Diesel levy across Merton to tackle air pollution

Merton Council is set to introduce a new diesel levy in April 2017 in response to a national health emergency and the Mayor of London’s pledge to cut air pollution in the capital. Merton will be joining Islington, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden, which have already introduced a surcharge for diesel vehicles.

Before the levy can be implemented there will be a statutory consultation starting tomorrow, Thursday 12 January and ending on Friday 3 February. Love Wimbledon would encourage all BID businesses to respond to this consultation.

See full details of the consultation here.

The Council’s research has found that diesel vehicles in Merton contribute disproportionately to local air quality emissions. This was based on real-life on-road emissions rather than the manufacturers’ specification. The Council is encouraging people to move away from diesel and towards less polluting vehicles. Recognising the difficult financial climate and in response to concerns raised by the Scrutiny Panel about giving people enough time to change their vehicle or have it serviced, it has been decided to phase in the surcharge incrementally. On 14 November 2016 the Cabinet agreed the following:

  1. The introduction of a levy charge for all diesel vehicles that have a Resident, Business or Trade parking permit with the introduction of  £150 surcharge phased over a 3 year period (£90 in 2017-18, £115 in 2018-19 and £150 in 2019-20).
  2. Resident parking permit charge for electric vehicles to be set at a discounted rate of £25pa.
  3. Council to review the impact of the diesel surcharge for a period of 2 years, with a view to the introduction of comprehensive emissions based parking scheme which could link permit pricing to the vehicle’s environmental performance. Merton Council is committed to ensuring any money raised through such a scheme in the borough would go towards tackling air pollution, local sustainable transport initiatives and necessary infrastructure such as cycle lanes.

See full details and reports relating to this decision here.

The result of this consultation will be published on Merton Council’s website.