A Glasgow garage boss is preparing to challenge the city's Low Emission Zone in court after being granted a judicial review.
The 36-year-old from Erskine commissioned a report by the Hilson Moran Institute to study the impact of the first phase of LEZ for buses in the city centre which came into force in 2018. William, whose business has operated in Townhead for decades, told Glasgow Live: "Our first direct communication from the council regarding the Glasgow LEZ was in January this year and we were made aware of the massive fining structure that they had put in place, maxing out at £960 for commercial vehicles, which we work on.
"We asked due to the unique nature of our business and proximity to the boundary would they be willing to grant an exemption which we were told categorically no. We were then directed to their website to review the documents supporting the scheme and its necessity. "We were met with silence for three months, no replies after multiple chasing emails, eventually we got a reply which answered none of our concerns, took into account none of the considerations and detriments it was going to have on the people of Glasgow , and refused to revisit the data."
He added: "The next steps for us are to raise a massive public awareness campaign. Highlighting the people that have already been massively impacted by this scheme, we are in conversations with local businesses from the motor trade, nighttime economy, hospitality, tourism, and leisure.