Islington Council has called on the Mayor of London to commit to banning all diesel vehicles from Greater London within a decade.

Islington’s executive member for environment and transport, Cllr Claudia Webbe, has asked the Mayor of London to be bold and join cities such as Paris, Madrid and Mexico City in banning diesel vehicles entirely from the city by 2025.

Responding to the Mayor’s latest consultation on air quality, Cllr Webbe said: “A blanket ban in the capital on all diesel vehicles, including the ones meeting the Euro 6 standard, would have a dramatic impact on air quality for the millions of us who work and live in London.

“The capital’s air pollution is nothing short of a public health crisis, reducing the quality and shortening the lives of all Londoners. The answer has to be bold and co-ordinated across all levels of government.

“It is encouraging that the Mayor is determined to tackle the issue, and we will do everything we can to help him achieve these aims.

“But I am urging him to go further still and commit to brave, truly life-changing measures. It is never too soon to start reclaiming London’s air for the sake of those who breathe it every day.”

The council supports the Mayor of London’s current plans but believes that setting his sights higher on a diesel-free London is not just possible but essential to head off potentially disastrous health impacts in years to come.

Islington is calling on the Mayor to expand his proposed Emissions Surcharge, or T-Charge to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and enable the earlier introduction of the central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in October this year, expanded out to the M25 in 2019.

Further, it argues the ULEZ should not be seen as the end goal, but a transitional arrangement towards removing all diesels from Greater London by 2025.

This would need support across London’s authorities including the GLA and TfL, for the necessary infrastructure to replace them – from electric vehicle charging points and electric bus fleets to cycle route improvements and more.

Islington also argues the Emissions Surcharge should be strengthened with fewer exemptions and a re-examination of the emissions standards being used for petrol and diesel vehicles.