Leeds and Birmingham Councils have announced that they are delaying the start of their Clean Air Zones planned for launch in January 2020 because the government is late delivering its digital vehicle checker tool.
In a joint statement issued last week, the councils said they "had been on track to implement Clean Air Zones on the basis that a vehicle checker tool, which is being delivered by the government's Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU), would be ready by October 2019 as planned.
"However, JAQU has now confirmed that the vehicle checker will not be available until at least December 2019 - leaving just weeks before the zones were due to come into force in January 2020."
BVRLA Chief Executive Gerry Keaney said:
“Major towns and cities cannot take the risk of introducing Clean Air Zones without having the right infrastructure and tools in place to support fleets and drivers.
“It’s important that every effort is made to help road users understand whether their vehicle is compliant, and the government vehicle checker tool will be crucial. JAQU should not launch it until it is ready and has been properly tested, and Leeds and Birmingham have done the right thing by delaying their implementation.
“We have been pleased to see JAQU consulting with our industry to gauge views on the vehicle checker tool and our members have welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback.
“JAQU recently gave a demonstration to a cross-section of BVRLA members from rental, leasing and fleet businesses and last week they took part in a BVRLA webinar dedicated to Clean Air Zones. They are also attending our Future Mobility Congress in July to share the portal with a wider group of members.”
