‘A Lot Of Hot Air!’
Havering Residents Association respond to local Conservatives over the Judicial Review.
There has been a lot of hot-air expressed by the local Conservatives over wanting to spend taxpayers money on a Judicial Review (JR) to stop the London Mayor/GLA extending ULEZ to outer-London.
The simple fact is Council’s don’t have the power as Government’s gave all that to the Mayor in the GLA Act (1999). He has reserved powers to go into any borough to impose ULEZ and camera’s are now going up throughout all outer-London boroughs. A JR is a check on the lawfulness of any act made by a public body, not on the policy itself. That is just a reality regardless of the Mayor’s questionable consultation which wasn’t a referendum and wasn’t even a statutory obligation. Any JR will almost certainly be lost and any Council could be liable for costs too.
GOVERNMENT VETO
There is however a much more realistic chance to stop ULEZ, namely if the Government uses its legal powers (under Section 143 of the GLA Act (1999)).
This Section allows the Government to effectively VETO any transport policy that is ‘detrimental to any area outside Greater London’.
Any visitor or worker who lives outside London with a non-ULEZ compliant vehicle will indeed be financially penalised if they enter Greater London. Many care providers, for example, who work in outer-London but live-in surrounding counties, are often on a minimum wage and cannot afford ULEZ compliant cars. They will likely seek alternative employment outside of London thus jeopardising the care sector and no doubt other sectors too.
By preventing the extension it would equally protect, generally, ‘poorer’ citizens that live within outer-London with non-ULEZ compliant vehicles. SIGN THE PETITION!
We hear little from London Conservatives and supporters however, about this power which is clearly set in law and quite specific. Could that be because the Government haven’t actually opposed the Mayor’s ULEZ policy in the past that might jeopardise any legal action? Or do they fear the majority of the Government actually wants ULEZ to be extended and their main goal is about maintaining a fight with the Mayor, for as long as possible, to support their political ambitions given the Mayoral election next year? That is their right of course but is it ethical to use council taxpayers money to throw at a futile JR?
Frankly, if they are actually serious and not playing politics they should focus on lobbying the Government to act. The Havering Residents Association has created a parliamentary petition to do just that:
Please sign and share everywhere!
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In my opinion, the Council Leader refused to support legal action against ULEZ expansion because senior members of the ruling Labour/Havering Residents Association Coalition Administration are not really opposed to ULEZ, but feel obliged to pretend they are!
Instead, like the Mayor, they want ULEZ to allegedly stop changes in climate as evidenced by the Administration’s recent decision to declare a climate emergency requiring an immediate reduction in man-made carbon dioxide emissions in Havering!
The Council Leader has claimed he opposed legal action because the chances of winning were too low and the costs too high, except when quizzed, admitted he was guessing as he hadn’t actually asked officers about this!!!
This is all a big political game by THE TORIES. Step 1- underfund TFL. 2- fund them on the condition they bring in ULEZ. 3- make a load of noise about what a bad man the mayor is for expanding ULEZ. Sad to see so many people fall for it, including their own!
National, Labour and Conservative Uni-Party support “Net-Zero” and “ULEZ”, but there is dissent within the ranks and an opportunity for non-Lab/Con groups to make a difference. I support legal action against ULEZ not to help the conservatives but because ULEZ will undermine air quality, costs livelihoods and lives.
Alas the HRA has talked the talk, but not walked the walk by joining the legal action against ULEZ, bearing in mind there are campaign benefits in even a failed Judicial Review and shared costs are lower individual costs. Surely they were obliged to take further action after all councillors, with caveats, voted against ULEZ!
In my opinion, this failure is because senior members of the Labour/HRA Coalition Administration support ULEZ as evidenced by their declaration of a climate emergency at 22/3 Council meeting which the Mayor is using to justify the expansion of ULEZ to outer-London!!!