Glasgow City Council criticised for hypocrisy: Spending thousands on car hire despite strict low emission zones in place
Glasgow City Council has come under fire for its hypocritical implementation of the Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). While the council is asking businesses and commuters to comply with the LEZ regulations, its own vehicles are not compliant and the Lord Mayor's VW Phaeton limousine is also banned.
As a result, the council has spent thousands of pounds on rent costs in just 9 days and is expected to spend tens of thousands more in the coming weeks. This is on top of £175,000 in fines imposed in the first month of the Low Emission Zone.
The SNP-led council has been criticised for its shambolic implementation of the Low Emission Zone, with people questioning why it is focusing on independence while the city is in a state of disrepair.
The city council's controversial move.
Glasgow City Council's controversial decision to spend tens of thousands of pounds on hire cars despite banning its own fleet from the Low Emission Zone has been criticised as hypocritical. The move sparked public outrage and brought criticism of the city council for lacking a sense of responsibility and a responsible environmental policy.
The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was introduced by the municipality to reduce emissions from vehicles in the city. However, the municipality's own fleet of 600 vehicles is not allowed to enter the LEZ, so the municipality had to rent ten Ford Transit and one Mercedes Sprinter Treka minibus to comply with the new regulations. This cost the taxpayer more than £3,500 in rental costs in just 9 days.
The hypocrisy of the council spending taxpayers' money on rental vehicles while its own vehicles do not comply with the regulations was highlighted in the Mail on Sunday report. Scottish Tory transport spokesman Jamie Greene also criticised the council's implementation of the Low Emission Zone as "shambolic".
In the first month of the Low Emission Zone, the council handed out more than £175,000 worth of fines to citizens. 2,922 fines of £60 were issued for offences. However, the municipality has insisted that a grace period be granted for multiple violations in one day.
The municipality is working to bring its vehicle fleet into line with the new emissions regulations and expects to receive new LEZ-compliant vehicles shortly. In addition, existing vehicles will be retrofitted to improve their emission levels. However, this measure has already cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds and has been met with criticism from the public and politicians.