Five Conservative-led councils said they have started a legal challenge over Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ).

The zone is due to be expanded by the Mayor of London from August 29 to cover the whole of the capital.

It would border Hertfordshire, including near Bushey and South Oxhey, leaving drivers with cars that do not meet ULEZ standards having to pay a £12.50 daily fee for entering.

Watford Observer:

The outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, and Hillingdon, together with Surrey County Council, issued a joint statement announcing they have launched a judicial review into the Labour mayor’s plan.

The councils said they will challenge the expansion in the High Court on the grounds that “relevant statutory requirements” were not complied with, expected compliance rates in outer London were not considered, and the proposed scrappage scheme was not consulted on.

They will also claim the overall consultation process was not properly conducted and there was a failure to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the plan.

Conservatives in London previously claimed City Hall officials “manipulated” the final results of TfL's consultation by excluding some so-called “campaign responses”, which lowered the level of opposition in the final count from 62% to 59%.

A spokesman for the Mayor of London said the mayor is aware of "speculation" about the application but added neither the Greater London Authority or TfL has been served with the claim.

The spokesperson added: “Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely every year due to air pollution.”

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Mr Khan urged the councils to abandon the “costly” and “unnecessary” challenge to focus on health concerns caused by toxic air such as growing up with stunted lungs and higher risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia.

Watford Borough Council had criticised the way ULEZ is set to be introduced, with Hertfordshire residents not benefiting from improved public transport or the scrappage scheme which would help offset the costs.

A bid, backed by Watford's Lib Dems, to rezone Watford and Bushey stations to within the Zone 6 boundaries, which would make London journeys cheaper, appears to have been rejected by TfL.