Almost 90,000 children across London will now be breathing clean air on the playground thanks to the new Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), new data shows.
The expansion of the ULEZ means that the air surrounding 144 schools with a total of more than 89,000 students will meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) target for the amount nitrogen dioxide particles.
ULEZ is taking the most polluting vehicles off the streets, bringing cleaner air to five million more people and is also expected to reduce carbon emissions in outer London by a further 27,000 tonnes.
Since 29 August, all of Greater London has become covered by the scheme. This expansion will result in 144 schools with a combined total of 89,018 students facing a drop in their exposure to nitrogen dioxide so substantial the air will reach the standards advised by the WHO.
Toxic air is leading to children growing up with stunted lungs and an increased risk of asthma, with older Londoners facing greater risk of cancer and dementia. These factors contribute to around 4,000 premature deaths every year in London.
To help transition to the new scheme, all Londoners with non-compliant vehicles can now get £2,000 for scrapping a car or £1,000 for scrapping a motorcycle. Small businesses and charities can now receive increased grant payments of between £6,000 and £11,500. Eligible charities, businesses and sole traders can now apply for up to three vans or minibuses to be scrapped or retrofitted in total. And the payment for wheelchair accessible vehicles has increased from £5,000 to £10,000, with grants of £6,000 available to retrofit a van to ULEZ standards.
A number of mitigations have also been made for different groups, including exemptions for disabled people and wheelchair accessible vehicles until October 2027 – and new six-month grace periods also recognise that small businesses and charities are doing the right thing and adapting to the ULEZ but may face a delay with receiving their new vehicle or retrofit appointment.
The total amount the Mayor has invested in the scrappage scheme for the ULEZ expansion is £160m, the most generous scrappage scheme in the UK which has been funded without any support from central Government.
The ULEZ has already proven to be transformational in inner London, where it has cut harmful nitrogen dioxide by nearly half in central London and by a fifth in inner London, helping to reduce the number of air pollution-related asthma admissions for children by a third, and saving 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2019 (the equivalent of 1.1 million flights from London to New York).
Any net revenue raised through the ULEZ will be reinvested back into public transport, including on the expansion of bus services in outer London. The ULEZ is expected not to raise any net revenue by the 2026/2027 financial year as the percentage of compliant vehicles continues to rise.
Every child has the right to clean air when they’re travelling to school, learning in the classroom or having fun on the playground. For too long they have been exposed to higher risks of stunted lung growth and chronic illnesses, such as asthma, lung and heart disease.
The ULEZ expansion means almost 90,000 of London’s children will no longer have to breathe poisonous air during their school days.