MPs for Orpington and Dartford have said they are against potential plans for the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across south east London.

It comes after the Mayor of London announced plans to potentially expand the ULEZ congestion zone by early next year.

This means residents who have cars that are not compliant with ULEZ will have to £12.50 a day to drive.

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson says the decision will "hit the poor the hardest" and will "punish" those with lower incomes in Dartford.

Gareth Bacon MP for Orpington said he will “do everything in his power” to stop the ULEZ charge coming into Orpington.

Gareth Johnson said: “Not only is the mayor taxing people who do not vote for him, but he will also end up making the poor poorer and punishing those on lower incomes who can least afford to buy a newer car to avoid the daily charge.

“There are also no guarantees that the standard for meeting the ULEZ threshold will not be changed by the mayor in the future. He has not ruled out applying this charge to all petrol and diesel vehicles.

“The problem remains that the border around London does not run along major routes. Instead, it straddles residential roads.

“In Dartford, for example, there are residential roads located in Kent where it isn’t possible to drive out of the road, without entering the London Borough of Bexley.

“With this daily charge in place, hundreds of my constituents could have to pay a fee just to drive out of their road.

“It would create a financial wall around London and set Londoners against their neighbours.”

Drivers of cars, smaller vans, motorbikes, and other lighter vehicles travelling into London which do not meet the ULEZ standard will also have to pay £12.50 to enter.

If the ULEZ decision does go ahead residents will have to pay or upgrade their cars to avoid the charge.

Gareth Bacon has now also started a petition to stop Khan's decision in implementing the ULEZ zone across Orpington.

He added: “That’s more than £4,500 a year if you use your vehicle every day.

“It will punish people, small businesses, and charities who cannot afford a new vehicle to raise money for Sadiq Khan’s failing administration.

“Imposing cite-centre driving measures onto Outer London will do far more harm than good, especially when people are already feeling the squeeze because of inflation and global supply problems.”

“As Orpington’s MP, I will do it everything I can to stop Khan’s plan. However, it is within the Mayor’s power to impose such a charge.

“That’s why I have set up a petition to demonstrate the level of opposition to the expansion of ULEZ.”

The ULEZ charge is currently only imposed in the Congestion Charge zone and up to the North and South Circular roads.

Residents can be fined up to £160 each time if they fail to pay the charge.

The News Shopper has approached Sadiq Khan’s team for a comment about the ULEZ expansion.

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