Ulez: Merton Council launches own £1m scrappage scheme

A south-west London council will begin a £1m scrappage scheme to help residents replace cars that are not compliant with the capital's expanding Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).

Merton Council says the scheme will come into force in September, after Ulez is set to be expanded into outer London from 29 August.

A £1,000 grant per vehicle is available to those without good public transport.

People living in areas with high deprivation will also be eligible.

A city-wide £110m scrappage scheme is available for all Londoners who are recipients of certain means-tested benefits. Under the scheme people can get up to £2,000 for scrapping a car.

Merton Council says the local scrappage scheme will be open to people regardless of whether they have applied to the existing TfL scheme.

Leader of Merton Council councillor Ross Garrod said: "We need to clean up the air we breathe and part of the solution to that is moving away from using high-polluting vehicles.

"But the cost-of-living crisis isn't going away, and the government is refusing to provide the support needed to help people scrap their cars - that's why we are stepping in to provide this targeted support."

Applications to the fund will be on a first-come-first-served basis, and take-up figures will be published so as many people as possible can have a chance to apply, the council says.

More details on eligibility and how residents can apply for the scheme will be released shortly.

According to TfL, over 90% of cars driving in Outer London meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) standards.

However, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on cars registered to addresses in outer London, show that 84% of cars in outer London comply with emissions standards.

This means at least 280,000 cars - or about one in six - are non-compliant, according to those figures.