Request ID: FOI-2330-2223 Date published: 06 January 2023
You asked
Are you able to explain the rationale for excluding disabled persons under 65, holding a blue badge and paying reduced vehicle tax on account of their disability but not driving a permanent modified vehicle, from this sunsetting scheme? Arguably these people are of working age, reliant on vehicle transport and paying their taxes.
Could you also please send me a copy of statement completed under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) pertaining to excluding:
- blue badge holding, reduced vehicle tax on account of disability, under 65 years of age and not driving a WAV
persons from the sunsetting clause?
We answered
TfL Ref: 2330-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11 December 2022 asking for information about a sunset clause for blue badge holders under 65 years of age.
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: Are you able to explain the rationale for excluding disabled persons under 65, holding a blue badge and paying reduced vehicle tax on account of their disability but not driving a permanent modified vehicle, from this sunsetting scheme? Arguably these people are of working age, reliant on vehicle transport and paying their taxes. Could you also please send me a copy of statement completed under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) pertaining to excluding: - blue badge holding, reduced vehicle tax on account of disability, under 65 years of age and not driving a WAV persons from the sunsetting clause?
In order to give disabled vehicle owners more time to comply with the ULEZ, vehicles registered with a 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicles' tax class will benefit from a grace period after the ULEZ starts. They'll be exempt from the ULEZ charge until 24 October 2027 as long as their vehicle doesn't change tax class.
TfL are aware that the DVLA only allow those in receipt of certain benefits to register a vehicle under such a tax class and therefore TfL has established a process to mitigate this. Any individual over the age of 65 who is in receipt of Attendance Allowance (AA) and holds a Blue Badge can also register for the extended exemption.
Therefore the AA process is in place to ensure those who are excluded from getting their vehicle registered as tax class disabled due to their age don’t miss out on the sunset period.
If drivers are under 65 they can follow the process to get their vehicle’s tax class changed. If the DVLA will not do that then they are not entitled to the sunset period.
The AA process is not a replacement for the tax class exemption but rather to ensure that everyone irrespective of age is entitled to be considered. So we are not offering anyone over 65 anything which isn’t available to the under 65, the process is just different.
The independent Integrated Impact Assessment for the London-wide ULEZ proposals assessed potential health, environment, equality, and economic impacts of the proposals on different groups and includes an equalities impact assessment. The full document (“London-wide ULEZ Integrated Impact Assessment (ULEZ Scheme IIA)”) is available on Transport for London’s consultation website: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/cleanair
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
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
