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‘Outdated’ pollution warning systems putting swimmers at risk
29/02/2024 Swimmers could be at risk of bathing in sewage due to an ‘outdated’ pollution warning system, researchers at the University of Reading have warned.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. |
London boroughs commit to work for a ‘more sustainable’ city
24/03/2022 Local authorities in London have committed to work collaboratively to reach net zero targets across the capital. |
Government proposes new targets to protect environment
17/03/2022 New legal targets on air quality, nutrient pollution and water quality have been proposed by the Government as part of its Environment Act. |
Councils need more ‘funding and powers’ to tackle climate change
10/03/2022 Progress needs to be accelerated in every local area if the UK’s climate and nature targets are to be met, climate campaigners say. |
Mayor Khan requests consultation on ULEZ expansion
04/03/2022 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will today announce in a keynote speech in Forest Hill that he is asking Transport for London (TfL) to consult on expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) London-wide in 2023. |
Zero Emission Zone to be extended across Oxford city centre
21/02/2022 Plans to extend the Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) from the current pilot area to cover the entire city centre in Oxford have been unveiled. |
Scotland back to dangerous levels of air pollution, data shows
01/02/2022 Air pollution in Scotland has once again breached legal limits following a historic low during lockdown, campaigners have revealed. |
Greater Manchester leaders told to consider clean air zone pause
14/01/2022 Greater Manchester leaders will be asked to request permission to put the second phase of Clean Air Zone (CAZ) funding on hold due to cleaner vehicle concerns. |
Bradford council delays launch of clean air zone
24/12/2021 Bradford City Council has said that the launch of its clean air zone (CAZ) has been delayed until spring 2022. |
Commuter train line exposed to ‘extreme levels’ of pollution
22/11/2021 Three councils have warned that residents living near the commuter train line running through the Chilterns are being exposed to dangerous levels of pollution. |
UN acknowledges children have right to clean air
17/11/2021 The United Nations (UN) has acknowledged that children have the right to breath clean air, a move which should help councils in their efforts to tackle pollution at the local level. |
London’s ULEZ resulted in ‘only small improvements in air quality’
17/11/2021 London’s ULEZ has had little impact on air quality and is only effective as part of a wider approach to reducing carbon emissions, researchers say. |
Call to give councils the power to fight non-traffic air pollution
15/09/2021 Councils should be given tough new powers to tackle non-transport related pollution, according to a debate in the House of Lords this week. |
UK’s first Zero Emission Zone to launch next year
10/09/2021 Britain’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) pilot will take place in Oxford next February, it has been confirmed. |
Khan warns of link between air pollution and COVID
07/09/2021 New research has found a link between a person’s exposure to air pollution and the severity with which they will experience the effects of COVID-19. |
Study links air pollution to use of mental health services
27/08/2021 Those exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to use mental health services, a new study has revealed. |
Over three million children exposed to ‘dangerous’ levels of air pollution
16/08/2021 More than 3.1 million children across England are going to schools in areas exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) limits on PM2.5, City Hall has revealed. |
Hackney Council closes street to polluting through-traffic
11/08/2021 A funding bid by Hackney Council to close Stoke Newington Church Street to polluting through-traffic during the daytime has been approved. |
Camden council launches world’s densest air quality sensor network
05/08/2021 The world’s densest air quality sensor network, which aims to fundamentally transform how air pollution is monitored and managed, will be installed in the London borough of Camden this summer. |
Burnham's Clean Air zone accused of having 'blind' spot towards air pollution
22/06/2021 Greater Manchester (GM) mayor Andy Burnham has ‘put local taxi drivers first’ by adding them to a list of vehicle operators who will initially be exempt from the region’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ), despite claims that it will ‘kick-start the city region's green revolution’. |
Government to set new targets on air pollution
18/06/2021 The Government will increase funding to local authorities and set new legal targets on air pollution in a bid to prevent further deaths. |
Millions of children attend schools with toxic air, campaigners warn
17/06/2021 Millions of children go to schools where air pollution is above World Health Organization (WHO) limits, new data reveals. |
More children worried about pollution near schools
19/04/2021 Nearly half of children in the UK are worried about air pollution near their school - up from 39% in 2018 - a new survey has revealed. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.