London scrappage scheme for most polluting vans
Added: 01 January 2019
London scrappage scheme for most polluting vans
The Mayor of London has announced a new £23 million scrappage scheme to help tackle London’s air quality crisis and support micro-businesses to prepare for the Ultra Low Emission Zone. The scheme is expected initially to help London’s micro-businesses – defined as those with fewer than 10 employees – to switch to the cleanest vehicles, including electric.
It is planned to be in place ahead of the introduction of the new central London ULEZ, which from 8 April 2019 will bring in charges for vehicles which do not meet stricter emission standards. Diesel vans which do not meet the latest Euro 6 standard will have to pay £12.50 a day to drive in central London. Under the City Hall scheme, funding would be available to scrap vans that do not comply with the new ULEZ standards, but which are driven into the ULEZ zone regularly, helping thousands of micro-business owners to update their vehicles.
The Mayor has asked officials and TfL to work out how the money could be spent most effectively, and further details of the scheme will be available next year. As well as announcing his own City Hall fund, the Mayor is urging the Government to match his ambition and leadership. He has asked ministers to match-fund London’s proposed scrappage scheme with £23 million of Government money, which he said would enable City Hall to put in place further scrappage support for other Londoners, including those on low incomes, and charity vehicles.
“Air pollution is a national health crisis that is stunting the lung development of our children and leading to thousands of premature deaths,” the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said. “To truly get a grip on our lethal air, we need to take bold action to rid our city of the most polluting vehicles.
“It’s not good enough to do nothing, and I’m determined to take real action which is why I’ve already delivered the Toxicity Charge in central London for the oldest polluting vehicles, cleaned up our bus fleet, and brought forward the Ultra Low Emission Zone. My scrappage scheme is my next step in tackling pollution.”