Barnet's three Conservative MPs have written to the leader of Barnet Council, Barry Rawlings, to urge him to reject Labour's new tax on driving in the suburbs.
The plan by the Mayor of London to expand the ULEZ to the boundary of Greater London will see thousands of Barnet residents either having to buy a new vehicle or pay £12.50 a day to get in their car. Theresa Villiers, Mike Freer, Matthew Offord, the MPs for the borough, are campaigning against this new tax.
Theresa Villiers said "The Labour Mayor's new ULEZ scheme will have minimal impact on air quality, but it will hit people hard who are already struggling with the rising cost of living."
"Yet Barnet Council say they 'robustly support' what the Mayor wants to do. That is completely wrong. Our council should join other boroughs in London which are opposing ULEZ expansion and considering judicial review. They need to stand up for residents who don't want this new charge from Labour."
The letter sent is as follows:
Dear Cllr Rawlings,
We write to urge you to refuse the legal permission for the Mayor of London to install cameras and ancillary infrastructure to foist the Ultra Low Emission Zone on our constituents in Barnet.
We are strongly opposed to this expansion and the tax on residents and businesses it will impose. As you will know, those unable to buy a car which is new enough to be exempt from the charge will have to pay £12.50 per day. This is completely unacceptable at a time of great anxiety about the cost of living.
The Independent Impact Assessment released alongside the ULEZ consultation indicates that the proposed expansion will not deliver the environmental benefits the Mayor claims. ULEZ expansion will also have a further detrimental impact on our town centres and make employment in outer London boroughs less attractive, harming provision of public services.
We all want to improve the environment in London, but this is the wrong proposal at the wrong time. We urge you to protect your residents from this new tax and join other local authorities in London who are exploring legal options to prevent this unpopular and unnecessary imposition.
Yours sincerely
MATTHEW OFFORD, Member of Parliament for Hendon
THERESA VILLIERS, Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet
MIKE FREER, Member of Parliament for Finchley & Golders Green
