Green Alliance estimates multi-million pound environmental, economic and health benefits for regions which implement clean air zones
The delayed roll out of Clean Air Zones in polluted city centres across parts of the North of England is likely to see these regions miss out on tens of millions of pounds in local environmental, economic, and health benefits, which risks further widening the north-south divide.
That is the conclusion of a new report from Green Alliance, which highlights how the failure to fast track enhanced air quality plans presents considerable economic, health, and legal risks for the government. Combatting chronic dirty air in the UK could avoid up to 36,000 premature deaths while boosting the economy by around £1.6bn, estimates have shown, and the government is facing the threat of yet more court action over the UK's failure to meet its national targets for a number of pollutants.
But while Ministers have set out a framework for the implementation of Clean Air Zones to tackle traffic in those city centres across England with particularly high levels of air pollution, a number of councils in the North have either delayed or scrapped these measures, the think tank said.
Such zones are due to launch or be expanded in the centres of southern cities including Bristol, Birmingham, and London in 2021, where drivers of fossil fuel vehicles are set to pay higher charges in order to discourage traffic pollution, while Bath has recentlyimplemented its own Clean Air Zone just this month.
But many cities in the Midlands and the North are lagging behind, according to an analysis today by Green Alliance. Leeds has cancelled plans for a Clean Air Zone for the city during the pandemic, while Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Tyneside, and many others are yet to finalise their plans, which have all been delayed until at least 2022, the report said.
As a result, the think tank estimated these northern cities are set to lose out in tens of millions of pounds in environmental and health benefits, in addition to potential investment in cleaner transport systems, such as electric vehicle infrastructure and electric buses, which southern cities are starting to benefit from.
For example, Greater Manchester had been set to reap £25m in annual health and environmental benefits if had stuck to its original timetable to launch its clean air zone this year, according to the analysis. Meanwhile, Birmingham's upcoming clean air zone is expected to provide the city with £50m in environmental and health savings in 2021 due to fewer hospital admissions, reduced emissions, higher productivity, and fewer deaths from air pollution, Green Alliance estimates. Bristol is also set for a major boost from its Clean Air Zone to the tune of £150m, the analysis shows.
The report argues cities in the North of England harbour significant potential for major savings were they to introduce measures to combat private car use. For example, it said introducing a workplace parking levy could promote a switch to cleaner transport alternatives that could deliver financial benefits ranging from £37m for Oldham, £72m for Liverpool, and £76m for Salford.
Clean Air Zones remain controversial in some quarters, with some cash-strapped councils concerned about both the costs of administering such schemes and the potential impact on footfall for city centre businesses.
However, Philippa Borrowman, policy adviser at Green Alliance, said there were considerable economic benefits on offer from Clean Air Zones, adding that the success of measures to combat air pollution from traffic relied heavily on effective communication to explain how Clean Air Zones and other schemes work, in order to minimise disruption for residents and businesses.
And, she argued, the government had failed to provide a clear national message to councils about the economic, environmental, and health benefits of such zones, as she called for World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on air pollution to be included in its flagship Environment Bill.
"There's a strong economic case for clean air zones and the north is once again set to lose out," she said. "Over the next couple of years, as the UK economy recovers from the pandemic, clean air could become yet another factor that divides the country and leads to different life chances. Local authorities must now take action to reduce dangerous air pollution, by consulting with communities and businesses to ensure policies are implemented fairly and effectively. The UK government must also take the lead in making sure every area of the country is addressing this challenge so that the benefits of cleaner air are accessible to everyone, wherever they live."
The Department for Environmemt, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was considering a request for comment at the time of going to press. However, last week it claimed air pollution at a national level had reduced "significantly" over the past decade, adding that it planned to take further action in the coming years.
Emissions of fine particles - PM2.5 - have fallen 11 per cent since 2010, while nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions have dropped to "their lowest level since records began", it said.
"While emissions continue to improve year-on-year, we know there is much more to do which is why we are delivering a £3.8bn plan to clean up transport and tackle NO2 pollution, among other measures," a spokesperson added. "The projections data does not take into account future action that we are taking to tackle air pollution, such as measures in the Environment Bill to help local authorities tackle air pollution, and further measures in the Clean Air Strategy to tackle a range of pollutants."
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March 24, 2021 at 04:15PM
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