Sadiq Khan has blamed people appealing their ULEZ fines on a significant backlog of unpaid penalty charge notices (PCNs). The Mayor of London was asked at City Hall by Tory London Assembly Member Keith Prince on Thursday (July 18) if he were surprised by ‘non-compliance’ with the expanded £12.50 fee.
This was after it was reported by the Evening Standard that 974,590 out of 1,348,938 of the fines issued so far have not been paid. Mr Khan suggested that the number of ‘outstanding’ PCNs should decrease soon.
He told the London Assembly: “It can be some time before an accurate figure of PCNs paid can be recorded. More of these PCNs will be paid over time as the appeals process concludes and payments are made. TfL is following the usual processes to recover any unpaid fines.”
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The mayor added that it can often take ‘several months’ for challenges to be resolved. Cash raised from the expanded ULEZ, Mr Khan says will be ‘put to good use’ on improving the capital’s transport network.
Those fined who may be going through ‘difficulties or hardship’ should ‘engage’ with TfL, the City Hall chief suggested. He added that ‘people are entitled to make representations’.
Full figures
TfL broke down the number of unpaid ULEZ fines in detail by year in April. More than 84,000 fines were ‘written off’.
Report into effect of scheme in Outer London due
A report into the effect of the expanded ULEZ on air quality in Outer London is expected soon. Recent elections have meant that officials have not been able to release it.
The mayor previously told MyLondon in March that he was ‘confident’ the results would vindicate his decision to expand the ULEZ. Mr Khan said today that the £12.50 charge zone ‘will lead to cleaner air’ for all Londoners ‘as was the case with the previous expansion to Inner London’.
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