Tories fail to block clean air zone Council admits pollution levels won’t fall in time to meet deadline
A MOVE to block Birmingham’s controversial Clean Air Zone has failed, despite bosses admitting it will not reduce pollution levels by a Government deadline.
The council is under strict orders to cut air pollution, particular nitrogen oxides, by 2020 and will introduce a charge for non-compliant vehicles travelling within the A4540 city ring road from next January.
But this week officers conceded it could take another two years for pollution in parts of the city centre to fall to safer levels, running the risk of government sanctions.
It came as the opposition Conservative group launched a bid to block the plans by applying for the sustainability and transport committee to call-in the latest business case and send it back to cabinet. They raised a host of issues including the backlash from the majority of 10,000 residents who took part in the council’s largest-ever public consultation, and the threat of a legal challenge.
They also argued it would actually increase congestion and pollution on the city ring road.
Tory group leader Rob Alden said installing ‘green infrastructure’, such as living walls, would be more effective and would cut down pollution by up to 30 per cent.
He claimed the £69 million the council wants from government to install the Clean Air Zone could pay for an entire green wall around the ring road and along the A38 as well as 900 trees which absorb pollutants.
Cllr Alden said: “No doubt children in nurseries in Birmingham today will be taught in school in years to come about the failure of the city council to grab this chance to make a real improvement to our air quality and instead managed to hurt both residents and businesses financially across the city.
“I ask the committee to also consider the sense of the scheme. It is in effect saying you must travel round the six-mile ring road rather than through the tunnels to get around the city going forward.
“Even though this will on average double the length of journey, doubling the amount of pollution released even if that vehicle is not stuck in congestion. If it is then the amount of pollution released will be far greater.” The council’s latest revised the daily charges to £8 for high polluting cars – diesels older than EURO 6 manufactured before 2015 and petrol cars older than EURO 4 made before 2006. The fee for non-compliant buses, coaches and HGVs will be £50. A list of mitigation measures was also put forward – reliant on government funding – ranging from one- to twoyear exemptions especially to support those living or working within the zone. Transport and environment chief Cllr Waseem Zaffar, stated it was those support packages that were the reason a small number of areas in the city centre would not see pollution levels reduced to the required level in time.
He said: “We are not going to be entirely compliant by 2020, some areas will be by 2021 and some by 2022. Ultimately it is the exemptions and mitigations causing that delay but I was not prepared to sign off on a Clean Air Zone without those to support businesses and the most vulnerable communities. Without those, the poorest in our communities would have been hit hardest.”
Cllr Zaffar also argued that the mitigations were proof that the council had listened to people during the consultation.
The committee voted against calling in the business case.