Sadiq Khan should stop “draining” Watford commuters’ bank accounts and include the town in Zone 6, cross-party politicians have said.

Liberal Democrat members of Watford Borough Council agreed to tell the Mayor of London he must be prepared to support rail and bus passengers in Hertfordshire.

The bid to redraw fare Zone 6 was supported in principle by both Liberal Democrat and Labour politicians and comes ahead of a plan to charge drivers of the most polluting vehicles £12.50 per day if they cross the Greater London boundary - due to come into force on August 29, 2023.

Currently Watford’s London Underground and London Overground stations fall in zones 7 and 8, and a “special fares” area.

According to 2022-23 Oyster and contactless pricing, a journey from Watford Junction to Euston costs £11.20. Under the current fare structure, moving the town into Zone 6 would slash the fare to £5.50.

“As somebody who has been campaigning to get us into Zone 6 for the past 15 years, I would say I’m almost priced out of travelling into London,” said Liberal Democrat councillor Marilyn Devonish (Central).

“It’s the best part of £20 to do a 20-minute journey.

“That’s a lot of cash – and I’m talking about using the Oyster Card, which is the usually the cheapest way to travel.”

Cllr Devonish added: “I’ve spoken to people outside of the borough who would typically come to shop in the borough, but are saying it’s become far too expensive for them to make that trip.

“Alternatively, they are opting for the option which everyone is trying to dissuade – getting in a car or Uber.

“If we were in Zone 6, it would boost the economy as well.

“Having Watford on the tube map doesn’t make me feel as if I’m in London, but what it does do is mean I am not being drained every time I make a 20-minute journey into town.”

The current Zone 6 boundary includes Elstree and Borehamwood, Hatch End and Epping, which lies outside of the M25 in Essex.

Watford councillors said they fear they are “subsidising” Londoners, particularly after TfL backed out of a project to run a tube line between Croxley and Watford Junction in 2018.

If the Ultra Low Emission Zone – which currently covers the area between the North Circular and South Circular roads – expands to the Greater London boundary with Hertfordshire, councillors said they fear being priced out of going to hospitals at Harefield and Barnet.

The Mayor of London has set out plans for a £110million car scrappage and retrofit scheme, which would not be open to motorists outside the capital.

“Sadiq Khan needs to zoom out and remember London has historic links with the surrounding market towns which make it the capital city it is today,” Cllr Simon Feldman (LD, Stanborough).

“TfL already directly collects fares from residents travelling in from Watford Metropolitan line, Watford Junction and Bushey.

“These fares are used to subsidise TfL schemes throughout London, including street repairs, the ULEZ and the ULEZ scrappage scheme.

“These fares are directly set from London which we see nothing from – not a penny!”

Labour says ULEZ ‘needs refining’

Labour councillor Asif Khan (Leggatts) said Watford Borough Council must be prepared to contribute to the scrappage scheme if it wants drivers in the town to benefit from the scheme – something which the council ultimately rejected at a vote.

He agreed all Watford stations – including Watford North which is not currently in the Oyster and contactless area – should fall in Zone 6.

“ULEZ is a blunt instrument and it does need refining,” Cllr Khan said.

“It’s not a great number of vehicles that will be affected by ULEZ – just the most polluting ones.

“We need to do something about those vehicles whether they travel into London, or don’t travel into London.

“This council – all of us – voted for a climate emergency declaration and we need to do something about that.”

TfL pulled out of the Croxley Rail Link project in 2018, fearing a “huge financial risk to London taxpayers”.

In October 2022, TfL unveiled a budget shortfall in the region of £740million, which is set to be plugged with fare increases and efficiencies.

According to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, ULEZ expansion is an environmental one.

Analysis by City Hall showed nitrogen dioxide in inner London – which has been linked to lung disease and airway inflammation – was 20 per cent lower than a “no ULEZ” scenario between April and June last year.

Sadiq Khan has previously said: “The latest evidence shows that air pollution is making us sick from cradle to grave. Londoners are developing life-changing illnesses, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma.

“And it’s especially dangerous for children due to the long-lasting impact on their health and life chances, with kids in our city growing up with stunted lungs.

“The ULEZ so far has been transformational, reducing harmful pollution levels by almost a half in central London.

“But there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners.”