Link here to Transport Minister letter to London Mayor published today:
And then my response, working with Chris Pool of Liberty Trucks Ukraine:
Volunteer groups call for greater clarity over #ULEZ2Ukraine
Volunteer Groups already sending donated British vehicles to Ukraine respond to the letter published today by The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport, concerning a scheme to send air quality scrappage vehicles to Ukraine (#ULEZ2Ukraine).
Richard Lofthouse (Car for Ukraine) says, ‘On the surface of it, the Secretary of State for Transport has merely reiterated guidance the London Mayor was already issued by government over a month ago. We find it incredible that Sadiq Khan and his team have made so little progress in six weeks despite ample offers of help from a powerful coalition of volunteer groups, all of whom have direct experience of taking many vehicles into Ukraine. We want to know who owns this process. Is it TfL, or is it the DfT? Who is responsible for setting up this scheme and why is there no blueprint for a scheme when we have offered one? To what timeline is this being planned, given the immediate urgency of the situation facing Ukraine? We see no reason why the trial run of the scheme shouldn’t produce the first vehicles in time for the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24th February. Please let’s work to that and work fast.’
Chris Pool from Liberty Trucks Ukraine, says: ‘On 27th December a representative coalition of volunteer groups, including Car4Ukraine, Liberty Trucks Ukraine, British Ukrainian Aid, Ukrainian Action, Army SOS, Driving Ukraine and Macclesfield Ukrainian Aid, offered to help officials on all sides, and we have repeated our offer on several occasions over the last month. In order to save money for the taxpayer and ensure a quick implementation, we offered a scheme design drawing on the existing processes, structures and experience of volunteer groups who have already taken thousands of vehicles from the UK to Ukraine. Unfortunately there has been no engagement on our proposal, and the scheme appears to be in the same place it was over a month ago. It’s an appalling lack of urgency: for every day of delay, vehicles are being crushed in London that could otherwise support Ukraine’s defenders and humanitarians, and as a result lives are being lost on the front line and in Ukraine’s cities.