At last week’s meeting of Islington Council, a motion put forward by the sole opposition member1, Councillor Caroline Russell of the Green Party, on extending London’s future Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include Islington, was amended and over-ridden by the dominant Labour Council.
To tackle poor air quality, the Mayor of London last year announced his ambition for a central London Ultra Low Emission Zone to be put into place in 2020 to reduce air pollutant and CO2 emissions from road transport, particularly those with greatest health impacts, and to increase the proportion of low emission vehicles.
This ULEZ, which is currently under consulation, would initially cover the Congestion Charge zone but many London councils including Camden, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark are calling for the Mayor to dramatically expand the proposed ULEZ to cover their boroughs, strengthen it and introduce it earlier than 2020.
The motion put forward by Cllr Russell asked that Islington be included in this list of London councils in order to protect the health of people living, working and passing through Islington.
According to those councils, the current ULEZ proposals do not go far enough in creating cleaner air and will not result in London avoiding heavy fines from breaching EU air quality limits.
The four councils have called for Transport for Lpndon to:
· Strongly consider widening the zone and increasing it, incrementally tightening standards.
· Clearly ring-fence funds collected for air quality improvement and sustainable transport uses.
· Lay out a progressive charging structure, including higher levies against more polluting motors, in order to gradually phase out diesel engines. Introduce a scrappage scheme in tandem with the roll-out of the zone.
· Include exemptions of the ULEZ when it would cause genuine business hardship.
· Strengthen the existing Low Emission Zone (LEZ) so that it applies to all vehicles by 2025.
· Provide further ULEZ options if necessary.
However, Cllr Claudia Webbe, Executive Member for Environment and Regeneration amended the motion and instead pushed through a new version that would delay the decision to ask the Mayor to include Islington in the ULEZ.
A disappointed Cllr Russell summed it up: “I proposed a motion that should have been uncontroversial and would have delivered huge health benefits to Islington residents. This was to expand, strengthen and bring forward the Ultra Low Emission Zone currently being consulted on by the Mayor of London. There is lots of evidence to support this action and four Labour controlled councils have already passed motions calling for exactly the same.”
In February, Islington Greens called for a cross party approach to the Mayor for Islington to be included in an expanded ULEZ. The Lib Dems and Tories signed up, but Islington Labour refused.
Cllr Russell continued: “Last week the Labour Party refused to back my motion and proposed and passed an amended motion that appears to prejudge the outcome of some research they’ve commissioned. It also appears to condemn Islington drivers of older polluting vehicles who live outside the current congestion charging zone to manage without the three year exemption from the charges to assist with transition. I can’t help thinking that they’ve backed themselves in to a corner and don’t want to be seen to be working with a Green.”
ENDS
Footnotes
1. Original motion from Cllr Caroline Russell
MOTION PROPOSING THAT ISLINGTON JOINS OTHER LABOUR COUNCILS CALLING FOR TFL TO EXPAND, STRENGTHEN AND BRING FORWARD THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PROPOSED ULTRA LOW EMISSION ZONE
Proposer: Cllr Caroline Russell
Council notes that the Labour-controlled London boroughs of Camden, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark are calling for the Mayor of London to dramatically expand the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), strengthen it and introduce it earlier than 2020.
According to those councils, the current ULEZ proposals “do not go far enough in creating cleaner air and will not result in London avoiding heavy fines” from breaching EU air quality limits.
The four councils have called for TfL to:
· Strongly consider widening the zone and increasing it, incrementally tightening standards.
· Clearly ring-fence funds collected for air quality improvement and sustainable transport uses.
· Lay out a progressive charging structure, including higher levies against more polluting motors, in order to gradually phase out diesel engines.
· Introduce a scrappage scheme in tandem with the roll-out of the zone.
· Include exemptions of the ULEZ when it would cause genuine business hardship.
· Strengthen the existing Low Emission Zone (LEZ) so that it applies to all vehicles by 2025.
· Provide further ULEZ options if necessary.
This Council resolves to –
Support these calls for the ULEZ to be expanded, strengthened and introduced earlier than 2020.
2. Amendment to the motion proposed by Cllr Claudia Webbe, Executive Member for Environment and Regeneration
MOTION PROPOSING THAT ISLINGTON JOINS OTHER LABOUR COUNCILS CALLING FOR TFL TO EXPAND, STRENGTHEN AND BRING FORWARD THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PROPOSED ULTRA LOW EMISSION ZONE
Amendment
Proposed: Cllr Claudia Webbe
This Council notes –
– That Islington was the first borough to introduce and enforce 20mph speed limits on all roads managed by the council; helping to make roads safer and to improve air quality.
– The calls by this administration for all buses operating from the Holloway Bus Garage to be hybrid models by May 2016, to improve air quality in the local area and across the borough.
– The work the council has done to insulate 12,000 council properties with cavity wall insulation, saving each household £170 per year on energy bills and reducing heat wastage.
– That this administration supports the current ULEZ proposals which would apply to the same area of the borough covered by the existing Congestion Charging Zone.
– It is estimated that the current ULEZ and the proposed extension of the ULEZ to include the whole of the borough would force 20,000 residents to spend thousands of pounds changing their vehicles, or face huge daily fees to continue using their current vehicles.
– For those residents on low incomes, being forced to change their vehicle or paying huge daily fees would simply not be affordable.
– That buses, coaches and HGVs provide the largest contribution to Nitrogen Oxide emissions in the borough, and create over 60% of the particulate matter emissions in the borough.
– That the Labour-controlled London boroughs of Camden, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark are calling for the Mayor of London to expand the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
This Council further notes –
– That the council has commissioned two reports; an Air Quality Apportionment Study to better understand what the sources of pollution are in our borough; and a report on the cost-benefit analysis of expanding the ULEZ to include the whole of Islington, which will report in the New Year.
– The proposals made by other London Boroughs, but which have not been included in the ULEZ proposals by the Mayor of London, to ring-fence funds collected by the ULEZ to support air quality improvements and sustainable transport; introduce a scrappage scheme in conjunction with any future expansion of the ULEZ; and to include exemptions for businesses.
This Council resolves to –
– Take an evidence based approach that considers the impact on local residents when analysing any proposals to expand the ULEZ.
Notes to Editors
1. Further information on why Islington Green Party wants the whole of Islington to be included in the ULEZ can be found here: https://islington.greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/02/10/why-greens-want-the-ultra-low-emission-zone-to-include-the-whole-of-islington/
2. Further information on air quality in Islington can be found here: http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Air%20Quality%20for%20Public%20Health%20Professionals%20-%20LB%20Islington.pdf