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. |
Luton Airport expansion gets the green light
04/04/2025 The Government has signed off on the expansion of Luton Airport despite concerns about the environmental impact and a predicted increase in noise pollution. |
Council clears tonnes of ‘nurdles’ after North Sea crash
02/04/2025 Teams from East Lindsey DC have cleaned up over 12 tonnes of plastic pellets from Lincolnshire’s beaches following a crash between two ships in the North Sea. |
‘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. |
Green light for Greater Manchester’s £86m clean air scheme
24/01/2025 The Government has backed Greater Manchester’s decision not to implement a clean air zone (CAZ) and instead to take an ‘investment-led approach’ to pollution. |
Mayor of London urged to tackle ‘mounting sewage crisis’
22/01/2025 Campaigners have urged the Mayor of London to take action to tackle the ‘mounting sewage crisis’ in the capital. |
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. |
Councils get £47m for new homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules
07/11/2024 Seven areas in England will benefit from a share of £45m to ‘unblock’ new housing developments that have been stalled by rules on nutrient neutrality. |
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. |
Unlocking supply chain potential to deliver net zero
29/10/2024 Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Westminster City Council, discusses how councils can reach sustainability goals through collaboration with supply chains. |
Oil firm continues production despite Supreme Court ruling
28/10/2024 Surrey County Council is considering enforcement action against an oil company that is operating two wells in the county, despite a Supreme Court ruling. |
Council faces court challenge over low-traffic neighbourhood
30/09/2024 Campaigners are taking Lambeth Council to court over a new low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme in West Dulwich. |
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. |
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. |
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 faces legal challenge over poultry unit
15/07/2024 A legal challenge has been launched over Shropshire Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a major intensive poultry unit. |
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. |
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. |
Bid to tackle UK’s second most polluted river
19/06/2024 Councillors in Calderdale will devise a plan to clean up the UK’s second most polluted waterway. |
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. |
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. |
LTNs popular and effective, leaked report says
11/03/2024 Low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are popular and effective, a leaked report from the Department for Transport (DfT) has found. |
‘Outdated’ pollution warning systems putting swimmers at risk
29/02/2024 Swimmers could be at risk of bathing in sewage due to an ‘outdated’ pollution warning system, researchers at the University of Reading have warned. |
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. |
Sewage pipe failures prompts vote of no confidence
26/02/2024 East Devon District Council has passed a vote of no confidence in a water company after major pipe failures and sewage overflows into the sea. |
Coastal councils raise water quality alarm
22/02/2024 Councils in coastal areas have raised the alarm about the impact on health and tourism caused by the continuing deterioration in coastal water quality. |
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. |
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. |
Rowley rules out pre-election nutrient neutrality law change
21/12/2023 The Government has confirmed it will not be introducing primary legislation on nutrient neutrality in the current Parliament. |
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. |
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. |
State of rivers ‘hangs in the balance’ amid pollution climbdown
24/10/2023 The Government has reportedly abandoned its plans to scrap nutrient neutrality rules. |
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. |
PM delays new petrol and diesel ban to 2035
21/09/2023 PM Rishi Sunak has delayed the Government's ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030 to 2035. |
Environmental regulations holding back housebuilding
21/09/2023 Laws such as those requiring nutrient neutrality in housing developments have resulted in ‘effective moratoria on housebuilding,’ Lords committee says. |
Councils press for more stringent air quality targets
06/09/2023 Local authorities have dismissed claims air pollution targets cannot be met by 2030. |
Time to fight Government water plans
05/09/2023 Ali Morse, water policy manager for The Wildlife Trusts, makes the case for defending the EU-era nutrient neutrality rules. |
Against nutrient neutrality rules
31/08/2023 Neil Jefferson, the managing director of Home Builders Federation, makes the case for scrapping the EU-era nutrient neutrality rules. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
London’s consumption-based emissions not decreasing fast enough
26/06/2023 The emissions created by the lifestyles of Londoners have decreased each year but more needs to be done if net zero targets are to be met, council chiefs say. |
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). |
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. |
Birmingham council launches air quality fund
02/06/2023 A funding scheme for cycle racks, school traffic exclusion plans and other measures has been launched to help improve air quality in Birmingham. |
Court widens grounds in ULEZ challenge
31/05/2023 The High Court has allowed further grounds to be added to the Judicial Review into the proposed expansion of the ULEZ to outer London. |
Shaking up the system on toxic chemical cocktails
24/05/2023 Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife & Countryside Link, discusses the harmful combinations of chemicals in the UK’s waterways and what councils can do about it. |
Toxic ‘chemical cocktails’ discovered in rivers
24/05/2023 A toxic concoction of ‘chemical cocktails’ have been detected at over 1,600 river and other freshwater sites across England, wildlife charities have found. |
Council calls for shellfish death inquiry
19/05/2023 North Yorkshire Council has backed calls for a public inquiry into the unexplained mass deaths of shellfish off its coastline. |
Councils face ‘Kafkaesque’ barriers to net zero
03/05/2023 Local authorities face ‘Kafkaesque’ barriers to achieving net zero goals, a new report backed by the Government’s net zero tsar has concluded. |
Toxic air pollution in London exceeds WHO guidelines
26/04/2023 Every borough in London exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) limits for toxic air pollution, new data reveals. |
Sutton Council launches anti-ULEZ expansion petition
25/04/2023 Sutton Council in south-west London has launched a petition among residents to protest against new restrictions on vehicle emissions. |
High Court grants permission for ULEZ judicial review
13/04/2023 The High Court has granted permission for a judicial review into the proposed expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to outer London this summer. |
Air quality consultation launched
12/04/2023 The Government has launched a consultation on how councils in England can improve air quality. |
Councils should involve young people in environmental policy, report says
06/04/2023 Local authorities should harness young people’s energy and enthusiasm to engage them in improving the environment, according to a team of academics. |
Fly-tipping incidents skyrocket by a third
05/04/2023 The number of fly-tipping incidents has increased by a third since 2010, a new analysis by Labour has revealed. |
Understanding the disposal rules for POPs
04/04/2023 Hamish Farmer, direct sales manager at Inciner8, explains how local authorities can ensure waste management centres meet new regulations. |
Council leader ‘angry’ about Poole oil leak
27/03/2023 ‘Serious questions’ need to be asked about a leak from a pipeline at an onshore oil field into Poole Harbour in Dorset, the local council leader has said. |
Nearly 700,000 drivers in Greater London face ULEZ charges
24/03/2023 Nearly 700,000 car drivers in Greater London could be liable to pay a £12.50 charge to drive into the city from the summer, according to the RAC. |
20,000 homes ‘in limbo’ due to river pollution
13/03/2023 Thousands of new homes cannot be built because of pollution in rivers and high water levels, council leaders have warned. |
Granting rivers rights
09/03/2023 Lewes DC recently passed the first ever Rights of River motion in England. Cllr Matthew Bird, who proposed the motion, explains the reason for the bold step. |
Private cars exempt as Sheffield finally gets CAZ
27/02/2023 Sheffield’s CAZ came into force on Monday, more than five years after the Government legally directed the council to implement the air quality measure. |
Khan calls for Home Counties targeted scrappage scheme
24/02/2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a new scrappage scheme to help people in the Home Counties to retrofit or replace vehicles that are not ULEZ compliant. |
Over £1.6m available to tackle chewing gum pollution
17/02/2023 Over £1.6m of funding is now available to help local authorities across the UK tackle chewing gum pollution. |
Five councils launch judicial review against ULEZ
17/02/2023 Five councils have launched a judicial review against Transport for London and London mayor Sadiq Khan over the expansion of the ULEZ to outer London. |
Three quarters of Hackney streets to become LTNs
26/01/2023 Hackney is set to ban most vehicles from most of its roads in what it says is ‘the country’s most ambitious plan’ for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) so far. |
Khan faces new pushback over ULEZ expansion
20/01/2023 A London council has vowed to continue its fight to delay the expansion of the capital’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ). |
Air quality campaigners warn of ‘dark stores’
08/12/2022 Air quality campaigners have called on levelling up secretary Michael Gove to tighten up regulations around last-mile delivery depots. |
London’s ULEZ to expand city-wide
28/11/2022 London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is set to be expanded city-wide as part of the drive to tackle air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion. |
Residents struggling to find information on levels of dangerous air pollution, MPs warn
26/10/2022 Local authorities are making it too difficult for residents to find information about dangerous levels of air pollution in their local area, a new report has argued today. |
Million children exposed to dangerous levels of pollution
05/10/2022 More than a million children under the age of 18 live in areas where air pollution exceeds safe levels, new research has revealed. |
New framework for improving air quality announced
18/08/2022 The Government today announced a new series of measures, including strengthened guidance, to help local authorities improve air quality. |
Metropolitan transport authorities 'key' to tackling climate change
27/06/2022 New report argues that metropolitan transport authorities have integral role to play in tackling the climate crisis by reducing transport systems' emissions. |
Council to use artificial salt marshes to clean waste water
24/06/2022 A new scheme in Leicestershire will see artificially created salt marshes being used to clean oils, diesel and chemicals in water collected from road gullies. |
Air quality improvements ‘not as fast as expected’
17/06/2022 The Government’s programme for helping local authorities tackle air pollution has progressed more slowly than expected, according to auditors. |
Nearly a quarter of drivers admit to idling engines
16/06/2022 Over 20% of drivers admit to regularly leaving engines running while their vehicle is stationary despite the impact this has on air quality, research reveals. |
‘Clean Air Net Zero’ approach could boost local areas by £1.6bn
13/06/2022 Local policymakers must consider the air quality impact of net zero policies to save billions of pounds and to avoid a ‘dieselgate scandal’, new report says. |
Scotland's Low Emission Zones await enforcement
31/05/2022 Low Emission Zones (LEZs) have been formally introduced in Scotland’s four main cities but will not be enforced for up to two years. |
Mayor Khan launches consultation on ULEZ expansion
23/05/2022 A consultation on plans to expand the ULEZ to cover most of London has been launched as part of the effort to improve air quality and reduce congestion. |
Road-pricing system fairer than fuel tax
16/05/2022 Charging motorists a levy based on the miles they drive would be fairer than taxing fuel and could address the cost of living crisis, think tank says. |
Newcastle and Gateshead clean air zone postponed
13/05/2022 Plans to introduce a clean air zone (CAZ) in Newcastle and Gateshead are to be postponed to allow more time for people and businesses to get ready. |
Nearly all UK addresses breach air pollution limits
29/04/2022 Around 97% of all UK addresses breach at least one World Health Organisation (WHO) limit for toxic pollutants, shocking new report reveals. |
Newcastle had highest NO2 levels across Europe last month
19/04/2022 Newcastle upon Tyne had the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide levels last month out of all major cities across Europe, according to a new study. |
Air quality consultations launched
29/03/2022 The Government has launched two consultations on proposals to make it easier for local authorities to tackle poor air quality in their areas. |
Consultation on end date for sale of new non-zero emission buses launched
29/03/2022 The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on setting an end date for the sale of new non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses. |
