Glasgow City Council makes almost £500,000 from LEZ

Glasgow's low emission zone came into force in June 2023

Glasgow City Council made £478,560 from the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the four months from June to the end of September, new figures have revealed.

Under LEZ rules, drivers whose cars do not meet clean air standards are fined £60 but this doubles each time the vehicle enters the restricted city centre zone.

Previous estimates were as high as £1m but fines are cut by 50% if they are paid within the first 14 days of being issued.

The council said the revenue earned by the LEZ can legally only be spent to reduce air pollution or meet the council's climate change targets.

A council spokesperson said no decision has been made yet on what LEZ revenue would be spent on.

Since the LEZ's introduction on 1 June, more than 20,000 fines have been issued.

This includes 27 fines on vehicles owned by the council itself.

A council spokeswoman said these fines would be paid by the drivers and not by the council.

"LEZ requirements apply equally to council vehicles as they do all other vehicles driving into the zone," she said.

"Measures to mitigate against such occurrences are in place and drivers have been reminded of the scheme’s requirements as necessary."

'Repeat offences'

In September, 89 vehicles received the maximum £960 fine, imposed when the same vehicle is penalised for the fifth time.

There were 83 drivers on their fourth offence in September, costing £480.

Despite an increase in repeat offences, overall fines in September were down almost 800 on the July figure - from 6,139 to 5,341.

In October, the Court of Session in Edinburgh said the LEZ was lawful and appropriate after a legal challenge from local business owner, William Paton.

What area does the LEZ cover?

The LEZ covers an area from the M8 motorway to the north and west of Glasgow, the River Clyde to the south, and the Saltmarket/High Street to the east.

Glasgow City Council said the restrictions generally affected the owners of diesel vehicles over eight years old and petrol vehicles dating from before 2006.

Motorists can check if their vehicle complies on the LEZ Scotland website.

Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee are to introduce similar schemes to Glasgow's LEZ in Summer 2024.

The £60 base rate is set nationally by the Scottish government and other LEZs will follow the same pay structure as Glasgow.

'Very frustrating'

Raymond Rafferty, from North Lanarkshire, told BBC Scotland the LEZ had impacted on him visiting his son who lives near Glasgow city centre.

"My son stays on the edge of the zone and we often met him in Glasgow," Mr Rafferty said.

"It's difficult for me to use public transport because of disability and other medical reasons, so no more trips to Glasgow."

Mr Rafferty drives a 2014 diesel, which is not LEZ compliant.

However, diesel cars registered between March 2001 to March 2017 that emit less than 100g/km of CO2 do not pay road tax.

"It's very frustrating to see other newer cars for sale with higher emissions that are LEZ compliant," he said.

"Being retired, its not so easy to buy new cars."

'Highway robbery'

Donald MacLeod, who owns nightclubs in Glasgow city centre, called the scheme a "highway robbery".

Mr MacLeod told BBC Scotland's Drivetime radio programme it was "absolutely atrocious the way people in Glasgow were being treated.

"The streets of Glasgow have been emptied, not of cars but of people," he said, "Mid-week the town is a ghost town."

Scottish Greens councillor Blair Anderson called the LEZ a "success".

"We're getting cleaner air in the city centre, and a healthier city for everyone," he said.

"The Royal College of Paediatricians said nearly 2000 deaths per year in Scotland are attributable to air pollution," he said.

'Essential measure'

Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson said Glasgow City Council must explain how it will spend LEZ revenue.

“Glasgow’s low emission zone has clobbered hard-pressed motorists for huge sums of money, only a few months since it was imposed," he said.

"Ordinary Glaswegians, and in particular motorists and city centre businesses, are paying a huge price for this ill-thought-out policy."

A council spokeswoman said: “Glasgow’s LEZ is an essential measure to protect public health by reducing stubbornly high levels of harmful air pollution in our city centre."