ULEZ: Slough MP says there is 'no appetite' for scheme

Users of non-compliant vehicles in London must pay a £12.50 daily charge

A local MP has said there is "no appetite" for a ULEZ-style scheme in the home counties.

Labour MP for Slough, Tan Dhesi, explained that he does not believe the people in Slough wish to see the controversial clean-air scheme.

Ultra-low emission zones have been introduced to clean up the air in a number of cities, with the aim of making people healthier.

In London, a £12.50 daily charge was expanded to every borough in August.

The London ULEZ was introduced only in central London in 2019, but has expanded twice to reach its current boundaries.

Critics of the scheme have objected to the cost on motorists.

Mr Dhesi said: "It's all very well saying we need to change to more environmentally-friendly vehicles.

"But if people are just about managing in a cost-of-living crisis, they need help financially to make that more environmentally-friendly decision."

Mr Dhesi previously wrote to the Transport Secretary calling for scrappage funds to be made available to areas surrounding London, including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire.

He said: "If the likes of Bristol, Birmingham, Bradford can get support, then Berkshire, and those areas surrounding London, should be getting support as well.

A scrappage scheme allows Londoners to claim a grant of up to £2,000 to replace a non-compliant car or up to £1,000 for a motorcycle.

He said: "Slough is not London. I don't think there's the appetite here or any sort of political will to implement any sort of ULEZ scheme here."