ULEZ: Sadiq Khan used 'misleading' air pollution stats

The claim was made in a letter to the Mayor of London’s office, which was co-signed by four Conservative-run councils rebelling against the plan – Harrow, Bexley, Bromley, and Hillingdon.

It was sent in response to a letter from Mr Khan on Sunday (February 5), which urged the councils to drop their opposition to expand ULEZ across the whole of Greater London.

He called the four councils’ potential legal challenges “wholly without merit”, citing deaths from air pollution as a key reason for the plan.

• READ MORE: Harrow Council to spend up to £400,000 on ULEZ legal battle

The joint statement from the councils said: “We share your commitment to improve air quality but our outer London boroughs enjoy good air quality.”

In his letter to councils, Mr Khan highlighted research done by Imperial College London, which examined the link between premature deaths and air pollution.

It states that Harrow has seen 118 lives lost as a result. However, the councils dispute the mayor’s claim.

They write: “In our opinion, the modelling of the effect of air quality on health is not sufficiently robust to substantiate your claims about excess deaths in our boroughs.”

The letter also accused the mayor of being “disingenuous” in suggesting people use public transport instead, as the councils claim the majority of their boroughs have low levels of public transport and suggested the plan is a “money-making scheme”.

Councils have disputed air pollution stats used by Sadiq Khan (Image: PA)

They added: “We believe that the £270 million that it will cost to expand the scheme can be better spent to improve air quality that will not add to the financial burden on Londoners during the cost of living crisis.

“We shall continue to defend the interests of residents and businesses and your letter has not weakened our resolve.”

But leader of Harrow's opposition Labour Group, Cllr David Perry, said: “I understand the current compliance levels in Harrow to be over 85 per cent of vehicles.

“I urge Harrow residents to not simply buy the Tory propaganda and find out if their cars are already compliant. The ULEZ expansion scheme also needs to take account of the impact on charities and businesses too."

He continued: “Any future scheme needs flexibility and I hope the necessary extended rollout period can be found to ensure those residents who may be in financial difficulties at present are not adversely impacted due to this public health policy.”

• READ MORE: Councils STILL refuse to sign ULEZ expansion after deadline threat

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “It’s a shame that councils opposing this expansion are now denying evidence from scientists in order to justify their opposition to clear air policies.

“The air quality data used by the Mayor is completely robust and is based on most accurate scientific investigation into the human cost of poor air from globally renowned experts at Imperial College London.

“It is extremely disappointing that these four local authorities refuse to accept the compelling evidence that toxic air really is a matter of life and death.”