Mark Harper explains why Sadiq Khan is wrong on ULEZ
Sadiq Khan’s dreaded ￡12.50 Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge "could go up" as the scheme is "always kept under review".
Less than a month after the London Mayor caused massive outrage by expanding the charge zone, he has now warned it is "not inconceivable" that the capital could see higher charges.
During the Mayor's Question Time, he said the rules around charging schemes – ULEZ and the Congestion Charge – could change over time.
He said that as drivers convert to cleaner travel, fuel duty is going to dry up and "fuel cells are going to drive up road tax and so forth", hence road charging is always subject to change.
Mr Khan said: "It's not inconceivable [that] in the future at some date, the [Congestion] Charge could go up or down, ULEZ could go up or down, LEZ could go up or down, as it did in the past."
Sadiq Khan said the charging scheme is 'always kept under review' (Image: PA)
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He was asked by Tory London Assembly Member Emma Best about past statements he has made about a pay-per-mile scheme that would charge drivers for where and when they drive.
In response, he said: "A pay-per-mile scheme is off the table, not on my radar."
However, he outlined some of the potential changes to charging schemes that public officials had been looking at – such as a fee every time people drive a car.
"I asked TfL to look into a boundary charge, which I've rejected. I asked TfL to look into a carbon charge for every time somebody drives a car, which I've rejected. TfL have been looking at, for some time, driverless cars, which are not coming to a road near you anytime soon."
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Despite his comments, back in March he told MyLondon: "The ultimate destination is a smart road user charging scheme in London.
"We've been looking around the world about what sort of schemes they have.
"The best one, and it's a compliment, is Singapore, but it's not quite what we're after. What we want is a scheme that can treat each driver differently in relation to [the] time you're driving, distance you're driving and if there are good alternatives with public transport and how polluting your vehicle is."
In July, he said: "There simply isn't the technology in relation to pay-per-mile. So, I'm not quite clear why the Minister [Richard Holden] said what he said on the floor of the house [that TfL bosses are working on a different longer term road charging scheme], and I'm sure he didn't intentionally mislead the house."
Speaking in August, just before the ULEZ charge was expanded, Mr Khan told BBC Breakfast: "We now have a really effective policy to reduce air pollution. It's shown to be effective in central London and inner London, but I think clean air is a right not a privilege.
"What about outer London? Why shouldn’t they breathe clean air?"
"What about outer London? Why shouldn’t they breathe clean air?"
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