Clean air charging zone plan for city scrapped
Millions of pounds already spent on camera network
LEEDS CITY Council’s controversial clean air charging zone plans are set to be officially scrapped by the authority and Government.
It follows an announcement last month that the much- delayed £ 29m scheme would be paused due to unexpectedly positive air quality levels in the city.
Senior figures at the council have now said air pollution at key points in the city was “not likely to exceed legal limits ever again, even if traffic returned to normal levels”, and that the zone was no longer required.
This is despite millions of pounds of government money being spent on business grants and a new camera network to monitor non- eco- friendly vehicles travelling in and out of the city. The plans would have seen highemitting taxis, HGVs and buses charged a fee for entering the city centre and parts of north Leeds, but had been beset with delays since they were first signed off by the Government in 2019.
And, following the announcement in September that the scheme would be paused, it also drew scorn from taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, some of whom said they had been pushed into spendingthousandsoneco- friendlycars they nolongerneeded.
Deputy council leader, Coun James Lewis, said that the frustrations over the scheme’s difficulties – and its ultimate cancellation – were offset by the fact Leeds now had cleaner air.
He said: “There has been quite a lot of twists and turns on this and lots of delays. Those drivers that have moved over to hybrid vehicles are now spending so much less on petrol. It’s not all bad news and we are appreciative of those people who have switched over.
“It’s great we have achieved what we wanted to do and people in Leeds are breathing much cleaner air.”
Plans for the zone had been signed off by the Government in January 2019, giving Leeds City Council £ 29m of funding to create the new zone, along with a camera network. It was originally expected to be up and running by last January but, following numerous delays from central government in creating a vehicle database, it was announced in July 2019 that the charging zone should be going live “some time in 2020”. A similar scheme has also been halted in Sheffield.
It’s great that people in Leeds are breathing much cleaner air. Deputy council leader, Coun James Lewis.