabled. It states: Many will find the cost of replacement out of reach. The
GLASGOW MSP WARNS OF DAMAGING IMPACT OF LEZ ON TRADE
The Low Emission Zone in Glasgow city centre will have a “devastating impact” on the taxi trade, an MSP has said in a debate in the Scottish Parliament. Pauline McNeill, Glasgow Labour MSP, led a debate on the taxi industry and told MSPs that hundreds of drivers face a bill of tens of thousands of pounds or be forced out of business. McNeill said their concerns about the scheme, which is due to start this June are being “ignored” and they were “neglected” during the pandemic. The MSP said: “As we know, around 1,000 cabs out of the fleet of 1,420 are not Euro 6 compliant. In other words, there are 1,000 taxi drivers who, at the moment, would not be able to enter the LEZ in Glasgow. “One can already begin to see the extent of the problem. “Although 200 cabs have been given an extra 12 months, people in the rest of the taxi sector have
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been left to find thousands of pounds that they simply do not have during a cost of living crisis.” The MSP added: “It’s time we recognised the importance of the taxi industry and give it the support it needs and deserves, we need to stop the exodus of drivers leaving the profession because of cost of staying in business and impending regulation that is pushing them out of the sector.” Jenny Gilruth, Transport Minister said she agreed taxi drivers are “vital to the economy”
and
accepted that the pandemic was “challenging” for them. The minister added: “Very recently, Glasgow has confirmed that there will be an additional year for drivers whose taxis cannot be retrofitted, and the position for others is simply a requirement to demonstrate that they
have
signed up to the process of applying for funding.”
scrappage scheme is far too low, with a restrictive eligibility criteria limited to those within the zone.” Instead, the group wants to see the government veto the extension by “enacting Section 143 of the GLA Act (1999) because the mayor’s transport strategy/policy is indeed ‘detrimental to any area that is outside Greater London’”. The same plea is made to Rishi Sunak. A DfT spokesperson however said that all decisions on road user charging “are a matter for the Mayor of London”, adding: “It is for the mayor to justify the decision to and properly consult to ensure those who can least afford to make the switch are supported through any future measures.” The HRA’s call for government intervention differs from Havering Council’s official line. While it refused to sign the section eight agreement, which grants per- mission to erect CCTV cameras and road signs on borough roads, the council decided not to join a multi-borough legal challenge, and is instead asking the mayor to delay the expansion and introduce an enhanced scrappage scheme. When asked why the petition and letter were distributed under the HRA name and not the council, Cllr Gillian Ford, deputy leader of Havering Council, said: “This is a political decision. The council cannot play politics.” Cllr Keith Darvill, the Labour leader, clarified the group’s position had not changed, and that it intends to continue lobbying for a better scrappage scheme including an extension to those who drive into the capital for work.
APRIL 2023 PHTM
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