Charities warn of cuts to services due to ULEZ expansion

At least six charities say they will be affected by the expansion, saying the scrappage scheme does not offer enough money to retrofit or replace a vehicle in the current market.

Dogs on the Streets, which supports rough sleepers with dogs, announced last month that it will have to give up its delivery address in Enfield.

The charity said: “We cannot see a future despite every corner we turn, we don’t have near on £100k to upgrade a vet vehicle, a transporter and an outreach car.”

We will have to sadly give up our delivery address in Enfield where’s we receive a high volume of essentials for the charity & dogs and this also keeps our safe sanctuary address being withheld for safety reasons.
With ULEZ expansion upon us we will be expected to pay the charge…

— Dogs On The Streets (@dotslondon) March 16, 2023

Another animal charity, Sutton-based Wallington Animal Rescue, recently said it has been forced to sell one of its two non-ULEZ compliant rescue vehicles.

According to the charity, replacing it would cost more than £17,000, which is well above the scrappage scheme grants offered.

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.”

Sadiq Khan's spokesperson said the government should offer scrappage funding (Image: PA)

The founders added they have been struggling since the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, particularly as there has been an increase of people abandoning animals for financial reasons.

“ULEZ will be the final nail in the coffin for many small independent rescues,” they concluded.

Food distribution group Charity Begins at Home, located in the Strand, central London, warned last year that more people could be left at the streets as it could have to stop its operations.

Likewise other charities such as Barking & Dagenham-based Humdum UK, Serv Herts and Beds and Hatton School & Special Needs Centre have all claimed their services would also be impacted.

'Cruel and unnecessary'

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.”

Laura Timm, the Federation of Small Businesses London policy chair, said a number of small businesses around the M25 are “greatly concerned” about the support on offer.

A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: “The mayor recognises the vital role charities play in our communities and the GLA and TfL continue to do all they can to support charities in transition to cleaner vehicles with grants of up to nearly £10,000 available to charities.

“Were the government to give London scrappage funding as they have done for Birmingham, Bristol and Portsmouth, even more families and charities could benefit greener vehicles and cleaner air.”