East London Charities Forced To Shut Down As ULEZ Scrappage Scheme Fails To Help.

Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ scrappage scheme is woefully inadequate and is forcing some charities to shut down services, Nick Rogers AM, City Hall Conservatives transport spokesperson, warned today.

Multiple charities have said the scrappage scheme does not offer enough money to retrofit or replace a vehicle in the current market, and only allows charities to claim a grant for a single vehicle.

Some of the affected organisations are outlined below.

Dogs on the Streets

Dogs on the Streets, which provides vital healthcare services for dogs with homeless/vulnerable owners, has confirmed it will have to give up its delivery address in Enfield because of Sadiq Khan’s charge (source). The charity has accused Sadiq Khan of having “absolutely no compassion for our street homeless & vulnerable community.”

Sadiq Khan has been consistently dismissive of the charity’s concerns, even before this year’s expansion. In 2021, when ULEZ was expanded to inner London, Sadiq Khan’s deputy Shirley Rodrigues told Dogs on the Streets to just “fundraise” to pay for the charge, after the charity explained that the scrappage scheme would not help them (source). They were then accused of declining help by Sadiq Khan at Mayor’s Question Time (source).

Wallington Animal Rescue

Wallington Animal Rescue is an animal, domestic, and wildlife rescue charity in the London Borough of Sutton. The charity says it has already been forced to sell one of its two rescue vehicles as it was not ULEZ compliant. Replacing the other one will cost the charity in excess of £17,000 – well above the grants offered by the scrappage scheme (source).

Charity Begins at Home

Charity Begins at Home, which delivers food, clothes and life-essential items to those in need, has warned it will have to stop its operations because of Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion (source). The organisation has warned that more people could be left on the streets of London as a result.

Serv Herts and Beds

Serv Herts and Beds is part of a nationwide voluntary organisation which delivers blood, medical samples and breast milk for the NHS free of charge, 24 hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Volunteers use their own vehicles, fuel and insurance.

TfL rejected their request for a ULEZ discount or exemption (source).

Humdum UK

An East London charity which delivers fresh, chef-prepared meals to vulnerable people in Barking & Dagenham may be unable to continue its deliveries because the owner is not eligible for any grants from the scrappage scheme (source).

Hatton School & Special Needs Centre

Hatton School & Special Needs Centre in Roding Lane South currently serves 190 pupils from across Redbridge, many of whom have autism, Down’s syndrome or other social and communication difficulties. They have two minibuses, neither of which are compliant with the ULEZ expansion. The chair of the school’s Friends Association says that these buses are needed to allow the children “to live a full life as they should be” (source).

Nick Rogers AM, City Hall Conservatives transport spokesperson, said: “Sadiq Khan’s cruel and unnecessary ULEZ expansion is forcing charities to shut down services, all because of his own financial mismanagement of TfL. The scrappage scheme is woefully inadequate and will do next to nothing to address the damage his ULEZ expansion plans will cause. Sadiq Khan needs to scrap this disastrous policy, which an overwhelming majority of Londoners have told him they do not want.”

Michelle Clark, founding director of Dogs on the Streets, said: “Our dog transport vehicle which is used on a daily basis is not retrofit compliant, therefore we may have to cease using it when the ULEZ expansion takes effect. It would cost the charity £20,000-£30,000 to change the vehicle altogether, which is money we just don’t have.”

Amanda Blackwell and Neil Blackwell, founders of Wallington Animal Rescue, said: “The whole ULEZ issue has caused our rescue an immeasurable amount of stress. We had two vehicles covering the London Borough of Sutton, we’re now down to one. This whole issue is costing us thousands of pounds, money we can ill-afford. We’re a small charity that is struggling under a huge amount of pressure post-Covid and in the cost of living crisis. We’re seeing a huge increase in people looking to surrender animals for financial reasons. We are seeing a decrease in what little funding we receive anyway. The situation in the animal rescue world is absolutely reaching a crisis point. ULEZ will be the final nail in the coffin for many small independent rescues.”

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