High Court ruling on ULEZ expansion to be published on Friday
The High Court is set to publish a ruling on Friday morning over the London mayor’s plan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the capital’s outer boroughs.
Five Conservative-run councils launched legal action back in February over the extension, which is due to come into force on 29 August.
The scheme – already in place in central and inner London – will see the drivers of the most polluting vehicles charged £12.50 a day to use them.
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The hope of those behind the plan is it will incentivise people to use cleaner transport alternatives and, as a result, help improve the city’s air quality.
And TfL has claimed only a small number of people will be impacted, with nine out of 10 vehicles compliant with ULEZ requirements.
But the councils challenged the rollout in the courts, saying the capital’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, had exceeded his legal powers with such a large expansion of the scheme.
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ULEZ expansion ‘difficult but right decision’, claims Khan
The four local authorities – Hillingdon, Bexley, Bromley and Harrow in London, plus Surrey County Council – also claimed the consultation on the plan was flawed, and not enough information had been shared over the scrappage scheme, which provides payouts to people prepared to ditch their vehicles.
While other parts of the challenge were dismissed in April, the councils were granted a hearing in the High Court, and the two sides fought it out over two days of evidence.
The court’s final decision is expected at around 10am on Friday.
A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: “The mayor took the very difficult decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide so that five million more people in our city can breathe cleaner air.
“We await the decision from the judge on the future of this important scheme.”
The ruling comes a week after the debate around ULEZ dominated a by-election and the fallout from the results.
The seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip – left vacant by the departure of Boris Johnson – seemed ripe for the taking for Labour in light of recent polling that gives the party a double-digit lead over the Tories.
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Starmer: ‘ULEZ was the reason that we lost the by-election in Uxbridge’
But the Conservative candidate managed a narrow victory – albeit seeing the majority for the party fall from over 7,000 to less than 500 – having campaigned heavily against the expanding Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Since then, Labour have been in turmoil over the policy and whether to support it, with Sir Keir Starmer saying he had asked the mayor to “reflect” on the impact of the scheme.
However, Mr Khan has said he is committed to ULEZ expansion, telling Sky News: “It was a difficult decision to take. But just like nobody will accept drinking dirty water, why accept dirty air?”
More victims of the infected blood scandal will qualify for compensation while others will get higher awards under changes to the scheme.
The new rules mean estates of affected people who have already died will be able to claim payments.
As well as this, around 1,000 people who are already eligible will be able to claim a higher amount, including chronic Hepatitis C individuals.
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The reforms are being introduced following 16 recommendations from the Infected Blood Inquiry, which published an additional report earlier this month.
Confirming the changes, minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds said the government has “concentrated on removing barriers to quicker compensation”.
He added: “Our focus as we move forward must be working together to not only deliver justice to all those impacted, but also to restore trust in the state to people who have been let down too many times.”
Between the 1970s and early 1990s, more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C while receiving NHS care.
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Infected blood scandal explained
Some 3,000 people have died after they were given contaminated blood and blood products, while survivors live with lifelong implications.
In last October’s Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed £11.8bn to compensate victims of the infected blood scandal, with the scheme opening at the end of last year.
The changes will ensure that those who endured treatments with adverse side effects, such as interferon, will receive higher compensation to what is currently provided.
Higher compensation will also be available for the impacts currently recognised by the Infected Blood Support Scheme ‘Special Category Mechanism’ (SCM), which is provided to chronic Hepatitis C individuals who have experienced a significant impact on their ability to carry out daily duties.
The government said the changes mean that over a thousand people will receive a higher amount than they would have under the existing scheme.
Scheme widened to estates of deceased affected people
The scheme will also be widened to some people who don’t currently qualify.
Under the current mechanism, if someone who was infected dies before receiving full compensation, then any final award can be passed on to their relatives through their estate.
However while compensation is also available to family members affected by the scandal – a partner, sibling or parent of someone who was infected, for example, this claim dies with them if they pass away.
The changes announced today mean that if the affected person has died after May 21st 2024, or dies in future before receiving compensation, their estate will be able to make a claim.
Memorial plans announced
The government also announced that Clive Smith, president of the Haemophilia Society, will be the chair of the new Infected Blood Memorial Committee.
The project will include plans for a UK memorial and support memorials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In line with the Infected Blood Inquiry’s recommendation, the committee will also develop plans for commemorative events and is planning to hold the first by the end of 2025.
Mr Smith said the memorial is “long overdue”.
He added: “It is a great privilege to be asked to lead this important work on behalf of the community.
“I am conscious that we are already behind in relation to implementing the Infected Blood Inquiry’s recommendation that community events be held on a six-month basis post the Inquiry reporting. We intend to correct that by the end of this year.
“I look forward to working with the whole community across the UK on building an appropriate memorial to those we have lost and to act as a lasting memorial to the nation of what can happen when patient safety is not prioritised.”
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