ULEZ and The Impact on Charities.

Whilst the goal of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone or ULEZ zone was to reduce the level of harmful toxic air within a given area. There has been an unmistaken impact of ULEZ on families financially as well as charities which serve their communities. Now whilst clean air is something that we all want for our families, there are still times where the car is crucial whether it be for key works serving the community.

How Charities Support the Community:

Although the public transport system in London is highly effective it is still unable to meet all the needs of its community and is now spilling over into adverse effects on charities. Providing aid for the most vulnerable in society is something that should be a top priority for any local authority and ensuring that works can be taken with the fewest barriers is essential. Often due to the flexibility and innovation of charities and businesses many in our communities have these needs met not just by the public sector but by the private sector.

The Impact of ULEZ

This is where the ULEZ zone particularly impacts the vulnerable, now although some businesses in London and TFL will be able to update their vehicles to reflect the new policies and therefore reduce their emissions charities and small businesses will not be able to do this. This will effectively add greater costs to these organisations. Organisations like Dogs on the Street who are a small charity which serve the homeless residents of London and their pets are one such organisation offering tailored services that these citizens otherwise would not be able to afford. The charity has bespoke services and have specialist equipment on their vehicles to offer these services to the communities and modernising these vehicles will add significant costs to their operation. To adapt to this change that means the donation and fundraising efforts are going towards paying the ULEZ fees rather than into providing crucial support for the residents and their pets.

Scrappage Program Flaws

So, what about the scrappage scheme now whilst the scrappage program offered grant funding for charities or businesses in order to conform with the new charges before they came in the problem lies with purpose refitted vehicles. Specifically having mobile grooming, veterinary and general care vehicles have additional expenses and whilst the grant would go some way to meet these costs it would barely cover the cost of acquisition of a vehicle, and this would often be of an older used model where the battery will also have shown some wearing unlike traditional fuel vehicles which have a longer service life. This scheme has also been closed to new applicants which limits charities making claims for grant funding where the two-year window may have often not allowed the organisation to raise the necessary funds to replace the fleet of specialist vehicles. This two-year window also came at a time when many of the organisations were working flat out to deal with added pressures of Covid-19.

Actions that can be Taken

Now, myself and other activists are calling on the Mayor of London to look again at how his ULEZ zones are still impacting some of the most vulnerable in his community by increasing the financial burden on charities. That is why we are collectively calling on him to review his ULEZ policy for charities who may have been unable to refit or scrap vehicles under the previous scheme. Reopen the scheme to allow for further funding to support specialist sourcing of new efficient vehicles or to provide exemptions. The support for Dogs On The Street from Neil Garratt and Shaun Bailey has been hugely refreshing to see London Assembly members standing up for this charity and others.

Further Reading

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/scrappage-schemes?cid=scrappage-scheme

https://dogsonthestreets.org/london/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/05/londons-ultra-low-emission-zone-good-or-bad-idea

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/ulez-checker-zone-map-charge-2021-b1944620.html

https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/mayors-ultra-low-emission-zone-london

Remember contact your London Assembly members and add pressure onto the Mayor.

https://www.london.gov.uk/people/assembly