When was ULEZ first introduced, and how has it been expanded?

The original ULEZ was announced in 2013 by the then mayor of London Boris Johnson, with the hope it would operational by 2020. ¹ BBC, ‘Boris Johnson announces plans for Ultra Low Emission Zone’, 13 February 2013, retrieved 01 September 2023, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21443439 This fell outside Johnson’s term and, at the time, he had not declared if he would run for a third term. ² [1] Siddique H, ‘Boris Johnson considering third term as mayor of London’, 02 July 2013, retrieved 01 September 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jul/02/boris-johnson-third-term-london-mayor It was however implemented by his successor, Sadiq Khan, in April 2019, originally covering the same central London area as the congestion charge. ³ Mayor of London Office, ‘Mayor plans to introduce Ultra Low Emission Zone in April 2019’, 04 April 2017, retrieved 01 September https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-plans-to-introduce-ulez-in-april-2019 Khan’s initial ULEZ proposal also included plans to expand the area up to and including the North and South Circular Roads sometime between 2019 to 2021. ⁴ Moran M, ‘Mayor of London brings launch of Ultra-Low Emission Zone forward’, 10 October 2016, retrieved 01 September, https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/50275/mayor-of-london-brings-launch-of-ultra-low-emission-zone-forward/  

In May 2020, during the height of the pandemic, then transport secretary Grant Shapps wrote a letter to Khan setting out the terms of funding package to support Transport for London (TfL). This included the request to urgently bring forward proposals to widen the scope of the ULEZ, LEZ and the Congestion Charge. ⁵ Mayor of London Office, ‘FOI – Communications with Grant Shapps [Oct 2022]’, (no date) retrieved 01 September, https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/governance-and-spending/sharing-our-information/foi-disclosure-log/foi-communications-grant-shapps-oct-2022   However, before Shapps’ letter, the date of the first expansion had already been set for October 2021. ⁶ Mayor of London Office, ‘Mayor: Ultra-Low Emission Zone to expand up to North & South Circular’, 08 June 2018, retrieved 01 September, https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/ultra-low-emission-zone-to-expand

Can the UK central government block the plans?

Based on current devolved powers, it is within the mayor of London’s authority to expand ULEZ. The Greater London Authority Act 1999 grants the mayor the power to introduce road user charges and since 2003 successive mayors have done so. ⁷ Tyes R and Smith L, ‘Clean Air Zones, Low Emission Zones and the London ULEZ’, House of Commons Library, 11 August 2023, retrieved 01 September, https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9816/ There is a clause under the Act that the government can reject the mayor’s transport strategy if it is “inconsistent with national policies relating to transport”. ⁸ Greater London Authority Act 1999, part 5, section 143 However, though Rishi Sunak has voiced his criticism of the ULEZ expansion, it has been reported the government has dropped plans to block the expansion based on legal advice this would be overturned if challenged in court. ⁹ Riley Smith B, Gutteridge N and Knapton S, ‘Sunak blocked from overruling ‘nightmare’ Ulex expansion’, Telegraph, 22 August 2023, retrieved 01 September, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/08/22/rishi-sunak-blocked-overruling-ulez-expansion-london/