Sadiq Khan has called on the Government to help send cars from the Ulez scrappage scheme to Ukraine instead of being destroyed.
The London Mayor has written to Transport Secretary Mark Harper asking him to help “enable Londoners and others around the country to receive money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine”.
The £160m Ulez scrappage scheme is meant to provide grants to owners of non-compliant vehicles, to help replace them with cleaner models.
Older vehicles that do not meet emissions standards incur a £12.50-a-day charge if they are driven in the ultra low emission zone (Ulez), which expanded to cover the whole of Greater London in August.
Under the scrappage scheme, payments of £2,000 are available for cars and £1,000 for motorbikes - with larger sums on offer for vans and minibuses.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, wrote to Mr Khan after noting the UK’s scrappage scheme, suggesting that the vehicles are donated to Ukraine.
He said vehicles could be used in a “variety of life-saving and transport roles,” The Telegraph previously reported.
But the newspaper previously revealed Mr Khan wrote to Mr Klitschko to say he would not allow the proposal because it did not meet the “legal threshold” that requires the Ulez scrappage scheme to benefit Londoners from an “economic, social and environmental perspective”.
Now in his letter to the Transport Secretary Mr Khan explained he has been speaking to the Mayor’s Office in Kyiv and said there is a particular requirement for 4x4 vehicles and emergency service vehicles in the war-torn country.
The letter, which is also signed by former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, explains: “Our country can rightly be proud of the support it has given Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
“As the war continues, we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and want to support them in any way we can, including whatever action can be taken through collaboration between all levels of government.
“We are writing jointly to ask for your support with making it possible for Londoners, and others across the country, to donate suitable vehicles to Ukraine through scrappage schemes.”
The mayor suggested suitable vehicles could be quickly exported to Ukraine if the regulations for the Certificate of Destruction were altered to let vehicles be sent via a registered charity or national scheme.
The certificate, which is required to prove a vehicle has been permanently scrapped, is standard practice for scrappage schemes across the country.
