COUNCILS THREATEN CLASSIC SCRAPPAGE
Local authorities may target older cars in air quality clean-up schemes
‘This is inevitable given that central Government has passed the buck’
Two councils have refused to rule out targeting classic cars as part of plans to address air quality concerns.
Derby City Council is looking to introduce a scrappage scheme that aims to crush 2000 older cars before the end of this year. Southampton City Council has not yet decided what measures it will take, but declined to rule out charging classic car owners a tax to enter the city centre as part of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
All classics will be targets in Derby as outline proposals suggest penalising any car that can’t meet Euro 5 petrol or Euro 6 diesel emissions standards.
A spokesperson for Derby City Council responded to CCW’s question on whether classics will be exempt from scrappage by saying: ‘Plans are still in development and have not yet been agreed by the Government.’
The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) has already said it will be fighting for exemptions for classics from measures expected to be introduced by 33 towns and cities across the UK to meet air quality targets imposed by the EU.
Geoff Lancaster, FBHVC communications director, says: ‘ We will follow up these developments with Derby and Southampton. It is clearly unwelcome, but I suppose inevitable given that central Government has passed the buck to local authorities on reducing emissions in affected urban hot spots with no guidance.’
Derby City Council wants to scrap older cars as it doesn’t believe introducing a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will achieve improvements in air quality GEOFF LANCASTER, FBHVC quickly enough. It has also estimated a CAZ will cost more than £20 million to implement, compared with £7.5m for the scrappage scheme.
The Derby initiative hopes to remove 2000 vehicles in the first year of its graduated funding system. It is proposing that the Government should fund the scheme and it would pay up to £5000 per vehicle to the first 500 vehicles, £4000 to the next 500 and £3000 to the next 1000.
The finer details on how the scrappage scheme would operate are still to be confirmed.
Southampton is still assessing what measures it needs, but classics are not off the table at this stage. It will launch a consultation in May where enthusiasts can make their voices heard.
Derby and Southampton, along with three other cities – Leeds, Nottingham and Birmingham – have been ordered to introduce CAZs before 2020. Nottingham has confirmed that historic vehicles will be exempt in its scheme.