More grants to help businesses comply
COUNCILLOR Liz Clements, the city’s new Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This month marks the first anniversary of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone.
“I am pleased to say we have made good progress towards our goal of improving air quality in the city centre.
“But we cannot rest on our laurels, so we are offering some additional support to help accelerate our journey to becoming a clean air city and to help improve the lives of everyone who lives and works in the city.”
Light vans account for 9% of all vehicles entering the zone, and 21% of them do not meet emissions standards, she added. So to help boost compliance further, small and medium enterprises based in the West Midlands who use LGVs in their fleet can apply for grants of up to £4,000 per vehicle to help fund upgraded or replacement vehicles.
In addition, the council has increased the Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) grant available to Birmingham-licensed Private Hire and Hackney carriage drivers, who can now both apply for a grant of up to £10,000 to cover the operating expenses.
Latest data on charges and fines in the zone shows that around 9,050 vehicles a day are non-compliant – meaning they need to pay up within three days or risk a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
In a typical month, some 54,000 motorists receive a PCN, according to data published on the project’s BrumBreathes website. The funds from the scheme get ploughed back into other initiatives, some designed to boost Active Travel or improve safety around schools.