‘ULEZ will have an impact on our care homes as staff state they cannot afford to travel into Havering from neighbouring boroughs.’

Cabinet member for Adult and Health and Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Gillian Ford today shares with the Havering Daily challenges the ULEZ expansion will bring to Havering.

Councillor Gillian Ford writes:

The world is changing and the scientific evidence supports the need for us all to take action to reduce carbon emissions, to be cleaner and greener in everything we do. My own home is now B rating, with loft insulation, solar panels, LED lighting, rain water storage and hand pump, and a green roof. None of this just happened it took time, planning and money.

As the Cabinet Member for Adults and Health I have been made aware of the challenges our care home providers face in staffing. The implementation of ULEZ will have an impact on the sector with some staff stating they will not be able to afford to travel into Havering from neighbouring boroughs outside the zone. Nurses, will struggle with nightshifts as they will have two payments to make and the police who cannot access hubs by public transport will be penalised. The time frame of 6 months to implement changes is too short. Previous schemes were given 2 years. 

Over the last year Havering has seen the replacement of its bus fleet with vehicles previously used in inner London, inner London now has the cleaner buses. Knowing that our buses are still higher polluting than inner London’s is all the more disturbing when one of the two highest polluting locations in Havering is the Romford Bus Garage. The second is the M25 which we have no direct controls over.

Havering going forward is going to be installing more EV charging points in car parks and on the streets, we are investing in lower emission vehicles to transport school children around the borough, we are working with groups to see more tree planting across the borough, we are looking at cycling and linear parks, we have introduced an engine-idling policy aimed at stopping the running of engines when stationary. 

All of these measures take time, planning and money, so why should ULEZ be any different?

We need to have improved infrastructure across Havering, to be told by TfL that they will work with us on getting an additional bus route sounds great, however the reality is that they propose to remove two existing routes and the new route would not be in place before ULEZ came into action anyway.

The investment in a new vehicle is second to buying a property. To receive £2000 on a scrappage scheme to dispose of a car that has lower emissions, better quality than one you can afford with £2000 is life shattering for some. By some I include the couple I met where the wife has dementia and the car is the lifeline for the couple to engage in groups and organisations to detract them from the emotional world they now live in. Yet they find their lifeline is just about to be taken away from them. They do not have the money to replace the car, and the quality of life is gradually slipping away from them. 

Yes, I agree we need to make changes, yes I agree there is more that can be done but for some this will take, time, planning and money.

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