A £1 million local vehicle scrappage scheme launches today to help Merton residents who are struggling with the cost of living crisis, but who want to swap their high-polluting car for a sustainable alternative.
A £1000 grant per vehicle is now available to help the least well off areas in our community that are not well connected by public transport, provided their car meets the Transport for London (TfL) scrappage criteria. The grant will also be available for all of Merton’s hardworking carers.
According to TfL, over 90% of cars driving in Outer London meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) standards. But for those that don’t meet the standards, financial support is needed.
Find out more here: www.merton.gov.uk/scrappage.
“Merton Council has launched our own local scrappage scheme to provide £1000 grants to help people in Merton struggling with the cost of living crisis to scrap their non-compliant car. All of our hardworking carers will also be eligible so they can continue the invaluable work they do.” said Councillor Ross Garrod, Leader of Merton Council.
“The cost of living remains the number one concern for people in Merton, and tackling it is our highest priority. We also need to clean up the air we breathe and part of the solution to that is moving away from using polluting vehicles. But the government is refusing to provide the support needed to help people scrap their cars – that’s why we are stepping in to provide this targeted support.”
Merton’s local scrappage scheme is open to people regardless of whether they have applied to the existing TfL scheme.
This initiative is the latest from Merton Council aimed at supporting people through the cost of living crisis – which remains the biggest challenge facing households in the borough. At the budget earlier this year, the Council committed to investing £22 million into providing support for residents, including a dedicated £2 million cost of living fund.
Notes to editors
The eligibility criteria for the Merton vehicle scrappage scheme are:
1. Applicants must live in Merton and have done for at least 12 months prior to the grant scheme’s launch
2. Whose vehicle must be registered to a Merton address for at least 12 months prior to the grant scheme’s launch
3. Whose vehicle meets the TfL scrappage criteria
4. In addition to criteria 1-3 above, the grant will be targeted to addresses within mid-low PTAL areas (PTAL 1-4) and the top 90% of areas with highest index of multiple deprivation.
5. Are Carers who as defined by the criteria on Merton’s Parking Services webpage or are already in receipt of a Carers Permit issued by Parking services, will also be eligible for the grant if they meet criteria 1-3 above.
In summary, applicants must satisfy criteria 1-4 to be eligible. Except Carers who only need to meet criteria 1-3 and 5.