Calls to support Slough motorists have been reiterated with the expansion of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) set to take effect at the end of August.

Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand the ULEZ to outer London were cleared to go ahead after the High Court ruled last week that the move is lawful.

While a scrappage scheme exists for some Londoners to get financial support in swapping to a ULEZ-compliant car, this is not currently available to Slough residents – many of whom regularly drive to London.

Slough MP Tan Dhesi co-signed a letter to the Transport Secretary in April calling for expanded access to scrappage funds so commuter-belt residents can replace their cars.

Reiterating this call, he said: “When it comes to local traffic schemes, such as ULEZ, the Government advises that responsibility rests with local authorities, as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met.

“It is right that the public should be involved in shaping key services at a local level.

“However, the Government must give councils real and tangible resources to tackle toxic air and pollution, while people must be given support to help them transition to more environmentally friendly options.”

More polluting vehicles are charged £12.50 a day to drive in the ULEZ – which the London Mayor claims is vital to reduce levels of air pollution in the capital.

But critics have accused the expansion of imposing extra costs on motorists at the height of a cost-of-living crisis.

Slough Borough Council’s lead member for transport and highways Councillor Puja Bedi said the council administration is “vehemently opposed” to the ULEZ implementation and echoed calls for further support to motorists.

She said: “It is disappointing that the legal challenge of the five Conservative-led Councils to ULEZ has been dismissed.

“As an administration, we are acutely aware of the impact which ULEZ will have on the thousands of Slough residents who drive into London for work every day, especially at a time when the cost of living is a great burden to many.

“I will be writing to the Mayor of London to outline the concerns of Slough residents, and to encourage him to expand the ULEZ scrappage scheme to Slough as a neighbouring borough to London and whose residents are going to be disproportionately impacted by this very harmful policy.”

The outer London ULEZ expansion is set to happen on August 29.

Transport for London’s director of strategy and policy Christina Calderato said: “London has made significant progress over the last six years in improving air quality, but it sadly remains the case that thousands of Londoners die prematurely each year as a result of toxic pollution.

“The London-wide ULEZ is vital in tackling the triple challenges of air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion, and will help millions more people breathe cleaner air.

“Unlike other UK cities, the capital has not received any funding for a scrappage scheme from the Government.

“That is why the Mayor has written to the Government on numerous occasions to ask for a national scrappage scheme which could cover people who drive into London from the Home Counties with the most polluting vehicles.”

However, a Government spokesperson said: “It is for the Mayor of London to justify his decision to expand the ULEZ and to consult properly to ensure it is not just another tax on hardworking families.

“At a time when the Government is doing everything it can to support people with the cost of living, it is for the Mayor to decide whether it is fair for Londoners with non-compliant vehicles to be charged £12.50 every time they drive.”

While many local authorities claim money to assist schemes through the Clean Air Fund under the Government’s nitrogen dioxide programme, this is not available to London as air quality is a devolved matter.