‘Clean air zone’ plan for second Yorkshire city
A SECOND Yorkshire council has announced plans for a congestion charge of up to £50 a day to drive in the city centre, in a move which will affect buses, taxis, vans, coaches and lorries.
Sheffield City Council says the ‘Clean Air Zone’ will help tackle pollution and ‘save lives’. But it will also mean drivers of highpolluting vehicles will have to either raise fees or absorb the high charges, which some have already said is not possible without extra funding.
It comes after the region’s largest local authority, Leeds City Council, announced similar proposals to come into force by January 1, 2020.
Under Sheffield City Council’s plans, which have been criticised by opposition groups, all buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles will have to pay £50 a day to use the inner ring road, £12.50 a day for taxis and private hire vehicles and £10 a day for vans and large goods vehicles. Private cars are not included in the plans.
The council says it will need £40m from the Government to put the charge in place including cameras and signs, and that without this the scheme cannot go ahead.
The plans will be considered by the council’s cabinet on November 27 and residents, businesses, taxi drivers and bus companies are set to be consulted from early 2019.
Coun Jack Scott, the council’s cabinet member for transport and development, said he hopes the charge will push people to choose more environmentally friendly vehicles.
He added: “Air pollution is a major health problem and we know that people across the country including our children are breathing air that is not safe.
“The Government is not taking this issue seriously at all. They have completely failed to give local councils the tools and resources we need, whilst forcing us to take the difficult decisions that are now needed because of their inaction.
“We have no desire to charge people but this issue is so serious that we have to take these actions to protect local people and save lives in Sheffield. If we want to make our air safer for people in Sheffield, we have to take these actions.
“Our intention is to remove the most polluting vehicles from our road network by encouraging drivers to upgrade to cleaner vehicles rather than pay the charge. We need funding from government to provide support, advice and finance to encourage people to upgrade their vehicles if required.
“My vision is for air that is clean and safe for every single person in Sheffield. Achieving this is clearly a major piece of work. But the council can’t do it alone. As a city, we need to commit to lasting changes to protect our city’s vulnerable residents, particularly our children and older people, who are most at risk. Standing by whilst people become poorly and die is simply not an option.”
Proposals were outlined in 2016 for clean air zones in five British cities, although Sheffield was not one of them. MAKE-UP ARTIST Charlotte Tilbury said her dreams came true when she was handed an MBE by her “inspiration” the Queen.
Mrs Tilbury received an MBE at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace for services to the beauty and cosmetics industry.
The founder of her eponymous cosmetics brand said: “It’s amazing. It’s such a complete honour. It’s literally my dream come true.
“The Queen, Her Majesty, is not only my icon but also a beauty icon and inspiration to me as a female leader. She’s inspired me in so many different ways. To lead a company and also to create products.”
The 45-year-old added: “I love how she has this signature look. Very bright colours and this fabulous hair cut that’s never changed.”
She has even channelled this inspiration into creating two bold-coloured lipsticks for her brand.
“I told her the story about having created two lipsticks in homage to her,” Mrs Tilbury said. “And she said, ‘Really? Wow. That’s quite amazing.’ She couldn’t believe that I’d studied all these photos of her.”
The honour follows the soaring success of Mrs Tilbury’s eponymous beauty company in recent years.
Charlotte Tilbury is now sold in nearly 70 countries and employs some 1,000 people, 85 per cent of whom are women.
The founder said her business vision was to “democratise make-up” and empower women.
Other recipients of honours included British jazz multi-instrumentalist Orphy Robinson, who was handed an MBE medal, RAF Squadron Leader Ian Dornan, who was given an Air Force Cross medal.