Transport is one of the biggest causes of Air Pollution, particularly in urban environments..
There are many simple and cost effective solution to reduce pollution from transport which have been ignored.
In London 4267 people a year die from pollution. Boris Johnson has been Mayor for 6 years in which time 25,602 people have died from pollution yet he has not implemented a single effective policy to reduce pollution. This is confirmed by Air Quality Measurements
The failed Air Quality strategies implemented by the Mayor of London are replicated by Local Authorities throughout the country, who falsely believe that because they have been implemented in London that they must be effective.
In fact the Mayor of London’s strategies do not comply with Public Law; they are not evidence based, reasonable , rational or for proper purpose.
He tried to cheat air quality measurements by spraying dust suppressant at the test measurement locations.
He has implemented a taxi age limit which he knew would not reduce pollution and has been proven to have failed by a Defra report in May 2013 following testing by the Environmental Research Group at Kings College who tested the emissions from tens of thousands of vehicles.
He has wasted millions of pounds of Public money on his vanity ‘New Bus for London’ or ‘Boris Bus’ project. If this money had been spent on HyBrid buses there would have been a massive reduction in pollution.
Tim Yeo and Boris Johnson have implemented improper and unlawful air quality strategies in London which they knew would not reduce pollution, but had the sole purpose of making money for Yeo’s company.
This has not even been reported let alone any action taken to hold them to account.
Yeo used his position as Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee to initiate a taxi age limit in London and at the same time was Chairman of the company selling the taxis that drivers were forced to buy as a result of Yeo’s policy.
The Mayor of London knew before he introduced the taxi age limit that Yeo’s new taxi actually created more pollution than the older taxis that drivers were forced to scrap.(see evidence below)
The Mayors air quality strategies have been blatantly corrupt and as a result ineffective. At the same time 4267 people a year are dying in London from pollution with tens of thousands suffering poor health (including respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer) which costs the NHS millions of pounds each year.
Please also see
https://hat4uk.wordpress.com/tag/taxi-emissions-and-boris-johnson/
http://order-order.com/tag/tim-yeo/
I have been campaigning for a long time to expose the improper Taxi Age Limit in London which was initiated by Yeo as Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee. He also happened to be CEO of Eco City Vehicles who sold the Mercedes Vito Taxis that drivers were forced to buy at more than £40k..This is blatantly improper and does not comply with the Parliamentary Rules. His strategy was based on the premise that his taxis were cleaner and would reduce the pollution in London, which kills thousands of people in London each year. The purpose of the Committee Inquiry that he Chaired in 2010 was to help local authorities (in particular London) establish effective air quality strategies to reduce harmful pollution. He used this Inquiry to initiate the idea of a Taxi Age Limit, getting rid of the older more polluting vehicles as he said (which were proven before and after to be LESS polluting than the taxis he was selling).
He initiated the Taxi Age Limit and Boris Johnson implemented it without conducting any testing whatsoever.
In fact Boris Johnson had refused to conduct any testing even though he was asked to do so many times by London Assembly Members in Mayors Question Time.
It is a requirement of Public Law that The Mayors decisions are reasonable, rational , for proper purpose and evidence based.(see details at the bottom of this email)
If the Mayors decisions do not comply with these requirements they are UNLAWFUL.
Boris Johnson knew that Yeo’s taxis were no cleaner; he said in a report to Yeo’s committee in 2011
‘’11. NO2 levels have not fallen in recent years as modeling had predicted. This is a problem across major cities in the UK and across the EU. Emerging evidence, including a report by King’s College London, suggests that this may be due to the failure of recent Euro standards to deliver expected reductions of NO2 [1] . A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car.’’
(The report is dated 2011-before the Taxi Age Limit is introdcued)
HE HAS THEN COMPLETELY IGNORED HIS OWN TECHNICAL EVIDENCE AND INTRODUCED A TAXI AGE LIMIT ON THE BASIS THAT EURO 5 TAXIS WILL CAUSE LESS POLLUTION!!!
THE MAYOR KNEW ABSOLUTELY THAT THE NEW EURO 5 TAXIS WILL NOT REDCUE POLLUTION AND THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY WORSE FOR NO2 THAN THE OLDER TAXIS, IN 2010 /2011 BEFORE HE INTRODCUED THE TAXI AGE LIMMIT
(WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PROVEN BY THE KINGS COLEGE /DEFRA REPORT.)
The Mail On Sunday article reports that Tim Yeos Taxis are causing more pollution than the older taxis as proven by the Kings College Defra report and that this pollution is harmful and causing thousands of deaths
It begs the question ‘Why did Boris Johnson implement this strategy, the sole purpose of which was to create financial gain for Yeo’s company.?’
In addition Yeo’s company was involved in the Taxi Age Limit Consultation Process which is again improper; a similar consultation process which took place in relation to a Taxi Age Limit in Newport , Wales was ruled to be unlawful in the High Court.
In the Sunday Times undercover sting Yeo claimed
‘I’ve got a very close relationship with all the key players in the UK Government’ and said ‘I think I could help define how to influence the policy process here, at a national level and on a local level…’
These statements are shocking, but what is more shocking is that he has not just said that he could potentially do these things to the undercover reporter, he has ACTUALLY been doing this for years and getting away with it.
A separate complaint was filed with the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner about Yeo’s breach of the Parliamentary Rules in relation to what HE HAD ACTUALLY DONE .
The complaint was dismissed on the grounds that there was ‘ a lack of evidence ‘ even though the documented facts prove he had breached the rules. (PLEASE SEE HIGHLIGHTED TEXT IN YELLOW BELOW OF THE ACTUAL RULE THAT HE BREACHED)
It seems that even when the details are exposed no action is taken against corrupt MPs.
1/Yeo chaired an Environmental Audit committee hearing about air quality strategies for local authorities (including London and the taxi age limit)
At that hearing he specifically discussed the taxi age limit with the Deputy Mayor and actually raised the point that he was also Chairman of Eco City Vehicles and that taxis could be part of the pollution problem in Lond
He stated at the start of the Inquiry
Q1 Chairman (TIM YEO) I should just draw attention to my
entry in the Register of Interests. I chair a company
which distributes and services London taxis, which
may be relevant to the problem of air quality in
London.
He is clearly stating that his interest in Eco City Vehicles is relevant to the problem of air pollution (and the inquiry which he is chairing).
In fact this statement in itself is a clear attempt to draw attention to the fact that his taxis can solve this problem. (in actual fact they did nothing to reduce pollution as proven by the DEFRA testing and subsequent report)
He made this statement in the belief that if he declared that he had an interest this negated any conflict of interest.
This is clearly not the case. The rules state that if he has a vested interest as Chairman of the Committee he should step aside.
It does not say that if he has a vested interest and he declares that is the case that it is then alright for him to not step aside
3 “when a member of a Committee, particularly the Chairman, has a financial interest which is directly affected by a particular inquiry or when he or she considers that a personal interest may reflect upon the work of the Committee or its subsequent Report, the Member should stand aside from the Committee proceedings relating to it.” [Paragraph 24]
This has not been reported
2/The ECO City Vehicles(Yeos company) CEO attended all of the TFL consultation meetings for the Taxi Age Limit.
A similar age limit consultation was ruled unlawful in a High Court ruling.
When this fact was exposed on Guido last year Yeo and Da Costa (the CEO) immediately resigned from Eco City Vehicles. If they had done nothing wrong why did they resign?
This has not been reported.
3/ Boris Johnson wrote a letter to 2 MPs and when challenged about the improper involvement of Yeo , the Mayor deliberately lied. He claimed that Yeo or his company had no involvement whatsoever in the taxi age limit or the consultation. This is proven to be a lie by the documented evidence.
This has not been reported.4/ In 2011 Boris Johnson submitted a further report to Tim Yeo’s committee stating that
The Mayor said
‘’11. NO2 levels have not fallen in recent years as modeling had predicted. This is a problem across major cities in the UK and across the EU. Emerging evidence, including a report by King’s College London, suggests that this may be due to the failure of recent Euro standards to deliver expected reductions of NO2 [1] . A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car.’’
(The report is dated 2011-before the Taxi Age Limit is introduced)
HE HAS THEN COMPLETELY IGNORED HIS OWN TECHNICAL EVIDENCE AND INTRODUCED A TAXI AGE LIMIT ON THE BASIS THAT EURO 5 TAXIS WILL CAUSE LESS POLLUTION!!!
He even answered a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman stating that he did not need to conduct any testing because the newer taxis were Euro 5 and therefore cleaner. This completely contradicts his earlier statement in writing that the Euro 5 cars created MORE pollution.
This has not been reported.
5/Tim Yeo made a statement in an undercover report that he could influence the policy at a National and Local level (please watch it!)and had contacts with all the key players. This is EXACTLY what he did do with the taxi age limit. He Chaired an Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry and influenced the policy. This is fully documented (if you read what I have sent)
This has not been reported
The 5 points that I have made above can all be legally reported as they are all fact based and evidence based. They are not my views or opinions they are fully documented facts.
It is for Boris Johnson to explain why he introduced a Taxi Age Limit which he knew in advance would not reduce pollution and for which he refused to conduct any testing. (it is a requirement of Public Law that his decisions are evidence based and rational)
The ONLY benefit was financial gain for Yeo’s company (which again is documented)
He should at the very least be asked to explain why he introduced the taxi age limit
This is a NATIONAL story for several reasons.
1/ Boris Johnson has clear ambitions to be Prime Minister. His improper conduct should be exposed just because of this fact alone.
2/ His improper and failed Air Quality strategies are replicated by Local authorities throughout the UK (who have no resource to approve their own strategies).
3/ The pollution effects anyone in the UK who travels to London. Even short term exposure can have a massive health impact. This includes people who commute to London on a daily basis or people who visit the capital for business, shopping, to watch a football match and many other leisure activities as well as tens of thousands of tourists from all across the country.
This Environmental Audit Committee document includes evidence from the Mayor BEFORE the taxi age limit was introduced.
He acknowledges that the new Euro standards ie Euro 5 show an increase in NO2 from vehicles
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/writev/air/m28.htm
The Mayor said
‘’11. NO2 levels have not fallen in recent years as modeling had predicted. This is a problem across major cities in the UK and across the EU. Emerging evidence, including a report by King’s College London, suggests that this may be due to the failure of recent Euro standards to deliver expected reductions of NO2 [1] . A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car.’’
(The report is dated 2011-before the Taxi Age Limit is introdcued)
HE HAS THEN COMPLETELY IGNORED HIS OWN TECHNICAL EVIDENCE AND INTRODUCED A TAXI AGE LIMIT ON THE BASIS THAT EURO 5 TAXIS WILL CAUSE LESS POLLUTION!!!
This further statement below is taken from the Mayors Air Quality Strategy in 2010.
He is acknowledging that improved Euro standards of approval for a vehicle do not show improvements in N02 (one of the harmful emissions)
In other words he is acknowledging that the Euro 5 taxis will not show any improvement in emissions
He also acknowledges that the drive cycle conditions at which vehicles are approved do not reflect the urban drive cycle in which they are used.
In other words he knows that they will not necessarily be any cleaner
http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Air_Quality_Strategy_v3.pdf
Improving the emissions from all vehicles through new technologies
3.6.14. Euro air quality standards play an important role in driving improved performance
on emissions. They were developed to ensure that natural fleet replacement results in
significant reductions in pollutant emissions. They are also used by policymakers to
specify requirements within different policies and schemes. Their ongoing
development is therefore vital, with a focus on ensuring they are as effective as
possible in delivering the benefits in reduced emissions that they have been designed
to achieve, particularly when combined with abatement technologies.
3.6.15. Research into the application of Euro standards has highlighted that the higher
standards do not deliver the expected improvements in emissions of NOx, especially
for diesel cars and LGVs. Over the past few years, the amount of NO2 emitted directly
by these vehicles has increased and overall NOx emissions (which include NO2) have
tended to stabilise (rather than reduce), whilst improvements have been seen in HGVs
and buses, more so since the introduction of the Euro IV standards for these vehicle
types.
3.6.17. The Mayor will encourage the Government and the European Commission to
ensure that future Euro standards deliver improvements in emissions in order to
improve air quality in London. The Mayor will all also seek to make the case for
improvements to the testing and enforcement processes for Euro standards; for
example, the vehicle approval processes and testing standards could better reflect the
actual on-urban road emissions of vehicles, as opposed to those derived from the
figures obtained in laboratory conditions or based on drive cycles that are not
representative of urban driving conditions.
What it did NOT report is that
1/ Tim Yeo chaired the Environmental Audit Committee hearing in Jan 2010 about air quality strategies (including the taxi age limit which he discussed with the Deputy Mayor) and actually used his political position to get the taxi age limit implemented.
2/ That Boris Johnson stated in his air quality strategy in Dec 2010 that the new Euro standards were not improving emissions and did not reflect the urban drive cycle (as in London)
3/ That Boris Johnson gave further written evidence in a report to the Environmental Audit Committee in June 2011 based on a previous Kings College report that the newer Euro standards would not improve emissions.
He said ‘’A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car.’’
He knew BEFORE he implemented the taxi age limit that the new euro 5 taxis would create more pollution that 15 year taxis, yet he still scrapped the 15 year old taxis.
4/When he was asked by London Assembly members to conduct some testing to prove that older taxis were causing more pollution he flatly refused. It is a requirement of Public Law that his decisions are evidence based and this decision was clearly not.
5/TFL consultation meetings about the age limit throughout 2011 were attended by the CEO of Eco City Vehicles (Tim Yeo’s company). A similar taxi Age Limit consultation in Newport was ruled unlawful by a High Court Judge.
6/ Boris Johnson has written to Andy Slaughter MP and last week to Steve Brine MP , stating categorically that Tim Yeo or his company had no involvement whatsoever in initiating the taxi age limit or the consultation. This is a complete lie; Yeo chaired the Environment Committee meetings which discussed the age limit and his CEO attended all of the consultation meetings. And these facts are clearly documented.
WHY HAS THE MAYOR DELIBERATELY LIED ABOUT THIS?
7/ In his reply to a Local Government Ombudsman complaint about the taxi age limit, Boris Johnson defended his decision saying that because the new taxis were Euro 5 they would be cleaner. This is a complete contradiction of his own evidence which stated that the Euro 5 vehicles would create 5 times more NO2 than a 15 year old car.
8/ That there is a direct connection between Tim Yeo and Boris Johnson.
Nick Hurd was Tim Yeo’s Chief of Staff and also sat on the Environmental Audit Committee with Yeo.
He was also at Eaton with Boris Johnson and a member of the Bullingdon club with him. He set up a Tory group with Boris Johnson in 2005.
There has been blatant corruption and improper conduct and this should be fully investigated.
Public Law states (see below)that the Mayors decisions have to be Rational and Evidence based, have proper purpose, be reasoned and be proportional. To not comply with these requirements is unlawful.
The requirements of the GLA code of conduct include that he should be honest.
His decisions in relation to the Taxi Age Limit do not comply with Public Law and his responses when challenged have not been honest.
Is there any possibility of a proper independent investigation?
I have filed complaints to the GLA Monitoring Officer and he has no interest in taking action on complaints about the Mayor.
The Mayor said in a report to the Environmental Audit Committee in July 2011 (before the taxi age limit was introduced)
‘’ NO2 levels have not fallen in recent years as modeling had predicted. This is a problem across major cities in the UK and across the EU. Emerging evidence, including a report by King’s College London, suggests that this may be due to the failure of recent Euro standards to deliver expected reductions of NO2 [1] . A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car.’’
This fact was also subsequently confirmed by a Defra report in May of this year following testing of thousands of taxis in London which showed the new taxis causing more pollution than the 15 year old taxis.
The Mayor absolutely knew beforehand that the newer taxis were creating more pollution that the 15 year old taxis , which he then scrapped. This does not comply with Public law which requires decisions to be rational and proportionate.
The Taxi Age Limit was initiated by Tory MP Tim Yeo who was Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee and was also Chairman of Eco City Vehicles (the company selling the new taxis that drivers were forced to buy at £40k).
In 2012 Ken Livingstone and ALL of the Mayoral candidates formally supported a call for a Public Inquiry to investigate the failure to stop the thousands of deaths each year.
Certain characteristics can be identified in those public inquiries that have taken place:
- Widespread loss of life
- Threats to public health or safety
- Failure by the state in its duty to protect
- Failure in regulation
- Shocking events
4. Allegations of serious misconduct and prima facie merit have been made against those acting, or purporting to act, on behalf of the state and
5. Those allegations are sufficiently widespread and are being treated sufficiently seriously by those outside Government to undermine the public’s confidence in the integrity of the State and in the rule of law and
6. The allegations relate to a sufficiently defined event or series of events to allow an inquiry to be given proper and clear terms of reference and
An inquiry would represent the most effective means of establishing the merit of the allegations made and so of restoring public confidence.
Can you please confirm your formal support for a Public Inquiry.
This website gives a clear guide about the process
http://www.publicinquiries.org/determining_the_need_for_an_inquiry
In September The Mayor of London again brags in the Assembly that he has cleaned up emissions by introducing a taxi age limit, despite concrete evidence that the new taxis are causing more pollution than the older taxis and there has been no reduction in pollution
I think this confirms that he will never take reasonable action until the situation is properly investigated and exposed
See this clip to hear Boris Johnson lying about the taxi age limit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsgGSYvcR94
This Environmental Audit Committee document includes evidence from the Mayor BEFORE the taxi age limit was introduced.
He acknowledges that the new Euro standards ie Euro 5 show an increase in NO2 from vehicles
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/writev/air/m28.htm
This further statement below is taken from the Mayors Air Quality Strategy in 2010.
He is acknowledging that improved Euro standards of approval for a vehicle do not show improvements in N02 (one of the harmful emissions)
In other words he is acknowledging that the Euro 5 taxis will not show any improvement in emissions
He also acknowledges that the drive cycle conditions at which vehicles are approved do not reflect the urban drive cycle in which they are used.
In other words he knows that they will not necessarily be any cleaner
http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Air_Quality_Strategy_v3.pdf
Improving the emissions from all vehicles through new technologies
3.6.14. Euro air quality standards play an important role in driving improved performance
on emissions. They were developed to ensure that natural fleet replacement results in
significant reductions in pollutant emissions. They are also used by policymakers to
specify requirements within different policies and schemes. Their ongoing
development is therefore vital, with a focus on ensuring they are as effective as
possible in delivering the benefits in reduced emissions that they have been designed
to achieve, particularly when combined with abatement technologies.
3.6.15. Research into the application of Euro standards has highlighted that the higher
standards do not deliver the expected improvements in emissions of NOx, especially
for diesel cars and LGVs. Over the past few years, the amount of NO2 emitted directly
by these vehicles has increased and overall NOx emissions (which include NO2) have
tended to stabilise (rather than reduce), whilst improvements have been seen in HGVs
and buses, more so since the introduction of the Euro IV standards for these vehicle
types.
3.6.17. The Mayor will encourage the Government and the European Commission to
ensure that future Euro standards deliver improvements in emissions in order to
improve air quality in London. The Mayor will all also seek to make the case for
improvements to the testing and enforcement processes for Euro standards; for
example, the vehicle approval processes and testing standards could better reflect the
actual on-urban road emissions of vehicles, as opposed to those derived from the
figures obtained in laboratory conditions or based on drive cycles that are not
representative of urban driving conditions.
THE MAYOR KNEW ABSOLUTELY THAT THE NEW EURO 5 TAXIS WILL NOT REDCUE POLLUTION AND THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY WORSE FOR NO2 THAN THE OLDER TAXIS, IN 2010 /2011 BEFORE HE INTRODCUED THE TAXI AGE LIMMIT
(WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PROVEN BY THE KINGS COLEGE /DEFRA REPORT.)
The Mail On Sunday article today reports that Tim Yeos Taxis are causing more pollution than the older taxis as proven by the Kings College Defra report and that this pollution is harmful and causing thousands of deaths
What it did NOT report is that
1/ Tim Yeo chaired the Environmental Audit Committee hearing in Jan 2010 about air quality strategies (including the taxi age limit which he discussed with the Deputy Mayor) and actually used his political position to get the taxi age limit implemented.
2/ That Boris Johnson stated in his air quality strategy in Dec 2010 that the new Euro standards were not improving emissions and did not reflect the urban drive cycle (as in London)
3/ That Boris Johnson gave further written evidence in a report to the Environmental Audit Committee in June 2011 based on a previous Kings College report that the newer Euro standards would not improve emissions.
He said ‘’A Euro 5 car, for example, emits around five times as much direct NO2 as a fifteen year old car.’’
He knew BEFORE he implemented the taxi age limit that the new euro 5 taxis would create more pollution that 15 year taxis, yet he still scrapped the 15 year old taxis.
4/When he was asked by London Assembly members to conduct some testing to prove that older taxis were causing more pollution he flatly refused. It is a requirement of Public Law that his decisions are evidence based and this decision was clearly not.
5/TFL consultation meetings about the age limit throughout 2011 were attended by the CEO of Eco City Vehicles (Tim Yeo’s company). A similar taxi Age Limit consultation in Newport was ruled unlawful by a High Court Judge.
6/ Boris Johnson has written to Andy Slaughter MP and last week to Steve Brine MP , stating categorically that Tim Yeo or his company had no involvement whatsoever in initiating the taxi age limit or the consultation. This is a complete lie; Yeo chaired the Environment Committee meetings which discussed the age limit and his CEO attended all of the consultation meetings. And these facts are clearly documented.
WHY HAS THE MAYOR DELIBERATELY LIED ABOUT THIS?
7/ In his reply to a Local Government Ombudsman complaint about the taxi age limit, Boris Johnson defended his decision saying that because the new taxis were Euro 5 they would be cleaner. This is a complete contradiction of his own evidence which stated that the Euro 5 vehicles would create 5 times more NO2 than a 15 year old car.
8/ That there is a direct connection between Tim Yeo and Boris Johnson.
Nick Hurd was Tim Yeo’s Chief of Staff and also sat on the Environmental Audit Committee with Yeo.
He was also at Eaton with Boris Johnson and a member of the Bullingdon club with him. He set up a Tory group with Boris Johnson in 2005.
There has been blatant corruption and improper conduct and this should be fully investigated.
Public Law states (see below)that the Mayors decisions have to be Rational and Evidence based, have proper purpose, be reasoned and be proportional. To not comply with these requirements is unlawful.
The requirements of the GLA code of conduct include that he should be honest.
His decisions in relation to the Taxi Age Limit do not comply with Public Law and his responses when challenged have not been honest.
I have filed complaints to the GLA Monitoring Officer and he has no interest in taking action on complaints about the Mayor.