September 58 - Flipbook - Page 13
NEWS
GOVERMENT - MANDATED CLEAN AIR ZONE
TO LAUNCH ON 1 JUNE 2021
Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone has been
given an approved launch date by
Government. The zone will launch in
June 2021.
Following meetings with Rebecca Pow
MP, the under-secretary of state for
environment, food and rural affairs
and Rachel Maclean MP the undersecretary of state for transport, it has
been confirmed that the governmentmandated Clean Air Zone for
Birmingham is now scheduled to launch
on 1 June 2021.
Poor air quality remains the largest
environmental risk to public health in
the UK and investing in cleaner air
and doing more to tackle air pollution
are priorities for the government and
local authorities. Clean Air Zones aim
to address all sources of pollution,
including nitrogen dioxide and reduce
public exposure by using a range of
measures tailored to a specific location.
Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone will cover
an area of the city inside the inner ring
road (A4540 Middleway) and once
live will mean that the owners of the
most polluting vehicles, which account
for around 25% of the vehicles on
Birmingham’s roads, will need to pay a
daily charge to drive into or through the
Clean Air Zone.
The Council is providing a range of
exemptions and financial incentives,
with a total value of c. £35m, to help
residents, city centre workers and
businesses prepare for the introduction
of the Clean Air Zone. Applications
and expressions of interest for all of
these schemes are now open with more
information available at the website:
BrumBreathes.co.uk.
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.”
Article courtesy of #brurmbreathes
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