The Liberal Democrats recognise that ULEZ is a huge concern for many in Surrey and three Liberal Democrat run Councils in Outer London have led the criticism of the expansion of the ULEZ scheme, calling for a delay in its extension and a wider scrappage scheme to give people more time and flexibility to help us make a just and fair transition.

A new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found there are 157,338 cars in Surrey that are not ULEZ compliant. This means that many commuters, including key workers such as teachers, nurses and police officers, who have to drive into London from the county are unable to access car scrappage schemes despite ULEZ being expanded to outer London in August and these commuters will then be forced to pay ULEZ charges every day for travelling to work.

To address this, the Liberal Democrats have called for a commuter car scrappage scheme for the South-East of England to mitigate this issue caused by the expansion of the London Mayor’s ULEZ.

The Government has provided over £800 million for car scrappage schemes in other cities around the country as part of clean air zone initiatives but has failed to offer any funding for London’s ULEZ expansion. The Liberal Democrats have slammed this as “a betrayal of London and the commuter belt” and urged Government Ministers to step in.

Under the Liberal Democrats’ proposal, anybody with a non-ULEZ compliant car in areas surrounding London who has a legitimate reason for regularly driving into the capital such as for work or caring duties, could claim a grant of up to £4,000 to switch cars. For example, a nurse working in an outer London hospital or somebody who drives just inside the Greater London boundary to care for their elderly relative would be eligible for the grant.

The Liberal Democrats are also calling for small businesses to be provided with financial support as well as more incentives for electric vehicles and more electric charging points across London and the South-East.