Sadiq Khan is accused of ignoring more than 5,000 votes from motoring groups opposing ULEZ expansion
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Sadiq Khan is accused of ignoring more than 5,000 voices from car groups opposing his controversial ULEZ expansion
- Mayor Sadiq Khan approved expansion into London’s ultra-low emission zone
- He approved the plan despite 59.4 percent of respondents opposing it
- 5,273 votes from motorist groups – equivalent to one in ten responses – ignored
- If included, the level of opposition would have risen to 62.4 percent
Sadiq Khan was accused of casting more than 5,000 votes against his controversial expansion into London’s ultra-low emission zone.
The mayor of London approved the scheme in November, despite 59.4 percent of respondents opposing it.
It has now emerged that 5,273 voices from motorist groups – equivalent to one in 10 responses – were ignored by officials.
If counted, the level of opposition would have risen to 62.4 percent – nearly two-thirds.
Sadiq Khan was accused of casting more than 5,000 votes against his controversial expansion into London’s ultra-low emission zone
When the idea was floated in May last year, Mr Khan promised that the Ulez extension in Greater London would not go ahead if there was ‘overwhelming’ opposition.
According to the RAC, the £12.50 per vehicle scheme will cost motorists in the capital an additional £385,000 per day.
Howard Cox, head of FairfuelUK, told the Daily telegram the exclusion of his organization’s votes was “not only despicable but possibly illegal.”
‘[Khan] should be subject to an immediate independent public inquiry into his immoral conduct in the way he implemented the Ulez expansion,” he said.
“He fraudulently and knowingly excluded 5,000 supporters of FairfuelUK and their legitimate responses to the Ulez consultation because they objected.”
London Secretary Paul Scully, MP, said the situation was ‘deeply concerning’ and demanded that the London Assembly ‘look into this further’.
When the idea was floated in May last year, Mr Khan promised that the Ulez extension in Greater London would not go ahead if there was ‘overwhelming’ opposition
Peter Fortune, deputy leader of the Greater London Authority Conservatives, said the revelation revealed Mr Khan’s “disregard for the rules, his failure to follow due process and his contempt for the people”.
Nick Rogers, Member of the Conservative Assembly for South West London, has made an official complaint to the GLA control agency alleging “several serious breaches of the code of conduct and the principles of public life”.
It emerged last week that Sutton’s Liberal Democrats, who control the outer London borough, had vowed to block the installation of cameras needed to enforce Ulez.
Four other boroughs said they were considering legal action over the legality of the decision to proceed.
The published result of the public consultation listed a total of 47,502 responses: 27,237 against, 18,733 in favor and 532 ‘don’t know’.
But emails between city hall officials, obtained under freedom of information rules, showed that thousands of votes were excluded based on “copy and paste” responses “where the same general statement was emailed or mailed to us.” sent’.
A spokesman for the mayor said: ‘The mayor made the decision after considering Transport for London’s full report on the consultation responses and a number of changes were made to the plan based on the feedback received during the consultation.
“TfL takes its responsibility to conduct robust and legally compliant consultations extremely seriously and any suggestion that TfL or the mayor has attempted to influence the results of the Ulez consultation is simply untrue.”