Letter to the Editor: T-Charge a ‘step change’ for London’s air quality

From Monday (23 October), drivers of older, more polluting cars and vans will be subject to a £10 ‘toxicity charge’ to operate their vehicles in Central London. Susannah Wilks, director of the Cross River Partnership, a consortium of 12 business improvement districts in the capital, has welcomed the development.

From Monday (23 October), drivers of older, more polluting cars and vans will be subject to a £10 ‘toxicity charge’ to operate their vehicles in Central London. Susannah Wilks, director of the Cross River Partnership, a consortium of 12 business improvement districts and councils in the capital, has welcomed the development.

Dear Editor,

Support for Mayor’s new T-Charge

As business groups and local authorities based in and around central London we strongly welcome the introduction of T-charge on the 23rd October.

Air pollution is not only bad for our health, it’s bad for business. If we want to continue to attract and keep staff, investment, tourists, and major international conferences and events to London we need to address the air pollution crisis. Furthermore, by addressing this issue, and making London’s air cleaner and its environment more pleasant, we can give ourselves the edge over other world cities, which is even more important in the wake of Brexit.

The T-charge is the start of a step change in London that will be good for people and good for business. It’s just the beginning of the action that we need to see. We need to see the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in place and expanded as soon as possible, and we strongly welcome the Mayor of London’s proposal to introduce the ULEZ in April 2019, and to expand it shortly thereafter.

As business groups and local authorities we want to play our part in ensuring our staff and customers have a safe and healthy environment, and we welcome this leadership from the Mayor. We are also calling on the Government to step up and play their part. We need Government support for diesel scrappage to help small to medium sized businesses switch to ULEZ-compliant vehicles, and much better incentives need to be in place at the national level to support businesses in making the switch to zero emission vehicles.‎

We are looking forward to enjoying a cleaner healthier business environment in London — and this is something that we all need to play our part to achieve.

Yours sincerely,

Susannah Wilks

Director

Cross River Partnership

On behalf of 12 central London Business Improvement Districts and 2 Boroughs.

Letter to the Editor from Cross River Partnership partners, including:

Penny Alexander, Chief Executive, Baker Street Quarter Partnership

Peter Williams, Chief Executive, Better Bankside BID

Simon Pitkeathley, Chief Executive, Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town BIDs

Lee Lyons, Chief Operating Officer, The Fitzrovia Partnership

James Sackley, Project Manager, Hatton Garden BID

Cllr Lib Peck, Leader of Lambeth Council

Kay Buxton, Chief Executive, Marble Arch BID

Dee Corsi, Chief Operating Officer, New West End Company

Nadia Broccardo, Chief Executive, Team London Bridge

Aseem Sheikh, Chair, VauxhallOne BID

David Beamont, Operations Manager, Victoria BID

Ben Stephenson, Chief Executive, WeAreWaterloo BID

Cllr David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community, Westminster City Council