UK businesses begin closing from climate mandates

Small businesses in the UK have begun shutting down due to expanding climate mandates, which are expanding despite strong protests from citizens.

Cities like Oxford have imposed low-traffic neighborhoods (LTNs) — areas where cars are restricted from driving through residential streets — to reduce carbon emissions. The Oxfordshire County Council last year also decided to carve Oxord into six “15-minute neighborhoods”. These areas also seek to reduce carbon emissions by restricting residents from driving beyond their own community centers for “non-essential needs.”

Now businesses are beginning to close due to reduced traffic from the climate mandates. The Sun revealed Monday that LTNs have caused Cafe Tarifa, a bar and restaurant in Oxford, to close its doors. Cafe Tarifa is owned by Clinton Pugh, whose daughter, award-winning actress Florence Pugh, used to work with him in the cafe. 

“People don’t want to come here any more, staff do not want to come around here. Who wants to be stuck in traffic for hours? Who wants to spend hours looking for a space to park?” said the 65-year-old restaurateur. He erected a billboard protesting against the mandate, but was fined for doing so.

“It’s the small people who suffer, those who need their car to go to work, the mothers who need to drive their kids around.”

Silvester’s Stores, a hardware store which has been in Oxford for 112 years, is also closing down this year. The store’s owner Stuart Silvester says the store has survived some of history’s worst events but was destroyed by climate mandates.

“It’s an absolute disaster to be honest,” he said, according to Oxford Mail. “Thankfully the business has come through two world wars and the pandemic, but LTNs have hit traders the most. They didn't listen to the traders. God knows how people are going to afford to keep running.”

Some London businesses also warn they may not survive Mayor Sadiq Khan’s expanding ULEZs. 

Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZs) are areas in London only accessible to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, the fine is levied against the car owner. Failure to pay can lead to fines as high as £258 ($331).

Nearly half of London’s residents — over four million people — now live in ULEZs, which cover the North and South Circular Roads. By August 29th of this year, the ULEZ will expand to encompass all London boroughs, drawing heavy protests from residents.

Some London businesses expect to shut down from ULEZs as well. Basildon Business Group Chair David Barnes, who also belongs to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said 18% of London businesses claim they will close due to ULEZs. Still a third believe the mandate will be detrimental to their workforce, according to a London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) survey.