letter to editors on electric vehicle charging points
Dear Editor,
I was interested to read a reply from a constituent to my letter on electric vehicle charging points in last week’s edition of your paper.
Mr Rutherford’s response asks me to “direct or incentivise councils to put two charging points at the base of every street lamp”. It is important to clarify here that, as a London Assembly Member, I do not have the powers to do either of these things.
However, I am supportive of City Hall’s Electric Vehicle Taskforce which has been set up to encourage councils, Government and relevant partners to boost the number of charging points across London.
In his letter, Mr Rutherford also raises the question of why the worst polluting vehicles have not yet been “summarily banned”.
Unfortunately, the Mayor of London only has limited powers in this area, but he has taken action to clean up the capital’s taxi and bus fleets. The implementation of a more comprehensive vehicle ban would instead lie in the hands of our currently inert Government, side-tracked by Brexit turmoil.
The Mayor has recommended a ban on the sale of diesel and petrol cars from 2030 onwards, but it looks unlikely that the Government are planning to adopt this policy.
He has also introduced the ULEZ in Central London, which will be expanded in 2021 to the North and South Circulars. It is already having a positive effect, with the first month of its rollout seeing almost three-quarters of the vehicles driving into the zone compliant with new emissions standards.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dismore AM
London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
