Ulez: Slough MP says town's drivers need financial help

Slough MP Tan Dhesi wants the town's drivers to have access to a car scrappage fund

A Berkshire town's drivers need more support ahead of the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) at the end of August, its MP has said.

After the High Court ruled last week that expansion of the zone is lawful, Tan Dhesi has renewed his call to expand a scrappage scheme to Slough.

Currently, eligible Londoners can get up to £2,000 for scrapping a car to swap to a Ulez-compliant one.

Mr Dhesi said commuter-belt residents should also have access to the funds.

In April, Labour's Mr Dhesi co-signed a letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, calling for expanded access to the scrappage funds so commuter belt residents could replace their cars.

Repeating the call this week, he said: "The government must give councils real and tangible resources to tackle toxic air and pollution, while people must be given support to help them transition to more environmentally friendly options."

A £12.50 daily charge applies for driving in the Ulez if the vehicle does not meet certain emission standards.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says it is vital to reduce levels of air pollution in the capital but critics warn the expansion imposes extra costs on motorists at the height of a cost of living crisis.

Slough Borough Council's transport lead Puja Bedi said the council administration was "vehemently opposed" to the zone's expansion.

She said thousands of Slough residents drive into London for work every day and would be disproportionately impacted by the policy.

Christina Calderato, Transport for London's director of strategy and policy, said the mayor has asked the government on "numerous occasions" for a national scrappage scheme to cover people who "drive into London from the Home Counties with the most polluting vehicles".

A government spokesperson said it was for the mayor to "justify his decision to expand the Ulez and to consult properly to ensure it is not just another tax on hardworking families".