Harrow Council refusing to put in ULEZ cameras

From August, the borough will fall within the enforcement zone, meaning some drivers will face daily charges of £12.50 if their vehicle is not compliant.

In a letter to the to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Harrow’s leadership, in conjunction with Hillingdon, Bexley, and Bromley councils, said it is “strongly opposed” to the plans, citing the “adverse effects” it will have on residents, businesses, and visitors.

The council, which has opposed the scheme since its announcement last year, is “not satisfied with the justification” for the expansion.

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The letter said: “Until we have seen compelling evidence to the contrary, it remains our position that this scheme will not translate successfully to outer London and the negative impact to local households and economies will far outweigh the negligible air quality benefits.”

Harrow Council says there are serious concerns about the scheme (Image: PA)

A Harrow Council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it is Transport for London (TfL) that enforces ULEZ and it “will not be cooperating with TfL in putting cameras in Harrow.”

They also told the service: “The evidence that ULEZ will work is not there. We have suggested more generous scrappage scheme for instance or better public transport, but this scheme fails to understand the difference between outer and inner London.”

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The expansion means drivers of petrol cars registered before 2005 and diesel cars registered before 2015, will be subject to the daily charge when driving in Harrow if their car is not environmentally friendly enough.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the ULEZ expansion is “necessary” (Image: PA)

Mr Khan said: “But there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners and leading to thousands of early deaths every year, with the greatest number of deaths in the outer London boroughs.”

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Harrow Council leader, Cllr Paul Osborn, responded to the announcement by calling it “outrageous”, claiming the mayor’s “vanity project” ignored residents and businesses.

He added: “This is the wrong solution at the wrong time. There is no evidence that it will improve air quality but it will hit the poorest households most.” 

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the ULEZ expansion is “necessary” in order to reduce the capital’s air pollution, tackle the climate emergency, and cut congestion. 

Following its implementation, every day around 160,000 cars and 42,000 vans will be required to pay the £12.50 fee, according to estimates by TfL.