Sadiq Khan’s Ulez scrappage scheme keeps tens of thousands waiting for payouts

Mayor of London on track to blow whole budget by end of August, with drivers of high-polluting vehicles still to be compensated

Sadiq Khan is on track to blow his entire Ulez scrappage scheme budget by the end of August, leaving tens of thousands of drivers waiting for payouts.
Under the scheme, introduced when London’s clean air zone was expanded last August, owners of polluting vehicles can trade them in for scrap receiving £2,000 per car and £7,000 per van.
But less than a year later, more than four fifths of the £210 million set aside for the scheme has been spent even though applications are still open, according to documents published by Transport for London (TfL).
It comes despite Mr Khan promising that the grants would ensure no Londoners were “left behind” in his drive to impose the controversial Ulez project across the capital.
With its budget expected to run out in a month, the scheme could leave 80,000 Londoners thought to be on the waiting list either out of pocket or with a non-compliant vehicle.
Announcing the scheme, the Labour Mayor of London said at the time: “As we continue to build a greener and healthier London for everyone, I’m determined that no Londoner and no London business is left behind.
“We need to take people with us on the path to a sustainable future. We are ensuring that help is now available for everyone – and I urge Londoners to come and get it.”
Under the scheme, owners of polluting older cars and vans can hand them in for scrap and claim money towards the cost of a replacement.
By the beginning of July a total of £184 million had been spent from the scheme’s budget, documents published by TfL show.
Just over 134,500 applications to the scheme had been received by July, with around 53,350 of those having been approved.
This suggests about 80,000 had been rejected outright or were stuck in limbo waiting for officials to make a decision.
A spokesman for the mayor said: “This number includes applications with errors, those that have been rejected due to ineligibility, and people applying more than once.
“TfL are working hard to ensure every application is responded to as quickly as possible.
“The Mayor’s scrappage scheme – the biggest scheme of its kind in the UK – has had huge take-up, removing thousands of old, polluting vehicles from London’s roads.
“More than 53,000 applications have been approved to date, including over 300 non-compliant vehicles donated to Ukraine to help humanitarian and medical efforts there.”
The Telegraph understands that the budget for the scheme, which is linked to the TfL-endorsed “Ulez to Ukraine” car donation project, is expected to run out by the end of August.
This week TfL praised the “incredible contribution” of William Lewis, 80, who was threatened with a £1,000 fine by his local council for storing surplus Ulez vehicles before they were driven to Ukraine.
Mole Valley council, in Surrey, claimed Mr Lewis was breaking planning permission laws by allowing his land to be used for the cars and vans.
The council gave the pensioner until the end of the month to clear his field or face legal enforcement action. Mr Lewis said the council’s behaviour was “ludicrous”.