Leeds City Council has confirmed that the city’s Clean Air Zone will come into effect on 28 September 2020.
Originally due to go live alongside Birmingham on 1 January this year, the introduction of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) was delayed due to concerns over the readiness of the government’s vehicle checker designed to help motorists check if their vehicle is compliant.
Leeds’ Class B CAZ will cover over half of Leeds city centre, with HGVs, buses and coaches set to be charged £50 per day for travelling in the zone if they don’t meet the minimum emissions standards.
Taxis and private hire vehicles will be charged £12.50 per day, or a reduced rate of £50 per week if the vehicles are licensed in Leeds.
According to the city council, since Leeds first announced plans for a CAZ, ‘significant improvements’ in air quality have already been observed across the city as businesses who work inside the zone have switched to compliant vehicles. The council has so far offered £5.4m in financial support to help local businesses make the switch and an additional £3.1m has been provisionally approved.
Birmingham’s CAZ is due to be launched this summer and applications are now open for temporary exemption permits.
The exemption permits will be available to residents, low income workers and businesses in the CAZ for a period of one to two years. Exemption permits are subject to eligibility criteria, including the ownership of a vehicle that does not meet the emission standards for the CAZ, and only available on application through brumbreathes.co.uk.
Last month, the Government confirmed that Coventry does not need to introduce a charging CAZ. Instead, the Government has agreed that the package of measures put forward by the Council would be effective in reducing NO2 levels.
The resulting Local Air Quality Action Plan (LAQAP) focusses on improving NO2 levels at those locations where particular problems have been identified. The council is asking for feedback which will further inform what will be included in the final LAQAP which will be submitted to Government in June. The deadline for responses is midnight on Sunday 26 April 2020.
Coventry is also due to take part in a trial for Mobility Credits, the BVRLA will continue to liaise with Coventry on the planned trial.
