Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) - Sutton and Cheam Labour Party

This page purely sets out information on what is proposed and the Mayor’s reasons for it. For more information on the proposal go to Transport for London’s ULEZ Contact Page here. and further information and links are here. You can also check whether your vehicle will be affected here. Most local vehicles will already be compliant and thus exempt from the charge.

The Mayor of London has announced that to help clear London’s air and improve public health, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is expanding across all London boroughs from Tuesday 29 August 2023. A map of the area is above and shows most of the London Borough of Sutton will be covered by the scheme.

If you drive anywhere within the ULEZ, including the expanded area from 29 August 2023, and your vehicle does not meet the emissions standards, you could face a daily charge of £12.50. This includes residents of the ULEZ. However, you don’t need to pay the ULEZ charge if you are parked inside the zone and don’t drive.

More than four out of five vehicles already meet the emissions standards. To see if your vehicle meets the ULEZ emission standards, use the TfL vehicle checker.

The Mayor’s explanation for the scheme

Poor air quality is impacting the health of Londoners, and it’s mainly caused by polluting vehicles. The latest data from the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI, 2019) shows that, although improvements are being made, road transport is the single biggest contributor of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter emissions in Greater London. Find out more about the impact of air pollution on health.

Londoners are developing life-changing illnesses such as cancer, asthma and lung disease, and there is a higher risk of dementia in older people. Air pollution even contributes to the premature death of thousands of Londoners every year. It’s not just a central London problem. In fact, the greatest number of deaths related to air pollution occur in outer London areas. That’s why the ULEZ is expanding across all London boroughs (see map above).

Further changes to address Cost of Living Issues

In addition to the ULEZ expansion, the Mayor of London has announced further changes to the currently existing scheme that address issues around delivering the scheme at a time when there are challenges with the Cost of Living.

Scrappage scheme

Londoners receiving certain low-income or disability benefits can apply to the Mayor of London’s £110 million scrappage scheme. Eligible applicants could receive a payment to scrap their vehicle, or choose a lower payment plus one or two TfL Annual Bus & Tram passes worth more than the payment alone.

London-based sole traders, micro-businesses (10 or fewer employees) and registered charities will also be able to apply to scrap or retrofit a van or minibus.

There are also ULEZ support offers for successful scrappage scheme applicants, as well as offers for all Londoners to take advantage of, whether eligible for a scrappage payment or not.

Discounts and exemptions

To help disabled Londoners and community transport providers prepare for the expansion, the existing ULEZ grace periods (temporary exemptions) have been extended, and new grace periods have been introduced.

Auto Pay and Penalty Charge Notice changes

The £10 annual fee to register a vehicle for Auto Pay has been removed. Auto Pay lets drivers who register their vehicles avoid the risk of forgetting to pay the daily ULEZ charge and incurring a penalty charge.

The value of ULEZ and Congestion Charge penalty charges incurred have increased from £160 to £180 (reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days).