Revoke local government powers to charge CAZ, LEZ, and ULEZ.
55,520 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 15 November 2021; it closed on 15 May 2022. The Government responded on 24 January 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 26 June 2023.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Revoke local government powers to charge CAZ, LEZ, and ULEZ.
Revoke local government powers to charge CAZ, LEZ, and ULEZ.
Local government should not have the power to introduce charges tied to public road usage and create charges for vehicle use that have a Certificate of Conformity, meaning that they comply with strict legislation regarding safety, emissions, etc. at the time of production. The buyer should have the right to use his vehicle on public roads without paying fees to various councils until it is no longer roadworthy or the UK government deems it otherwise.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 24 January 2022; the petitions site lists the Department for Transport as responsible. Its summary:
Powers enabling local authorities to introduce road user charging schemes are long-standing and remain an appropriate tool to deliver local transport objectives including air quality improvements.
The opening 363 words of the 803-word response:
There are no plans to revoke the long-standing powers, set out in Part III of the Transport Act 2000, on local road user charging. These powers provide an important tool for local authorities (LAs) to support the delivery of local transport objectives. The legislation sets out the basic elements that must be included in order to establish a charging scheme, it states that any net proceeds resulting from the scheme once operational costs are covered should support the delivery of local transport plans. The legislation also requires that LAs consult on charging schemes. The powers can be used to enable LAs to tackle congestion and pollution as part of a local transport plan and deliver local transport priorities, which include, but are not limited to, delivering air quality outcomes.
These powers have been used by some LAs to implement Clean Air Zones (CAZs) , to reduce NO2 levels to within legal limits in the shortest time possible. Poor air quality is a major environmental risk to human health. There is evidence of a link between exposure to air pollution and mortality and morbidity. It is a particular threat to vulnerable groups (the elderly, young children, those with chronic respiratory diseases and heart disease). Those living in city centres, and near busy roads, often on the lowest incomes, are most exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution.
Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010 – emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 32% and are at their lowest level since records began. But there is more to do. The only statutory air quality limit the UK is currently failing to meet is nitrogen dioxide concentrations around roads. Transport creates around 70% of roadside nitrogen oxides and makes a significant contribution to particulate matter. Around 72% of road transport emissions of nitrogen oxides come from diesel cars and vans, with older vehicles contributing disproportionately more.
The July 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations (The Plan) outlines how councils with NO2 levels exceeding legal limits must develop and implement local plans to deliver legal levels of NO2 in the shortest time possible. This could be achieved through various interventions depending on local circumstances.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 2,610, came from Leigh.
55,479 of the signatures were from the UK and 41 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Leigh | 2,610 |
| Makerfield | 2,509 |
| Bury North | 2,231 |
| Heywood and Middleton | 1,975 |
| Stalybridge and Hyde | 1,926 |
| Wigan | 1,916 |
| Bolton West | 1,851 |
| Hazel Grove | 1,815 |
| Worsley and Eccles South | 1,724 |
| Rochdale | 1,613 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 45,088 |
| London | 2,245 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,815 |
| East Midlands | 1,661 |
| South East | 939 |
| West Midlands | 744 |
| South West | 699 |
| East of England | 606 |
| Wales | 389 |
| Scotland | 248 |
| North East | 219 |
| Northern Ireland | 46 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 26 June 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/599985.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
ec7013d07d3873cb… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.