Earlier this month, a ‘high’ air pollution alert for London was issued by City Hall as the hot weather combined with pollutants. With over 200 moderate or high pollution alerts in the past five years alone , it’s no secret that the Capital records some of the highest levels of pollution in the country.

Tragically, exposure to high levels of air pollution is a threat to Londoners’ health - particularly vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly. Long term exposure to air pollution can lead to a host of illnesses including asthma, lung cancer, pulmonary disease, and worsen heart conditions. Indeed, air pollution contributes to an estimated 4,000 deaths every year in London - and costs the NHS over £20 billion every year. One of the biggest contributors to this air pollution is diesel, with diesel vehicles expected to account for a quarter of all NOx emissions in London by 2025.

In the face of significant health, economic and environmental issues, local authorities must take on a leading role to improve public health by phasing out diesel vehicles.

We know that Londoners are already switching to alternatives, with diesel car ownership falling by over 10% in the city last year. The Government has also reaffirmed plans to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars by 2030. However, until then, diesel vehicles will continue to be driven on our roads and contribute a disproportionate amount of air pollution.

Local authorities have a responsibility to help accelerate this direction of travel to protect the next generation from diesel’s devastating health impacts. While each borough will need to tailor its approach to the local setting, action could range from implementing emission-based parking tariffs in loadings bays and taxi ranks to banning the use of non-compliant vehicles in the borough. Here in Lambeth, we have rolled out a set of emissions-based charges for residential parking permits and a diesel surcharge to disincentivise the use of cars which produce hazardous CO2 emissions.

Clean air is human right and we are taking action to protect residents and visitors in Lambeth and beyond.

We encourage every council, especially in London, to commit to diesel-free cities by 2030 and making the changes we need to get there.
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— (((Rezina))) ???? (@RezinaChowdhury) July 25, 2023

Learnings from Lambeth

We introduced these new charges following a rigorous consultation with our constituents, with roughly one in five of the almost 3,000 people surveyed supporting the proposal.

The new charges understandably sparked questions about where the parking revenue would go. Our estimates suggest the additional annual income generated for 2023/24 from parking emission price hikes, diesel surcharge increases, and parking voucher charges will come to around £7m, which will be reinvested in public transport services, and highway maintenance and improvement programmes.

Another common question was around affordability. As people struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, would charges adversely affect lower-income households? Whilst we understand the economic challenges facing many of our residents, we also have an obligation to improve poor levels of air quality. These changes are not intended to penalise people with no access to other transport, but rather introduce more proportional parking charges to encourage people to consider alternative transport options.

To help mitigate costs, we have introduced the option to pay in monthly instalments and continue to promote financial support to low-income families who are struggling due to rising living costs. In some places, it was more expensive to park a bike than a car last year, so we have also committed to reduce the cost of cycle hangar space. While anyone can suffer the ill-effects of pollution, we also cannot forget that poor air quality disproportionately worsens the health of those on lower incomes living in the most polluted areas.

This aligns to our wider sustainability strategy. Four years ago, Lambeth declared a climate emergency to improve public health, adopting a Climate Action Plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Our latest plans will deliver tangible health and social benefits to Lambeth’s communities, from revitalising our parks and open spaces, to building safe streets for walking and cycling. We have committed to make 25% of our kerbside sustainable by 2030, providing bike hangars, electric vehicle charging and car club spaces. We’re also investing in ways to help people start cycling such as free bike maintenance and low-cost rental of cargo bikes. We are also looking to use the valuable kerbside space for climate adaptation in the form of rain gardens to soak up heavy rainfall and prevent flooding.

Collaborating to ditch diesel by 2030

It's simple – we cannot improve London’s air quality while diesel cars are still on the road. Taking action to clean up our air requires significant change, but it is not something we can do alone. The Ditch Diesel campaign, fronted by Mums for Lungs with support from the Clean Cities Campaign, is now calling for London to ditch diesel by 2030. We are supportive of this vision, which focuses on making small, incremental changes over an outright ban, but it requires the collaboration of public bodies, key industries, stakeholders, and the general public to make a difference across the city.

That is why we’re encouraging fellow councils to join us in introducing new policies that set a clear vision for a diesel-free London. The UK Government must also support the Mayor of London to phase out diesel vehicles, by providing investment to incentivise more affordable and sustainable transport for individuals and small businesses. Implementing these measures will go a long way for councils to establish a clear and unwavering commitment to becoming diesel free by 2030, and ultimately improve Londoners’ health for generations to come.

Cllr Rezina Chowdhury is deputy leader of Lambeth Council (Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air).