Welsh Government Set to Pass Bill Allowing Motorists to Face Pollution Charges

First Minister Mark Drakeford speaking at a National Coronavirus Commemorative Event outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, Wales, on March 23, 2021. (Matthew Horwood/Handout/Welsh government via PA)

Motorists using the M4 in Wales and several other major roads could in future be subject to pollution charges akin to the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London, following a crucial vote in the Welsh Parliament.

The Labour-controlled Welsh government, led by Mark Drakeford, said it had no plans to use the powers.

But on Tuesday night the Senedd rejected an amendment by the opposition Conservatives that would have removed the power to bring in the pollution charges.

The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill passed the third stage in the Senedd and, because of Labour’s majority, is likely to become law when the final stage is voted on next week.

Charges can currently only be imposed on Wales’s trunk road network in limited circumstances but the bill would allow the government in Cardiff to charge drivers for entering clean air zones.

Two zones have been considered: on the M4 at Newport and on the A470 near Pontypridd. In both areas the speed limit has been cut to 50 mph in an attempt to reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from vehicles.

‘No Current Plans’

But climate change minister Julie James said there were “no current plans” to impose the charges.

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She said clean air zones were “precautionary retained measures which could be introduced on certain roads if other measures prove insufficient to meet our obligations.”

The Welsh government said the bill provided a “framework for setting national air quality targets,” tackled “smoke control” and “vehicle idling,” and placed a duty on ministers to “promote awareness of air pollution.”

It also obliged ministers to tackle noise pollution and publish a “national soundscape strategy.”

Earlier this year the Welsh government imposed a 20 mph speed limit on all restricted roads, the first nation to do so.

Just 2.5 percent of Welsh roads had a speed limit of 20 mph, but in September, this was increased to approximately 35 percent.

Labour MP Chris Bryant has called for a review of the extension of 20 mph speed limits and recently described them as “frankly bonkers.”

Earlier this year the Welsh government said it had cancelled all road-building schemes and would not build any new roads unless they complied with strict condition about emissions.

The deputy minister for climate change, Lee Waters, said all infrastructure projects in the future must now “reduce carbon emissions and support a shift to public transport, walking, and cycling.”

Mr. Waters said the changes put “climate change at the heart of decision-making” for transport in Wales.

Tories Keen to Seize on Unpopularity of ULEZ-Style Measures

In July the Conservatives retained former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip after making their campaign a referendum on the unpopular ULEZ extension, which was brought in by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan the following month.

In his victory speech, the new Conservative MP Steve Tuckwell said Mr. Khan had cost Labour the seat.

“It was his damaging and costly ULEZ policy that lost them this election. [Labour leader Sir] Keir Starmer and his Mayor Sadiq Khan need to sit up and listen to the Uxbridge and South Ruislip residents,” he added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has since unveiled measures to help motorists—including delaying the banning of the sale of petrol and diesel engines from 2030 to 2035—and his advisers are keen to target voters’ perceptions that Labour is the enemy of motorists.

The Welsh government’s actions with the pollution charge are likely to play into the hands of the Tories both in Wales and nationwide.