VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Reform vows ‘large-scale reversal’ of LTNs
19/05/2025 Reform UK has said it will axe low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the councils it controls. |
High Court rules Lambeth LTN ‘unlawful’
12/05/2025 Lambeth Council's controversial low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme has been ruled ‘unlawful’ by the High Court. |
‘High’ air pollution alert in London
19/03/2025 City Hall has issued a ‘high’ air pollution alert in London on Thursday due to an increase in air pollution from mainland Europe. |
New animation raises air quality awareness
17/03/2025 BCP Council is raising awareness of the dangers of air pollution among children across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole using the power of animation. |
Council warns against ‘ploughing ahead’ with Stansted expansion
11/03/2025 Hertfordshire County Council has warned that plans to expand Stansted airport would lead to an increase in noise and air pollution for local residents. |
London’s Ulez delivers ‘substantial’ air quality improvements
07/03/2025 London's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) has led to ‘substantial improvements’ in air quality across the capital, new research reveals. |
Brighton ditches electric buses for diesel
20/02/2025 Brighton and Hove City Council, which has pledged that the region will be carbon neutral by 20230, has ditched electric buses in favour of diesel power. |
Vent-Axia Welcomes Government Setting Date for Awaab’s Law
12/02/2025 Vent-Axia has welcomed the UK Government setting a date of October 2025 for Awaab’s Law to be introduced across the social housing sector. |
Vent-Axia's Embodied Carbon Calculations for Commercial Heat Recovery Aid Building Design
29/01/2025 To help with the design of low and zero-carbon buildings, ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has completed its embodied carbon calculations on its products. |
Electric buggy pilot launched in London borough
21/01/2025 A pilot scheme allowing residents to hire electric buggies has been launched in the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in an effort to combat traffic congestion. |
Campaign groups band together to call for ‘strict’ new rules on LTNs
15/01/2025 Fifteen campaign groups have joined forces for the first time to call for ‘strict’ new rules for councils seeking to introduce low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs). |
Airtech Improves Indoor Air Quality and Tackles Mould for Mid-Devon Social Housing Resident
06/01/2025 Airtech, a leading condensation and mould specialist, has helped a Devon social housing resident improve the indoor air quality in their home and combat mould. |
'Carbon bomb' warning adds to relief road woes
24/12/2024 Shropshire has shrugged off an estimate of the carbon impact of a road scheme by increasing the budget and timescale for its pledge to offset emissions. |
Councils issue just four fines for illegal wood burning
20/12/2024 English councils received more than 5,600 complaints in a year about smoke in smoke control areas but issued just four fines, new data has revealed. |
Newport becomes first UK council to install Eco Post sensors
03/12/2024 Sensors have been installed across Newport to inform residents about the level of air pollution. |
New partnership drives improved air quality and healthier homes in social housing
25/11/2024 Vent-Axia and Switchee are joining forces to launch 'Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Revive 7 with Switchee connectivity', a ventilation solution for social housing. |
Airtech Supports Radon Awareness Week’s 10th Anniversary
04/11/2024 Airtech, the condensation, mould and radon specialists, is once again supporting UK Radon Awareness Week by helping raise awareness of the radioactive gas. |
Council to phase out petrol taxis
31/10/2024 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has set out proposals to phase out the licensing of petrol and diesel taxis. |
New technology to revolutionise air quality monitoring
29/10/2024 Airly this month launched ‘Airly Orbital’ – a compact, low-power device with built-in GPS and cellular communications to allow mobile air quality monitoring. |
Awaab’s Law: the path to improving indoor air quality
26/09/2024 Alan Siggins, Airflow MD, looks at what councils need to do to improve air quality in social housing in light of Awaab’s Law. |
No plans for Manchester CAZ despite illegal pollution
19/09/2024 Greater Manchester has created a new clean air strategy with no plans to charge drivers of polluting vehicles, despite a legal direction to reduce air pollution as quickly as possible. |
Low emission zones generate £1bn
28/08/2024 Local authorities have generated more than £1bn from low emission, clean air and zero emission zones since April 2019, new research has revealed. |
Newham mayor ‘deeply concerned’ by airport expansion
20/08/2024 The Government has approved London City Airport's plans to increase passenger numbers by more than a third despite objections by Newham Council. |
Suffolk announces electric car club trial
15/08/2024 A trial of electric community vehicles is set to launch in Suffolk next summer. |
Vehicle scrappage scheme to close as demand drops
07/08/2024 The first scheme launched by a London borough to help residents switch to less polluting vehicles will close next month. |
ULEZ working even better than expected, Khan says
26/07/2024 City Hall has said the controversial expansion of Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across the whole of London is ‘working better than expected’. |
Council issues first fine for illegal log burner use
24/07/2024 Wakefield Council has for the first time issued a fine to stop ‘unreasonable and excessive smoke’ from a log burner. |
Improving air quality in and around schools
08/07/2024 Megan Bennett, product marketing manager at Nuaire, looks at how poor air quality impacts children at school and what steps can be taken to improve it. |
What councils need to boost EV charge point roll-out
02/07/2024 Shaun Quirk, the chief operating officer at charge point operator Believ, explains why the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charge point roll-out has stalled and how he hopes the next government can support local authorities to scale up delivery. |
Oxford air pollution falls faster than across UK
25/06/2024 Air pollution in Oxford dropped quicker than the national average during the first full year of the city’s zero emission zone (ZEZ), but levels of toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at two sites breached the legally binding limit. |
Wandsworth to ban riders ‘abandoning’ e-bikes in busy areas
24/06/2024 A London borough council has announced plans to ban riders leaving e-bikes on pavements in busy town centres. |
NextGov: Saving the local-national climate covenant
20/06/2024 Christopher Hammond, chief executive of UK100, discusses how the next government should help local authorities along the road to net zero. |
Vent-Axia is Committed to Improving Indoor Air Quality on Clean Air Day
20/06/2024 Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia is supporting Clean Air Day on Thursday 20 June 2024. |
Tories announce plan to scrap outer London Ulez
10/06/2024 The Conservatives plan to scrap outer London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) if re-elected, Transport Sectary Mark Harper revealed over the weekend. |
Ads for cars and airlines banned on Edinburgh council property
31/05/2024 Edinburgh City Council will no longer approve sponsorship opportunities or advertising on its assets if they promote ‘high carbon’ products. |
Defra withholds £6m of air quality funding
16/04/2024 Around £6m in funding promised to local authorities to help tackle air pollution will be withheld, a Defra spokesperson has confirmed. |
Next Government urged to look at devolving air passenger duty
10/04/2024 The leader of a Labour council in the shadow of Heathrow Airport has urged the next Government to look at devolving air passenger duty (APD). |
City Hall hails ‘dramatic’ air quality improvements
12/03/2024 Air quality in the capital has improved ‘much faster’ than in the rest of the UK because of policies introduced by the London mayor, according to a report. |
UK’s first healthcare air quality alert launched
28/02/2024 Healthcare professionals in London will be notified directly about high pollution episodes, London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. |
Councils near Gatwick raise alarm over runway plan
27/02/2024 Local authorities near Gatwick have raised concerns over the potential increase in noise and air pollution if the airport brings another runway into use. |
Work begins on Oxford traffic filters
26/02/2024 Work has started on a number of streets in Oxford to prepare the way for six traffic filters as part of a trial aimed at reducing traffic in the city. |
Sheffield to invest £1m CAZ funds to improve air quality
15/02/2024 An estimated £1m raised through Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will be used to improve air quality near schools, the city council says. |
Major step towards airport reopening
13/02/2024 Councillors have voted to progress plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport using £138m in devolution funding. |
Newcastle CAZ generates £2.4m
31/01/2024 The Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone (CAZ) brought in more than £2.4m in its first 11 months of operation. |
Westminster revamps emissions-based parking charges
30/01/2024 Westminster City Council will revamp its parking schemes so that residents and visitors are charged based on their vehicles’ tailpipe emissions. |
Greta Thunberg joins Hampshire airport protest
29/01/2024 Residents, councillors and Extinction Rebellion activists were joined by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to protest the expansion of a private jet facility at the weekend. |
Government faces legal action over air pollution death
26/01/2024 The mother of a girl whose death was linked to poor air quality is bringing a High Court claim against the Government. |
Stoke-on-Trent council plans to stop ‘sledgehammer’ CAZ
18/01/2024 A team from Stoke-on-Trent City Council is working on a plan to stop a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) being implemented in the city. |
BCP Council extends successful bike scheme
02/01/2024 A bike scheme in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council area has been extended for five more years. |
Think-tank calls for ‘sensible adjustments’ to clean air zones
22/12/2023 Schemes to reduce air pollution should be designed to avoid penalising those living in more deprived areas, a think-tank has said. |
Mayor Burnham criticises fee-paying clean air zone
14/12/2023 Public investment in buses and taxis will improve air quality in Greater Manchester faster than a fee-paying clean air zone (CAZ), Mayor Andy Burnham says. |
Air pollution in most high streets exceeds guidelines, study finds
12/12/2023 Most of Britain’s biggest high streets have air pollution levels above World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, according to a new study. |
Luton Airport Expansion – how much growth is too much?
06/12/2023 As COP28 continues, Cllr Richard Roberts, Herts County Council, criticises Luton Airport's plans to increase passenger numbers to 32 million a year. |
Portsmouth CAZ ‘not enough’ as legal limits still breached
01/12/2023 A government-mandated clean air zone (CAZ) in Portsmouth is not enough to reduce emissions, with pollution on three sites continuing to breach the legal limit, the city’s council has said. |
Councillors ‘powerless and penniless’ on clean air
09/11/2023 Elected members do not believe that councils have the powers or budgets to make meaningful change on air quality, research has found. |
Government approves plans to increase Luton Airport capacity
17/10/2023 Plans by London Luton Airport (LLA) to increase its passenger cap by one million a year have been approved by the Government. |
Bus companies brand Oxford LTNs a ‘failure’
16/10/2023 Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Oxford have ‘made congestion worse’ and delayed bus services, operators have argued. |
Greening Up: why, where and how
03/10/2023 Nicholas Boys Smith, director of Create Streets, sets out how local councils can improve the level of urban greenery and why they should. |
Sunak launches fight for motorists
02/10/2023 The Government has announced plans to discourage English councils from bringing in 20mph and traffic reduction measures. |
Bradford claims success from watered-down CAZ
29/09/2023 Bradford Council has celebrated questionable success in its struggle to demonstrate compliance with the legal limit for toxic air pollution. |
Newcastle clean air zone brings in £500k
27/09/2023 Newcastle City Council’s clean air zone (CAZ) has brought in over £500,000 in the first six months of its operation, new figures from the council reveal. |
Tower Hamlets to remove LTN road closures
21/09/2023 Tower Hamlets has decided to remove its low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) road closures despite the majority of affected residents supporting the measures. |
Councils press for more stringent air quality targets
06/09/2023 Local authorities have dismissed claims air pollution targets cannot be met by 2030. |
Birmingham’s clean air zone less effective than previously thought
31/08/2023 Birmingham’s clean air zone (CAZ) has been less effective at reducing the levels of nitrogen dioxide gas than was previously thought, new research suggests. |
RAC urges councils to install ULEZ signs
29/08/2023 Local authorities surrounding London have been advised to install signs warning drivers of today’s expansion of the capital’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). |
Worcester endorses 20-year transport strategy
25/08/2023 City councillors in Worcester have endorsed a new 20-year transport strategy which is aimed at delivering a more sustainable transport system. |
Gloucestershire to roll out 1,000 EV chargers
24/08/2023 Gloucestershire County Council is set to begin the rollout of 1,000 electric vehicle charging points at the end of this month. |
Vehicle emission schemes raise £418m
24/08/2023 More than £400m in fees and penalties has been generated from vehicle emission schemes in England, a freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed. |
City Hall accused of countering science on ULEZ
22/08/2023 Sadiq Khan’s office has been accused of trying to counter scientists who suggested London's ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) had little impact on pollution. |
Khan tells neighbouring councils to ‘put politics aside’ over ULEZ
18/08/2023 London mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire county councils to ‘put their politics aside’ and allow the installation of ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) infrastructure. |
The case for low-traffic neighbourhoods
16/08/2023 Tanya Braun, Living Streets makes the case for low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and argues for an area-by-area approach to reducing the impact of traffic. |
LTN vandalism costs London boroughs £850,000
16/08/2023 Local authorities across London are being forced to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds repairing vandalised low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) infrastructure. |
Home County drivers face taxation without representation
14/08/2023 Cllr Phil Bibby, executive member for Highways & Transport, Hertfordshire County Council sets out why some local authorities are opposed to the ULEZ expansion. |
Labour U-turns on support for clean air zones
14/08/2023 Labour has scrapped its public support for ULEZ-style clean air zones across the country. |
Bristol rules out workplace parking levy
10/08/2023 Bristol City Council has ruled out introducing a workplace parking levy because of the cost-of-living crisis. |
MPs launch electric vehicle (EV) inquiry
09/08/2023 An inquiry into electric vehicles (EVs) has today been launched to help the Government better understand how the UK will reach net zero. |
Majority of ULEZ scrappage scheme remains unclaimed
09/08/2023 More than £71.5m of the original £110m pot for the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scrappage scheme has gone unclaimed, new figues have revealed. |
Transport planners write to PM in defence of LTNs
09/08/2023 The Transport Planning Society (TPS) has written to the PM in defence of low traffic neighbourhoods in the wake of the Government's push-back. |
Khan urges critics to join him in call for southeast scrappage scheme
07/08/2023 Sadiq Khan has urged Home Counties councils to join him in calling on the Government to fund a southeast scrappage scheme for non-ULEZ compliant cars. |
Councils invited to bid for share of £6m air quality fund
07/08/2023 Councils across England are being invited to bid for a share of £6m of Government funding to help tackle local air pollution. |
ULEZ scrappage scheme extended
04/08/2023 Sadiq Khan has announced that the ULEZ scrappage scheme will be expanded, with grants of £2000 being made available to all Londoners with a non-compliant car. |
London borough set to launch its own £1m scrappage scheme
03/08/2023 Merton Council is planning to introduce a £1m vehicle scrappage scheme, helping residents replace cars that are not ULEZ compliant. |
Now I am become Uxbridge, destroyer of rational climate discourse
01/08/2023 Jason Torrance, UK100, responds to the Government’s criticism of clean air zones, low-traffic neighbourhoods and other net zero schemes. |
Greenwich brings in parking charges based on emissions
31/07/2023 Parking charges and resident and business permits in Greenwich are now based on vehicles’ carbon dioxide emissions. |
National review of low-traffic neighbourhoods ‘unnecessary’
31/07/2023 Local authorities are best placed to make decisions about whether to implement low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTN) or not, council chiefs have told the PM. |
Mayor Khan wins ULEZ expansion legal battle
28/07/2023 There is no legal impediment to the Mayor of London’s expansion of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to outer London, the High Court has ruled. |
Air pollution impact on health ‘underestimated’
27/07/2023 A study in Bradford has linked healthcare attendances for breathing difficulties to breaches in daily air pollution limits. |
Hertfordshire CC refuses to allow ULEZ signs
26/07/2023 Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) signs and enforcement cameras will not be permitted in Hertfordshire, the council leader has told London Mayor Sadiq Khan. |
Driving out pollution
25/07/2023 Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, deputy leader of Lambeth Council, discusses how her London borough is phasing out diesel to protect residents’ health. |
Essex bans ULEZ signage
14/07/2023 Essex CC has voted to ban signs relating to the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) ahead of the scheme’s scheduled expansion to the county’s borders in August. |
Newcastle City Council to review LTNs
12/07/2023 Newcastle CC has insisted a review of low traffic schemes was commissioned before a former external auditor raised concerns about the way it was implemented. |
London City Airport expansion blocked by Newham Council
11/07/2023 Newham Council’s strategic development committee has voted unanimously to block London City Airport’s plans for expansion. |
Thousands more green buses needed to reach net zero
28/06/2023 More than 5,800 extra green buses are needed in England by 2030 to reach net zero and support the levelling up agenda, according to a new report from IPPR. |
LGA: Councils best placed to lead on climate action
28/06/2023 The LGA has said that only councils can lead the climate action required to meet net zero after a report described Government progress as ‘worryingly slow’. |
Get on your bike!
27/06/2023 Richard Dilks, chief executive of Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK), looks at what local authorities can do to promote shared bike schemes. |
Leeds pollution still at illegal levels after CAZ ditched
16/06/2023 Toxic air pollution in Leeds was above legal limits in 2021 after the city council chose not to proceed with a government-mandated Clean Air Zone (CAZ). |
Oxfordshire unveils £200,000 air pollution plan
16/06/2023 Oxfordshire County Council has unveiled a £200,000 plan to cut air pollution which it says is the 'biggest environmental risk to public health'. |
Haringey to treble number of School Streets
16/06/2023 Haringey councillors have signed off on a plan that will almost treble the number of School Streets in the borough to 61. |
Cleaner air for those that need it most
15/06/2023 Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council, discusses the local authority's new initiative to protect residents in care homes from pollution. |
Vent-Axia supports Clean Air Day
12/06/2023 Vent-Axia is supporting Clean Air Day on Thursday 15 June 2023 and welcomes the theme “Clean up our air to look after your mind this #CleanAirDay”. |
