ULEZ expansion 2023: what Sadiq Khan said about forcing camera installation as councils rebel

TfL warns it will push ahead with new detection systems in face of legal challenge from Lonon

London Mayor Sadiq Khan could force the installation of ULEZ detection cameras in council areas opposed to the scheme’s expansion, according to TfL.

The transport body told councils who have objected to the massive extension of the ultra low emissions zone that work to install new cameras could begin within weeks to ensure it can begin operating in late August.

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The announcement comes as four Tory-led London councils launch a legal action to stop the ULEZ expansion and four other councils have refused to sign the “Section 8” agreement which allows TfL to install new traffic monitoring cameras in their areas.

TfL had given the councils until Thursday, 2 February to sign the agreement but Bromley, Bexley, Harrow and Hillingdon confirmed that they would not approve the cameras’ installation and were seeking legal advice on blocking the expansion. It is understood that Conservative-led Croydon and Liberal Democrat-led Sutton have also refused to sign the agreement.

Around 2,750 new cameras need to be installed throughout 24 London boroughs to support the expansion of the ULEZ. Two thirds of these can be installed without Section 8 agreement as they will be fitted to existing traffic lights belonging to TfL. However, a third need new infrastructure such as poles to be installed, which, in theory, require legal agreement from the local authority.

However, in a letter seen by the Telegraph, TfL warned the rebel boroughs that it would use “direct installation powers” to push through new cameras even if they refuse to sign the Section 8 agreement.

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The letter said: “The Mayor and TfL consider them to be reserve powers to be used only after attempts to resolve matters have proved unsuccessful. However, the guidance is explicit that TfL may appropriately use them to ensure that the Works (or enough of them) are completed sufficiently in advance of the 29 August 2023 scheme commencement date.”

It also said that signing the agreement would not prejudice any legal action and it would pay to remove any cameras if the councils won the legal argument.

The ULEZ is due to expand massively from late 28 The ULEZ is due to expand massively from late 28
The ULEZ is due to expand massively from late 28

In a joint statement responding to the letter, Hillingdon, Harrow, Bexley and Bromley said they will not sign the Section 8 agreement with TfL while legal advice is being taken. It is believed that Harrow has set aside £400,000 to fight the expansion of the ULEZ from inside the North and South Circulars to an area bounded by the M25.

The opposition councils argue that the expansion is harmful to their residents and “unlawful” for four reasons, all of which TfL rejects. They say that the mayor has exceeded his powers by treating the expansion as a “variation” of the existing scheme rather than a stand-alone plan. They also challenge the estimates of the number of people affected and the financial analysis of the scheme’s worth.

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They also claim it is unlawful to exclude people who live outside London but have to travel into the city from the recently launched scrappage scheme.

The mayor has dismissed the claims and urged the four councils to drop their action. In a letter to council leaders, Khan described their grounds for a potential legal challenge as “wholly without merit and misconceived”.

He insisted it is “simply not true” that the scheme – which will be extended to cover the whole of the capital from August 29 – is a “money-making venture”. Transport for London (TfL) expects net income from the Ulez to fall to “nominal levels within the next few years”, Mr Khan wrote.

Surrey County Council has also said it will block the installation of signage for the expanded scheme without further discussion on the zone’s impact on its residents.

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The council raised several concerns around the expanded zone and submitted a number of recommendations to help mitigate its impact. These included extending the car scrappage scheme to Surrey residents, extending the Zone 6 Oyster Card and providing exemptions for key workers, people travelling to school and taxi drivers.

It says that TfL has not even acknowledged the suggestions and said: “Until TfL constructively discuss mitigations that will help Surrey residents, the County Council will not engage with them or the mayor over the practicalities of implementing the ULEZ around the London/Surrey border.”

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