Howard Cox Vows To Refund ULEZ Expansion Fees And Address Housing Crisis

Farage points towards housing as a symptom of an immigration crisis as Reform representatives seek to differentiate themselves from the Tory option in London

Reform UK London mayoral candidate Howard Cox at the party's campaign launch in Westminster, central London. Picture taken: May 10, 2023. Gwyn Wright/PA Wire

Speaking at Reform UK’s party conference yesterday in London, Howard Cox, Reform candidate for the London mayoral election, pledged to refund all fees and fines imposed on citizens since the controversial Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) expansion while outlining his plan to solve London’s housing crisis.

Mr. Cox said: “When elected as London’s mayor, on day one, not only will I close down the ULEZ cash-grabbing department in TfL and scrap all ULEZ.

“I will refund all fines and fees paid in the new, despised ULEZ expansion zone since August 29th, 2023.

“I challenge Susan Hall to do the same.”

Mr. Cox, a former public affairs campaigner and founder of FairFuel UK, revealed that he was motivated by the urging of numerous people who wanted him to challenge the incumbent Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom he accused of having a detrimental impact on the city.

A central focus of Mr. Cox’s campaign is his vehement opposition to the ULEZ expansion, a policy introduced by Mayor Khan to combat air pollution. Susan Hall, the Tory candidate, has promised to repeal the expanded area of the scheme, which came into effect in August.

This latest pledge from Mr. Cox goes one step further.

Talking to The Epoch Times after his speech, Mr. Cox said: “I’m going to get rid of all ULEZ and the ULEZ expansion that was so dishonestly introduced. I promised that when I’m elected… I will refund every fee and every fine back to the people.”

Speaking about his political differences with the Tory candidate, he added: “Susan Hall has been in opposition for seven years. And for seven years, she’s allowed Sadiq Khan to get away with economic, social... mass murdering, I call it.”

Cox Promises Affordable Housing

Speaking on the housing crisis in London, Mr. Cox criticised incumbent mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to deliver on promised builds of affordable homes. He offered a potential solution to build on available land owned by Transport for London, advocating for affordable housing options to ensure that hardworking individuals can afford suitable accommodation.

Mr. Cox said: “I don’t think he [Mr. Khan] knows what the definition of [an] affordable home is.

He added: “The biggest thing that sticks out to me—there’s loads of land that Transport for London owns. So, if the mayor already owns this land, why not build on it? Provided you know, the NIMBYs do not fight us too much.”

Nigel Farage, a prominent political figure and Reform UK’s honorary president, highlighted the pressing issue of the population explosion and its impact on housing.

He criticised the lack of discussion surrounding this crisis, pointing out that even ambitious housing targets are insufficient when compared to the influx caused by high net migration.

Speaking to The Epoch Times, he said: “Housing has been a symptom of the real problem. The gigantic elephant in the room of our national debate that nobody is talking about is the population explosion, the population crisis, and that leads to it.

“Even if you build, well, the current target is to build 300,000 houses, yet, I’m reliably informed from an industry source, it won’t exceed 160,000 this year.

“That’s how badly off-target they are. But even 300,000 won’t get one British person in the new house when net migration is running at 600,000 a year.”

Farage Calls Out Tories On Housing

Speaking to the perceived failure of the Tory party to meet targets, Mr. Farage added: “Housing was completely absent from what Rishi had to say [at the Conservative conference]. Equally, business was almost completely missing.

“There was this throwaway line. You know, my mom ran a pharmacy, Margaret Thatcher’s dad ran a grocers. We’re the party of small business. Oh, no, you’re not. You know, we’ve just had this huge hike in corporation tax, no relaxation of IR35.”

Noel Willcox, the Reform UK spokesperson for Hemel Hempstead, shared his personal struggle against fines imposed by the former Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) in London. He revealed that Transport for London had not refunded fines despite a statutory demand, emphasising the need for accountability in the face of bureaucratic hurdles.

Speaking to The Epoch Times yesterday, Mr. Willcox said: “Transport for London has still not paid me even though that there’s a statutory demand that was issued is really overrun now, and now TfL and the London mayor have still not paid the statutory demands or refunded any of my money.”

Mr. Willcox initiated an enforcement process to recover funds that were deemed illegally enforced by TfL, which culminated in a statutory demand. The demand, which expired at the end of August, signals a turning point, as Mr. Willcox now has further enforcement powers to reclaim his money.

Regarding the mayor’s campaign to improve air quality, Mr. Willcox added: “Sadiq Khan is really worried about 4000 young people’s lungs.

“Why is he not so concerned about the knife epidemic that we’re currently having in London, where all I see is just these young men who are stabbing each other.”

The Reform UK representatives underscored the importance of addressing these pressing issues, challenging mainstream narratives and advocating for policies that resonate with the concerns of the general public.

As the London mayoral election approaches next year, Reform UK will hope that Mr. Cox’s promise to refund ULEZ-related fees and fines may set him apart from Tory candidate Susan Hall, as some predict a vote split.