London can learn from other cities' green initiatives, says new report

A new report published today comparing England's metro mayors green initiatives says London is falling behind other cities in the race to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The report, The Race To Net Zero, written by Tony Devenish AM, found that:

• The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, is installing electric charging points faster than London, with its chargers rising by a fifth between April and July 2021.

• Supported by Mayor Street, Coventry will be the first city to have an all-electric bus fleet by 2025, whereas London's buses will only be zero-emission nine years later.

• The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has invested £120 million in scrappage schemes, twice as much as Sadiq Khan provided ahead of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion.

• The Mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, is delivering the UK's first multi-modal hydrogen transport hub and a £20 million Carbon Capture and Utilisation Programme.

Mr Devenish accused the Mayor of London of "talking the talk, but not walking the walk" compared to other metro mayors. Following COP26, the report calls on Sadiq Khan to invest £50 million in ULEZ scrappage schemes and use revenue from the expansion to quickly deliver a zero-emission bus fleet and electric vehicle charging points.

Tony Devenish AM, GLA Conservative Environment Spokesman, commented: "I observed at COP26 in Glasgow that Sadiq Khan is talking the talk, but not walking the walk when it comes to reducing London's emissions. His lack of ambition and inability to deliver means other English cities are racing ahead of our capital.

"It's clear Sadiq Khan's poor relationship with the government is undermining our city's efforts to decarbonise. Both Labour and Conservative metro mayors have formed constructive relationships with the government to win their cities and regions funding. Khan needs to follow their lead to get London back at the table.

"Unlike other cities, the Mayor of London has vast resources at their disposal to deliver on Londoners' priorities. Using his £19.4 billion budget and revenue from ULEZ expansion, Khan needs to deliver the electric vehicle revolution the capital desperately needs, including electric charging points and a zero-emission bus fleet."