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.
A total of £311,290 was paid in CAZ charges during this period and a further £214,996 was paid in penalty charge notices (PCNs).
The city council has also issued more than £1.3m in Clean Air Fund grants to help drivers and businesses upgrade their vehicles to ensure they are CAZ-compliant.
In total, 369 older and more polluting taxis, vans and HGVs were replaced and upgraded to reduce emissions up until the end of July.
Cllr John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said: ‘The aim of the Clean Air Zone is to improve air quality by encouraging vehicle owners to replace or upgrade older, more polluting vehicles with cleaner models.
‘It is encouraging to see progress being made on this important work in the first six months since the CAZ was introduced.’
If this article was of interest, then check out our features, 'Now I am become Uxbridge, destroyer of rational climate discourse' and 'Home County drivers face taxation without representation'.
