ULEZ expansion: Mother of girl killed by toxic air says citywide rollout next year will ‘save lives’

The mother of the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death has said the expansion of the ULEZ to outer London next year will save lives.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the mother of nine-year-old Ella-Adoo-Kissi-Debrah who died in 2013 following a severe asthma attack, made worse by air pollution, said that this action has to happen.

On Friday (November 25) the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan announced that the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) will be rolled out across all of outer London from August 2023.

Mayor Khan says the move will tackle air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion, and “ensure five million more Londoners can breathe cleaner air”.

City Hall has also announced a £110m scrappage scheme, support for disabled Londoners and a further expansion of the bus network.

Opponents of the plan say the move will unfairly impact low-income and disadvantaged families.

But Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah told LondonWorld: “A lot of the cars are already compliant, I think it was 85% when I last checked. This whipping up of fear does not solve anything.

“In London every year between eight to 12 children die - this figure is too high. Children don’t die in Finland or Norway and we’re up to 12. Something has to be done.”

An inquest in 2020 ruled that that pollution from the South Circular Road was a contributing factor in Ella’s death.

“We are almost three weeks short of the anniversary of Ella’s inquest,” Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah continued. “From the coroner’s recommendations this is what all of the experts were saying needs to happen.

“This is the mayor’s bit, the government also needs to do their bit, along with the local councils. The coroner was abundantly clear, unless the air is cleaned up, children like Ella will continue to die.”

The ULEZ is an area in London where drivers are charged fees for polluting vehicles.

The scheme first applied to central London - in the same area as the congestion charge - and was later expanded to cover the inner London boroughs.

Drivers who don’t meet the requirements of the ULEZ will be charged £12.50 a day.

The mayor said: “The latest evidence shows that air pollution is making us sick from cradle to the grave.

“The ULEZ so far has been transformational, reducing harmful pollution levels by almost a half in central London.

“Expanding ULEZ is the right choice for our city and something that I know will help us to continue building a better, greener, fairer and healthier London for everyone.”

Nick Rogers, City Hall Conservatives transport spokesperson, said: “The official report from TfL shows an overwhelming majority - about 60% - of respondents are opposed to Sadiq Khan’s damaging plans to expand the ULEZ. This increases to 68% when you exclude organised campaigns, and a staggering 80% of people who work in outer London are against.

“Now is not the time to hammer Londoners with a £12.50 daily cost-of-living charge. Residents have made their views very clear to the mayor: they do not want the ULEZ expansion.

The mayor must listen to them, scrap these plans and use the £250 million saved on real measures that tackle air pollution.”