Birmingham’s clean air zone (CAZ) initiative, which levies charges on high-polluting vehicles, has led to spiralling costs for local businesses. The Telegraph has the story.
The clean air zone in Birmingham is piling extra costs onto small businesses, local entrepreneurs have claimed, as the backlash against Labour’s anti-pollution policies grows.
Since 2021, the most-polluting vehicles which travel into Birmingham city centre must pay £8 per day, with coaches and lorries charged £50.
The zone is similar to London’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) which was launched by mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019, and will be expanded this month.
Business owners in Birmingham told the BBC that the CAZ had increased their costs.
One resident said: “I ordered something to my shop, first question they asked me was if I was in the zone or out – once you say I’m inside the taxing zone, they’re going to add £8 to your delivery.”
Karen Woolley, of the Federation of Small Businesses in the West Midlands, added that the introduction of the low emission zone had affected the way people travelled through the city.
“If people are aware there is a CAZ in place, and they ordinarily went into that area for whatever reason, they may well be thinking again,” she told Radio 4’s Today programme. “The businesses in the CAZ zone are seeing an impact.”
Birmingham City Council was approached for comment. It has previously said that the CAZ has improved air quality in the city and reduced the proportion of vehicles which are among the most polluting from nearly one in five to under one in 10.
The news comes after Sir Keir Starmer scrapped Labour’s commitment to rolling out CAZs across the country. Outside of London, they have been introduced in the Labour-run cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle and Bradford, as well as Glasgow, Bath, Sheffield and Oxford.
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Labour Party, say one thing, do the opposite!
Cannot be trusted, ever!!
“Birmingham’s Version of Ulez ‘Increasing Delivery Costs for Businesses’”
What we might call a “No shit Sherlock” headline.
Surely, we just agree as a country, nobody pay the fine.
We already pay exorbitantly high taxes on cars and fuel.
Enough is enough.
The GLA are already owed more in unpaid LEZ charges than they’ve collected from the scheme.
I did once go into the local CAZ, looking forward to breathing this wonderful non-toxic stuff they are talking about. What a disappointment. It was the same old air as outside the zone. I think it might be that air moves and isn’t always in the same place.
I believe it was the Conservative mayor – Andy Street- who introduced the scheme. I know of one business that closed down due to the introduction of the CAZ.
Is he Birmingham CAZ like the ULEZ or like the LEZ in London? The difference being one applies to commercial vehicles. Ultra-LEZ is the thing where commercial and private vehicles are hit. As I’ve posted before, Ultra (as a prefix) is defined as follows in Merriam Webster
ultra-
3 of 3prefix1
: beyond in space : on the other side : trans – ultraviolet
2
: beyond the range or limits of : transcending : super-ultramicroscopic
3
: beyond what is ordinary, proper, or moderate : excessively : extremely ultramodern
See that? ‘Beyond what is ordinary, proper, or moderate : excessively : extremely‘
So: ‘Excessively Low Emissions Zone‘
I had the misfortune to need to use the M25 yesterday and a thought occurred to me: Is the M25 in the expanded ULEZ zone or not or only in parts? That’ll be fun if it’s partly in and partly out.
The other thing which has since occurred to me: Do other areas LEZs’ use the same definition of what is acceptable or not? ie is it possible that my car might be unacceptable in London but acceptable in Birmingham’s CAZ? If so, how is Joe Bloggs supposed to know?
Data should be available from sadiq’s area. Has four years of drivers paying £12.50 a day to enter hell, I mean London, is the amount of air particulate decreased? Surely sadiq has funded studies to prove what he is mandating works. Or has he appropriated this income to other….what? People’s lives which are affected by their ability to earn a living, seem to be bottom of any politician’s list. why is this?
Please don’t use Khants (first) name ! I nearly said Christian there ! Now that would have made no sense , a bit like all the things the slimy little destructive WEF worker ant does ! I’m sure he’s put there on purpose to fry our brains
There has been a recent independent study that found that all of London had “legal” emissions level except the undergroung which was several times the limit. Khan has not closed it down yet, therefore it seems reasonable that the intent is not cleaner air but piles of cash!
The first time someone said ULEZ to me I thought they were accusing me of being a lesbian
just don’t pay the charge, they can’t fine everyone, and they will soon get the message. Plus small business people you know who sits on the council, so any work you do for them, and deliveries you make to their homes etc just make sure you charge for the inconvenience, plus ULEZ , plus VAT such that they can enjoy the full benefit of their own policies.
Going along with it, only encourages them further,