Diesel scrappage scheme: Sadiq Khan demands UK drivers ditch their diesel cars for £3,500
LONDON Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the Government to introduce an incentivised diesel scrappage scheme to get motorists to ditch their cars for more energy-efficient versions.
Sadiq Khan on the health implications of pollution
The Mayor has said that motorists in London should be given up to £3,500 to replace their old diesel car with a cleaner vehicle.
According to a report in the Observer, the scheme is believed to cost around £500m and offer incentives to low-income households and business to purchase less-polluting vehicles.
Sadiq Khan also wants car tax to be redesigned so it no longer incentivises buying a diesel car.
London is one of the most-polluting cities in the UK, which broke the annual limit for nitrogen dioxide levels in the air, only five days into the year.
City Hall have now also warned the British public to avoid going outside or exercising on days with peak levels of pollution.
NO2 can cause coughing and shortness of breath and pensioners and people who suffer from respiratory problems are most at risk.
“The toxic state of our air leaves us with no choice but to rid our city of the most polluting diesel vehicles," Khan said.
The toxic state of our air leaves us with no choice but to rid our city of the most polluting diesel vehicles
"It is shocking that nearly half of new car sales in the UK are still diesel vehicles and the national system of vehicle excise duty still incentivises motorists to buy these polluting cars.”
"I’m urging government to immediately review this policy, and today I’ve delivered a detailed report on how it can deliver an effective national diesel scrappage fund.
"One that both fairly compensates motorists and rapidly helps clean up our filthy air."
Sadiq Khan: The Government has made a big mistake
Buying a diesel car was actively encourage by the Government when Gordon Brown was in power due to the fact that diesel cars emit less carbon than petrol cars.
However there have now been increasing concerns over the volume of nitrogen dioxide they emit.
In addition to the proposed £3,500 grant from the Government, low-income families could receive up to an extra £2,000 to switch their car.
The new scheme could cost the Treasury almost half a billion pounds to just tackle the crisis in London alone.
The Mayor is also set to introduce a scheme which will charge diesel drivers double to park in the city centre to encourage owenrs to part with their cars.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is also set to introduce a 'T-Charge' ( a toxicity levy) later this year which will charge drivers around £10-a-day to drive the most-polluting diesel and petrol vehicles in Central London.
This T-Charge is set to be introduced by October 2017 and a new Ultra-Low emissions Zone will be introduced by 2019.