Views sought on local authority measures to tackle air pollution

The Government has launched two consultations on proposals to make it easier for local authorities to tackle poor air quality in their areas.

The first seeks views on increased engagement between local authorities and the communities that they serve, and an increased focus on the impact of air quality on people’s health.

The consultation will also look at the stronger requirements introduced in the Environment Act 2021 for other organisations to collaborate with local authorities in delivering Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs).

Local authorities have a legal obligation to monitor, assess and act to improve local air quality if the objectives in their action plans are not met. The statutory Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) guidance being consulted on from today helps them improve the way they do this by outlining the various elements they should consider in these plans to ensure their overall air quality objectives are achieved.

The Act also gives the Environment Secretary the power to designate, subject to consultation, “relevant public authorities” who must play a role in improving local air quality.

The second consultation proposes to designate National Highways in order to ensure more consistent collaboration with local authorities to reduce road pollution.

These two measures are designed to significantly contribute to the successful implementation of AQAPs and ensure air quality standards are met in our communities.

If it is subsequently designated a relevant public authority, National Highways will have to commit to measures to help bring roads back into compliance wherever transport using a major highway has contributed to local air quality limits being exceeded. These measures will then be included in AQAPs.

The revised LAQM guidance will ensure better cooperation between local authorities and the government, increased consideration of air quality disparities, better promotion of air quality awareness and engagement, and the consideration of links between air quality and climate change.