Request ID: FOI-1797-2122 Date published: 07 December 2021
You asked
The Mayor of London stated on 25th October 2021, when introducing the new ULEZ scheme, that 4,000 Londoners had died over the past year from the effects of pollution. The aim of introducing the second ULEZ scheme was to cut down on such deaths in the future. I have some questions regarding the Mayor's statement and the second ULEZ scheme.
1. Of the 4,000 deaths quoted by the Mayor for London on 25th October 2021, where did this figure come from and how is it verified by independent sources?
2. The second ULEZ scheme levies £12.50 per vehicle, per day on those vehicles which infringe the pollution regulations. How much money does TFL envisage will be collected through ULEZ 2 in each year for the next three years?
3. How much money has been spent in setting up cameras, infrastructure , administration , etc in setting up ULEZ 2 and what ongoing costs are envisaged?
4. How much money has been raised through the orignal congestion charge for inner London for the past three years and what costs have been incurred for the same time period.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1797-2122 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 10 November 2021, asking for information about the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
Of the 4,000 deaths quoted by the Mayor for London on 25th October 2021, where did this figure come from and how is it verified by independent sources?
This figure came from research undertaken by Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group. The Greater London Authority and Transport for London commissioned Imperial College London to assess the impact on health of air quality policies, and air pollution in London, based on 2019 and future levels of air pollution up to 2050. This research found that although there were significant improvements in London’s air quality between 2016 and 2019, toxic air contributed to the premature deaths of more than 4,000 Londoners in 2019. The full report is available at the following link: https://www.london.gov.uk/WHAT-WE-DO/environment/environment-publications/health-burden-air-pollution-london
The second ULEZ scheme levies £12.50 per vehicle, per day on those vehicles which infringe the pollution regulations. How much money does TFL envisage will be collected through ULEZ 2 in each year for the next three years?
The figures on ULEZ are an early forecast given the scheme only went live late October and trends have yet to be established. The Expanded ULEZ zone cannot be separated from the Central zone in terms of either reporting or budgeting. In the current financial year 2021/22, up to period 7 ending the 16th October, ULEZ Central zone generated £25m net income. For the remainder of 2021/22 (periods 8 to 13) ULEZ is expected to generate £124m. For the next three years, the income generated is expected to be £249m in 2022/23, £119m in 2023/24 and £86m in 2024/25. Please note these figures are before any ongoing operational cost is subtracted but after bad debt deduction (a debt that cannot be recovered). Please note these estimates were done before the scheme came into effect. We are seeing higher levels of compliance in the first month of operation and the income is likely to reduce as a result.
How much money has been spent in setting up cameras, infrastructure , administration , etc in setting up ULEZ 2 and what ongoing costs are envisaged?
Ongoing costs are dependent on chargeable volumes. We expect the ongoing operational costs to be £52m in 2022/23, £28m in 2023/24 and £21m in 24/25.
How much money has been raised through the original congestion charge for inner London for the past three years and what costs have been incurred for the same time period.
This information is published in the financial accounts on the TfL website. Please see an excerpt below.
Financial Statement Disclosure
2 Congestion charging
£m
£m
£m
2021
2020
2019
£m
£m
Income
A
315.7
247.0
229.9
Direct expenditure:
- Toll facilities and traffic management
B
(83.0)
(73.2)
(66.5)
232.7
173.8
163.4
Other expenditure:
- Financial assistance
0
0
0
- Administration, support services & depreciation
C
(8.5)
(11.7)
(16.7)
Net income on congestion charging
224.2
162.1
146.7
The net revenues from the congestion charge are spent on improving transport in line with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed. Yours sincerely Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
