London mayor Sadiq Khan and former defence secretary Ben Wallace have urged the UK government to allow Londoners to donate their polluting vehicles to Ukraine, rather than scrapping them under the Ulez scheme. As part of the scheme, Londoners with non-compliant vehicles are given up to £2,000 when they bring in their vehicles to be destroyed. In a joint letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, Khan and Wallace noted that conversations with partners in Kyiv had indicated a requirement for 4×4 vehicles and emergency service vehicles.
The letter suggested that the national regulations for the certificate of destruction, which is a necessary proof that a vehicle has been permanently scrapped, should be altered to enable vehicles to be exported to Ukraine via a registered charity or national scheme. “We recognise that any such change would need cross-departmental co-ordination within government, not least to ensure that any vehicles sent to Ukraine meet their needs,” the letter observed. Harper has stated that he would be supporting any available options to export the vehicles, following identification of legal barriers that need to be addressed.
Last year, Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, contacted Khan to propose the idea as part of the scrappage scheme. While Khan initially felt bound by legal requirements preventing him from amending the scheme, the Mayor’s offices’ conversations with the Ukrainian city ultimately prompted a change of heart. Despite Harper’s assertion that he was “surprised” the request took so long, the joint letter did note that discussions with Kyiv had “been on hold,” as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am glad that the Mayor and former Defence Secretary have come round to my position that we should do what we can to help make sure these vehicles do not go to waste,” said Klitschko, responding to the announcement of the letter. “We will work together with our colleagues in London and Kyiv to ensure that any vehicles donated fully meet the needs of the people who need them most, and we will report back on the success of this programme in due course.”
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