New Mayoral Budget amendment, to be voted on Thursday, will help Londoners with the cost of living and breathing.
- Cost of living: we will suspend the ULEZ expansion, so the people can decide in the 2024 Mayoral Election. And we will freeze Sadiq Khan’s Council Tax, cancelling his planned 9.7 per cent increase, to put more money back in people’s pockets.
- Cost of breathing: we will act now, not wait until August, to tackle air pollution where it is, instead of taxing people where it isn't. Our proposals include:
- An unprecedented £500 million to accelerate the move to a fully zero emission bus fleet and deliver it by 2030, four years earlier than Sadiq Khan’s target. The proposal would deliver immediate reductions in one of the largest sources of harm from air pollution.
- A new £50 million Pollution Hotspots fund, which will save lives by helping local authorities tackle air pollution where the problem is greatest. By contrast, Sadiq Khan's ULEZ expansion plan is unfocused, has negligible air quality effects, and primarily takes money from the poorest.
The amendment does not affect or alter the £130 million Sadiq Khan has allocated for free school meals; this policy will be kept as is. Nor does it affect funding for police, fire, TfL or other public services, all of which are protected.
The City Hall Conservatives will help Londoners with the cost of living and breathing by proposing an amendment to the Mayor's Budget. The plans will be voted on by the London Assembly on Thursday.
The proposals will put more money back in the pockets of Londoners, while taking faster and more effective action to reduce air pollution and save lives.
The amendment will stop the ULEZ expansion tax from going ahead this August, so that the people can decide in the 2024 Mayoral Election. It does this by removing the expected ULEZ income from the budget, and using the Mayor’s TfL financing facility to cover the gap.
In its place, we will invest £550 million in tackling air pollution where it is instead of taxing people where it isn't.
This includes:
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An unprecedented £500 million to accelerate the move to a fully zero emission bus fleet and deliver it by 2030, four years earlier than Sadiq Khan’s target. Buses are one of the largest sources of harm from air pollution, as throughout the day they drive near schools, hospitals and residential areas where vulnerable people are likely to be. This accelerated roll out will deliver immediate reductions in their emissions. This will be achieved by making use of the Mayor’s Green Bonds scheme.
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A new £50 million Pollution Hotspots fund, which will help local authorities save lives by tackling air pollution where the problem is greatest. This money will be funded from the Mayor’s environmental reserve.
And we will freeze Sadiq Khan’s Council Tax, cancelling his planned 9.7 per cent increase, to put more money back in people’s pockets and help with the cost of living.
The amendment does not affect or alter the £130 million Sadiq Khan has allocated for free school meals; the policy will be kept as is. Nor does it affect funding for police, fire, TfL or other public services, all of which are protected.
Peter Fortune AM, deputy leader of the City Hall Conservatives, said:
"This unprecedented package of support will help Londoners with the cost of living and breathing. We will act now to tackle air pollution where it is instead of taxing people where it isn't, with a £550 million investment in zero-emissions buses and targeted support in pollution hotspots.
"Sadiq Khan's ULEZ expansion hits Londoners in the pocket without making a dent in air pollution, so we will stop this and let the people decide in the 2024 Mayoral election. Our plans freeze Council Tax, cancelling the Mayor’s planned 9.7 per cent increase, to provide further support with the cost of living.
"I urge the London Assembly to put aside party politics and vote for this amendment, which will help families and save lives."