Hertfordshire bans London ULEZ cameras and signs on its boundaries 

Hertfordshire Council has told London Mayor Sadiq Khan that it will not allow signs and cameras linked to London’s expanded ULEZ on its border.

The controversial ULEZ expansion - due to kick in on 29 August - will see the zone reach the county’s boundary but its Tory leader has written to Khan saying the warning signs and numberplate recognition enforcement cameras will not be permitted on its territory. 

Richard Roberts said his council could not support the policy “at this time and in this manner” as it threatened those who could least afford to comply with the restrictions. He added that the “disjointed” approach to public transport provision created the impression of “yet another tax grab on the motorist”.

The zone, where drivers are charged £12.50 per day for driving any vehicle that doesn’t meet emissions standards, currently covers an area bounded by the North and South Circular roads but is due to extend across the whole of Greater London from late August, reaching the borders of Herefordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Kent and Essex. It uses automatic numberplate recognition cameras to enforce the charges.

Councillors in Hertfordshire said the extended zone would create an effective tax border on the southern edge of the county. The council said that its stance is “not permit any ULEZ signage or enforcement cameras to be located within the boundary of the county”. It also called for London’s ULEZ scrappage scheme to be extended to residents in neighbouring counties. 

In his letter, Roberts wrote: “In Hertfordshire, many residents, families and businesses are telling us that they are dealing with the tightest squeeze on their finances in over a generation. The simple fact of the matter is that at this time many people with non-compliant vehicles, often the lowest paid in society, cannot afford to upgrade their cars, are not eligible for the scrappage scheme and have no viable public transport alternatives.”

He added that plans for extended parking provision at some outer train stations would still see residents hit by the charge even if they intend to use public transport, raising fears the policy was another “tax grab”.

Several councils within the extended zone have also threatened to block the installation of ULEZ signs and cameras and taken legal action to stop the clean air zone’s extension. Bromley, Bexley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey were given permission to bring their case based on arguments around the legal basis for the scheme and a lack of consultation on the scrappage scheme. The judicial review will rule on their arguments in the coming days, which could threaten the planned extension. 

The ULEZ has become a political flashpoint, with Labour saying the policy played a role in its failure to win the Uxbridge by-election and Sadiq Khan under growing pressure to scrap the extension.

The Mayor’s office insists that London needs to extend its ULEZ to cut the estimated 4,000 annual premature deaths linked to air pollution. A spokesman for the mayor told the Times: “TfL and City Hall are working closely and collaboratively with the local authorities concerned to install the infrastructure needed. The mayor has been clear that while the decision to expand Ulez was an incredibly difficult one, he could not stand by and do nothing while around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to air pollution. 

“Nine out of ten cars seen driving in outer London are compliant and won’t need to pay a penny. For anyone who is affected, help is available including thousands of pounds for people on low incomes, charities, small businesses, disabled Londoners and anyone in receipt of child benefit.”