Air quality in the city of Birmingham is set to benefit from a new government-mandated Clean Air Zone which will be launched in June 2021, following a series of meetings with government ministers.
The new zone is scheduled to launch on June 1, 2021.
Across the UK, poor air quality remains one of the largest environmental risks to public health and investment into cleaner air and tackling air pollution have been identified as key priorities for both the UK Government and local authorities.
Clean Air Zones have been designed to address all sources of pollution, including nitrogen dioxide and reduce public exposure by using a range of measured tailored to a specific location.
An area covering inside the city’s inner ring road will be designed as Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone, meaning once live owners of the most polluting vehicles, which account for around 25% of the vehicles on the city’s roads, will be required to pay a daily charge to drive into or through the zone.
Birmingham Council is providing a range of exemptions and financial incentives, with a total value of approximately £35m, to help residents, city centre workers and businesses prepare for the introduction of the Clean Air Zone.
Meeting around the establishing of the Clean Air Zone were held between local authority figures from Birmingham and government ministers Rebecca Pow, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Rachel Maclean, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council said: “We have been working closely with officials at the Joint Air Quality Unit and ministers to agree a new launch date for the government-mandated Clean Air Zone.
“Poor air quality remains a public health risk and a Clean Air Zone provides the city with an effective tool for tackling this issue in the shortest possible time.
“The majority of drivers on Birmingham’s roads will not need to pay the daily charge but if you do then you may be eligible for an exemption or one of the financial incentives.
“So, I would encourage everyone to check the Brum Breathes website today. And everyone can still play a role in improving the air we all breathe by trying to reduce the number of shorter journeys we make by car every day.”
