Emerson Park councillor’s on going battle against ULEZ.
The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across all outer London boroughs has sparked a heated debate, with one councillor from Emerson Park emerging as a strong advocate against the proposal.
Councillor David Godwin firmly opposes the ULEZ expansion, citing concerns about its potential negative impact on Emerson Park and its residents as well as the borough as a whole.
As an elected representative, David feels a deep responsibility to safeguard the community’s interests and preserve its unique identity. Councillor Godwin told the Havering Daily:
“Emerson Park is a close-knit community, and I firmly believe that the ULEZ expansion is not in our best interest. While the initiative aims to reduce air pollution, we must also consider its economic consequences and how it could burden our local businesses and residents.
“Many of our residents do not have compliant cars despite the London Mayor’s claims and do not have the funds to replace their vehicles. I have had a lot of correspondence from very concerned people who are in no financial position to buy a new car and need to use them for things such as looking after elderly relatives, caring for their grandchildren, school runs as well as going to work.
“Emerson Park has a train station but this is on one side of the ward and not within walking distance for many people, likewise Gidea Park station, both of which are over 1.5 miles from many residents’ homes. In addition, many people live over half a mile and around a 30-minute walk from the nearest bus stop.
“The public transport offering in this area is very different to that in central London and it is wrong to expect people to walk these distances, especially in bad weather or if they are elderly, have small children or are returning from a night shift or night out and coming home in the dark.
“I am not happy that people’s choices are being taken away from them on the back of this £12.50 daily charge as if they can not afford to pay the fee, they could risk their personal safety or be confined to their homes.
“As a representative elected by the people, it is my duty to fight for their rights and protect our community. Air quality in Havering is good and on a par with places such as the coastal towns of Padstow and Aldeburgh where there are no motoring tariffs.
“The air quality on the day of the judicial review in this area was 1 which is excellent and so these charges make no sense and appear to have in reality no link to air quality at all. If the Mayor of London was so concerned about the air Londoners breathe he would start with air quality in many tube stations and not be charging residents in the outer London boroughs to go about their daily lives” .
In his fight against the ULEZ expansion, Councillor Godwin has been actively involved in many ULEZ protests in London. Alongside fellow Emerson Park councillor Laurance Garrard and other HRA councillors, they have used these protests as a platform to voice their concerns and demand attention from decision-makers.
“The ULEZ protests provide an essential space for us to rally public support for our cause,” David remarked, “and our commitment to attending future events demonstrates our dedication to finding a solution that works for our community and we have met many people from other London boroughs who all feel the same way as we do and are very worried about the proposed charges.”
While the recent judicial review may not have yielded the desired outcome, Councillor Godwin and his HRA colleagues remain steadfast in their belief that the war is far from over.
“We won’t be discouraged,” he emphasized. “Together with like-minded individuals and organisations, we will explore all avenues to make our voices heard in the hope we can overturn ULEZ before the end of August when charging is due to begin ”
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Whilst I know David Godwin is genuinely opposed to ULEZ, the fact remains, the failure of the HRA to join legal action against ULEZ undermines all the protest meetings he attends, because without legal action ULEZ would already be a done deal and without new ‘concessions’.
The High Court has upheld the Mayor’s decision to expand ULEZ and for some reason this decision, so far, has not been appealed! No doubt, because the other councils hope to exploit the resulting misery!
However, if Havering was involved in the legal action we could be demanding an appeal and the further delay could stop ULEZ as the politics change. In short, by opposing legal action HRA are supporting ULEZ.