Waiting a decade for UK clean air ‘not good enough’ says committee

WAITING NEARLY another decade for the UK’s air to be cleaned up is “simply not good enough”, the Government has been warned.

The warning comes as the National Audit Office published a report setting out the situation on air pollution across the UK, which found more than 85 per cent of air quality zones exceed legal pollution limits years after a 2010 deadline to meet the rules.

The Government estimates compliance for levels of harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide, much of which comes from road transport, particularly diesel, will not be met until 2026, the NAO report showed.

And it said that requirements on 23 local authorities to use new measures in their cities and towns to cut pollution come at a time when councils face funding pressures. Ministers were forced to publish revised clean air plans in July, after previous proposals were ruled insufficient by the courts, and they now face further legal action from environmental law firm ClientEarth over the latest plans.

The NAO report forms a briefing for four parliamentary committees which have launched a joint inquiry into air pollution.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Transport committees have published 150 written responses they received to their inquiry and announced the first witnesses, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and legal and health experts.

Transport Committee chairwoman, Labour’s Lilian Greenwood, said: “Waiting for almost another decade for all parts of the UK to reach acceptable levels of air quality is a deeply disappointing prospect.”