"the costs of protecting our environment cannot be borne on the backs of the most vulnerable"
- By Brian Leveson
- •
- 19 Nov, 2022
- •
What changed? Back in April 2019, Cllr Hakata recognised the economic and social impacts of traffic reduction schemes...
Back in 2019, Haringey declared a Climate Emergency... ... and the congestion charge was rolled out to minicab drivers
Back in April 2019 the congestion charge was rolled out to include minicabs, who up until then had been exempt.
At that time, Councillor Hakata, who worked in the minicab business for more than a decade,
wrote to
Sadiq Khan about the social and economic cost
of this .
“For many drivers in our wards, these costs will be too much to bear and they will be forced out of their jobs.
“Other drivers will be thrown into in-work poverty and forced to work even longer hours to get by.
“As the Labour Party we must be firm that the costs of protecting our environment cannot be borne on the backs of the most vulnerable.”
The Councillors who signed this letter included Cllr Julie Davies and Cllr Mike Hakata [at the time of writing both were Councillors for St Ann’s].
Now that Councillor Hakata is no longer in the minicab business he seems less bothered about the social and economic consequences of environmental policies and the extra cost of travel to the most vulnerable in our community.
Why the change of heart? The Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are directly borne on the backs of Haringey's most vulnerable.
With reference to The State of Haringey Report 2022
Mike's LTNs are borne on the backs of more vulnerable living in the more deprived parts of Haringey
Mike's LTNs are borne on the backs of people on universal credit in Haringey
Mike's LTNs are borne by the lung of kids living on the main through roads with the highest pollution onto which he is pushing MORE traffic
Whose lungs? OUR LUNGS
