On Aug. 29, London Mayor Sadiq Khan extended the Ultra Low Emission Zone in the United Kingdom capital to cover nearly all of the city, which has a population of 8.9 million people.
The extension also now includes London Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports.
There is support for tackling pollution, a concern that Khan has said is “a public health crisis that causes thousands of early deaths each year and is linked to strokes, heart attacks, asthma, dementia and stunted lung function in children.”
Others, meanwhile, claim the expanded zone causes additional hardship to poorer sections of the community, some of whom have no choice but to drive to where they work.
Not every vehicle falls under the net to pay the ULEZ fee, which costs £12.50 ($15.78) per day. Most vehicles that have newer engines are exempt, and there are other exemptions, according to Transport for London, the body that oversees transportation in the city.
Most hotels in Central London and the next ring, known as Inner London, have been subject to ULEZ rules since April 2019 and October 2020, respectively. The legislation was originally introduced by the Conservative Party in 2015 when Boris Johnson was mayor of London before he became the United Kingdom's prime minister.
Hotels in Central London either are close to rail and Underground stations due to the hub-and spoke nature of the city, and some have hotel cars and limousines with engines that are compliant with ULEZ criteria.
ULEZ Is More
There are, however, numerous hotels that since Aug. 29 are within the expanded ULEZ zone and not conveniently near public transportation. One example is the 61-room hotel The Petersham Richmond, which is now located within the ULEZ expansion.
Ilhan Keles, the hotel's general manager, said the inclusion of his hotel does add operational challenges, and he would like to see contractors’ and suppliers’ vehicles exempt from the daily ULEZ fee.
“Some of the contractors are already implementing ULEZ costs to us, and they are less willing to travel,” he said.
He added raw material costs also are going up due to ULEZ.
“Guests and diners are certainly affected, and the cost of raw materials increases due to the investment contractors have to make,” he added.
Contractors' and suppliers' vehicles should be exempt, he said. Key staff should also receive exemptions or discounts.
James Watkins, head of policy and public impact at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said employees who work at those hotels, probably at lower-rung wages, will feel the burden of the recent change.
“While we do not have an exact figure, given the extent of the ULEZ expansion and knowing how populated these areas are, we are confident in saying that a great number of people in the hotel and hospitality industry will be affected by this new advancement of the policy,” he said.
Is it not only staff who will raise an eyebrow. Hotels guests and diners might also reconsider their plans.
“Of course, everyone living in outer London will be affected, but people living on lower wages and business owners will be the ones who will feel the changes the most, both in adapting to the new requirements by having to possibly change their cars, means of transportation and routines and, also, when speaking about businesses specifically, people coming from other boroughs may think twice before making the journey due to the cost implications,” Watkins said.
Trevlyn McLeod, London Region Organizer at union GMB, which represents many hotel and hospitality employees, said the anger felt by many is not being sufficiently reported in the media.
“In time, compliance will set in, but our members and the lowest earners will still be left suffering,” he said.
McLeod said national and city government need to subsidize low-earning employees, who “now cannot afford to go to work, crazy as this sounds.”
Help Needed
McLeod said the financial help offered by London’s City Hall is not sufficient for many employees.
“[Khan] is offering £2,000 for scrapping your car, [but] to get a car that [meets ULEZ criteria] is going to cost £25,000 to £30,000 at the bare minimum,” he said.
McLeod added many of his members live outside of the M25 orbital freeway that circles London and thus require use of a car.
He added those who work at Heathrow “must get to and from work at the craziest times of the day and night.”
Transit in the U.K. does not run all night, with the rare exception of a few bus routes that operate mostly in Central London. Some hospitality workers have complained they need to pay two days’ ULEZ fees if their shifts carry over past midnight, even if they are paid only for one shift.
The only day in which ULEZ fees are not charged is Dec. 25.
Watkins said over this summer the LCCI successfully campaigned for the implementation of the vehicle scrappage scheme and a grace period to ULEZ for firms who have bought ULEZ-compliant vehicles that are yet to be delivered.
“For the mayor to adopt this was a great win for LCCI, but we are also aware that more can be done, such as the greater rollout of electric-vehicle charging points throughout London,” he said.
Khan has shelved additional plans he initially set out in 2018 to create a zero-emission zone for inner London by 2040, expanding that to all of London by 2050.
McLeod added he is not fully sure if the ULEZ expansion is purely about pollution. He agreed that there should be more investment in electric-charging stations and the creation of additional bicycle lanes.
“We want clean air … [but] this not about clean air. It’s about money, sadly,” he said.
McLeod said some of his members “are at a breaking point. ULEZ has lit a match to what has been simmering since COVID-19 and the lockdown. … I am angry that this was even allowed to happen.
“Khan could have waited for people to catch their breaths,” he said, referring to the pressure many people have felt because of the cost-of-living crisis and the effect of interest-rate increases on mortgages.