Tories pledge to ban new low emission zones in Scotland

The Scottish Conservatives have pledged to ban new low emission zones (LEZs) and urgently review existing schemes before they are expanded any further.

The party said it would also reconsider the “punitive fines” motorists currently face when entering LEZs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen.

The policy will be announced at the Tory conference in Edinburgh, which kicks off on Friday. The party argues the introduction of LEZs across Scotland’s four major cities has had a detrimental impact on business and trade.

Scotland’s LEZs were introduced in 2022 with Glasgow beginning enforcement in June 2023, Dundee in May 2024 and Aberdeen and Edinburgh in June 2024.

Motorists are charged £60 for driving into an LEZ with a rule-breaking vehicle, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days. However, this charge can soar to a maximum of £480 for car drivers and £960 for lorry and truck drivers for repeat offences.

The Scottish government said the schemes are about protecting public health by improving air quality in city centres. Figures published last year showed air pollution in Glasgow city centre had dropped by a third since enforcement of the LEZ.

Sue Webber, the Tory transport spokeswoman at Holyrood, said: “Hard-pressed motorists are being treated like bogeymen by this out-of-touch SNP government.

“The fact that low emission zones are raking in millions in driver fines demonstrates that having is a car is a necessity, not a luxury, for many Scots, whether it’s to get to work or attend hospital appointments.

“LEZs are cynically justified on environmental grounds when the reality is they’re just a revenue-raising tool for councils to try to plug the gap in their coffers caused by savage SNP cuts.

“The Scottish Conservatives would introduce a blanket ban on any new LEZs and urgently review the effectiveness of current ones before they’re expanded any further.

“The SNP and the other left-wing parties only care about squeezing every last penny they can from hard-pressed Scots. We want to give them a break by ending the Nationalists’ war on motorists.”

The Tories said they would ban any future LEZs and review the effectiveness of those already in existence, including assessing whether they have increased air quality.

The party would also reconsider the existing fines to ensure they are “fair and proportionate” and do not hinder those who live a city where an LEZ operates.

Figures show there were 2,309 LEZ contraventions in Edinburgh in January, 1,918 of which were for first offences. In December, there were 3,585 contraventions, and in November there were 3,154.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Low emission zones are fundamentally about protecting public health. They focus on improving air quality in our city centres, where evidence shows that poor air quality disproportionately harms children, older people, and those with existing health conditions.

“The vast majority of motorists already drive compliant vehicles, with well over 90 per cent of vehicles entering LEZ areas meeting emission standards and most of the remaining being exempt. This demonstrates that the scheme is working exactly as intended.

“Any revenue raised through LEZ enforcement is reinvested in the scheme, delivering cleaner, healthier cities for everyone.”