Costs for Low Emission Zones: FOI release

Information requested

Information on the costs for Low Emission Zones including any costs from 01/02/2024, to date, and estimated running costs per year please.

ie. to request any update (up to today’s date, 04/09/2024, if possible, please) on the information you kindly supplied in FOI ref 202400396525.

Response

Information on LEZ costs, for the period from 1 February to 4 September 2024 is as follows:

1) No further capital grants have been awarded to bus and coach operators to upgrade their vehicles to Euro VI (6) standards through the Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit fund.

2) The LEZ Support Fund, administered since 2020 by the Energy Saving Trust, has spent a further £2,615,056 since February 2024 to help lower income households and smaller businesses adapt to LEZs by disposing or retrofitting vehicles.

3) An additional £504,735.38 has been spent on LEZ advertising, awareness raising and communications.

4) An additional £1,020,497.86 has been paid to local authorities through LEZ grant funding.

5) Information regarding LEZ running costs is as follows:

• Glasgow City Council has published a financial report for their LEZ, which includes operational costs and is available on their website here: Glasgow City Council.

Aberdeen City Council, Dundee City Council and City of Edinburgh Council have not provided any further detailed estimates for running costs, however grant applications submitted by the authorities’ bid for LEZ resource funding (i.e. not capital funding) for 2024-2025 as follows:

• Aberdeen City Council - £282,660 (with a contingency of £50,000 to cover any vandalism/maintenance)
• Dundee City Council - £230,000
• City of Edinburgh Council - £295,196 (staffing costs only).

6) Additional LEZ costs since 1 February 2024 are:

• Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) costs – £34,524.46
• Blue Badge exemption system costs – £88,509.50
• Blue Badge call centre costs – £44,098.42
• Legal costs - £34,960.50

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