Statement from Logistics UK – Response to the expansion of London’s ULEZ 

Today’s announcement of the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – to include all boroughs from August 2023 – will provide an opportunity for logistics operators within the capital to take active steps to plan vehicle replacement or upgrades. But as Michelle Gardner, Deputy Policy Director at business group Logistics UK explains, flexibility in implementation may be required as London works to improve its air quality. 

“The quality of the air we breathe affects us all, and logistics operators have already made huge strides in reducing the industry’s emissions while delivering everything which Londoners need every day. The announcement of the date of the ULEZ expansion will enable businesses to speed up the planning of their vehicle upgrade or replacement programmes to ensure compliance. 

“However, with many vehicle manufacturers unable to fulfil new orders due to the worldwide shortage of parts and microchips, and very limited opportunities available for retrofitting existing vehicles, it is vital that the Mayor and his team provide some flexibility in the implementation of the new rules and access to the proposed £110 million scrappage scheme for commercial vehicle operators.” 

London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone will be expanded to cover all London boroughs from 29 August 2023. The Mayor hopes that its expansion will allow five million Londoners to breathe cleaner air and keep the city on target to becoming a net-zero carbon city by 2030. 

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods.