City Council requests second postponement of Clean Air Zone

The introduction of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone has been postponed again – this time until 2021.

Birmingham City Council has written to the Government asking for a postponement saying that the coronavirus crisis is causing a “profound impact on the economy of the city” and asking for the introduction of the Clean Air Zone to be pushed back until next year.

The original plans for Clean Air Zones in Birmingham came after the Government identified that parts of the city would likely fail legal air quality levels by 2020 and instructed the local authority to tackle air pollution as soon as possible.

The first postponement was announced in June of last year due to a Government delay in delivering digital systems required to make the zones operational and enforceable. Then, the introduction of the Zone was pushed back until August of this year. The move would see high-polluting cars charged £8 a day with buses and lorries having to pay £50 to enter the city centre.”We believe that a Clean Air Zone in Birmingham remains the most effective way of making a sustainable improvement to Birmingham’s air quality and we continue to put in place the infrastructure required to support the Clean Air Zone.

“However, COVID-19 is having a profound impact on the economy of the city and our preparations for the Clean Air Zone.

“Businesses are focused on trying to support their employees through an extraordinary situation rather than upgrade their vehicle fleets.

“COVID-19 is also creating a high level of uncertainty amongst our delivery partners, some of whom are jointly contracted by central government. We have sought assurances around business continuity plans but providing any form of long-term guarantee in the current situation is proving challenging, given the rapidly evolving environment.

“For these reasons we are requesting a postponement to the launch of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone. The postponement would be until at least the end of this calendar year and is to be kept under constant review in conjunction with your officials.”

Now, a letter from councillor Waseem Zaffar, the Cabinet member for Transport and the Environment, has written a letter to the Government which says: “