Scottish government allocates £5 million to re-open LEZ support fund for 2023-24

Credit: Transport Scotland

The Scottish government has announced a £5 million allocation to re-open the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Support Fund for the fiscal year 2023-24. The LEZ Support Fund, which offers financial incentives and Travel Better credits, is designed to encourage the removal of non-compliant vehicles from Scotland’s roads.

Administered by the Energy Saving Trust, this programme focuses on assisting individuals and micro-businesses that have been most affected by the implementation of LEZs. The initiative seeks to provide financial aid to enable them to adopt more sustainable travel practices and adhere to the established air quality standards, thus contributing to improved air quality and public health protection.

The LEZ Support Fund primarily offers households and smaller businesses a grant of £2000 to incentivise the disposal of vehicles that do not meet LEZ standards. In addition, the fund will extend further support by providing up to an additional £1000 through mobility grants or Travel Better credits. These supplementary funds can be used to purchase bicycles, e-bikes, or public transport vouchers, promoting eco-friendly transportation alternatives.

Approximately £2 million of the allocated support funding will be dedicated to the LEZ Retrofitting Fund for micro-businesses. This aspect of the programme focuses on enabling the retrofitting of light goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and taxis to comply with LEZ standards. Both these funding components collectively form the Low Emission Zone Support Fund and will be implemented through the Energy Saving Trust.

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Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition, Màiri McAllan, said: “I’m pleased that the LEZ Support Fund has again opened to provide support to those that need it most. This demonstrates our commitment to improving public health and air quality in our city centres – ensuring that this important transition, for our health and environment, happens in a fair way.”

Wider enforcement of LEZs are already underway in Glasgow, with Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh following in 2024. 

Heather Quin, Senior Programme Manager at Energy Saving Trust, said: “We’re delighted to continue our delivery of the Low Emission Zone support funds on behalf of the Scottish government. With the current cost of living crisis intensifying, it’s more important than ever that lower-income households and small businesses continue to get the support they need to adapt and make the switch to low carbon transport.”