Birmingham City Council has paid more than £470,000 in charges and penalties after its own vehicles repeatedly breached the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) rules.

As reported by the BBC, the authority’s fleet has racked up 3,262 daily charges and fines since the CAZ was introduced in Birmingham city centre in 2021, costing a total of £472,253.

Most of the charges were linked to vehicles operated by the council’s waste department.

The council said it had spent the past year replacing older vehicles that fail to meet emissions standards, but admitted that around one in eight vehicles in its fleet remain non-compliant.

The Clean Air Zone scheme charges vehicles that do not meet emissions rules £8 per day for cars, vans and taxis, while heavy goods vehicles and coaches are charged £50 unless exemptions apply. The system is monitored using Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras.

The penalty if not paid within six days is £120, reduced to £60 if settled within two weeks.

According to the news story, Birmingham City Council’s payments to itself are significantly higher than those disclosed by any other local authority operating similar Clean Air Zones, Low Emission Zones or Ultra Low Emission Zones in the UK.

The total is believed to be around 20 times larger than the number of comparable fines reported by other councils.

A council spokesperson said it has now introduced a central Vehicle Management Service "to fast-track transition to a modernised, low emission fleet… driving efficiency, economy, safety and sustainability".

The latest figures come as Birmingham City Council continues efforts to stabilise its finances after effectively declaring bankruptcy through a Section 114 notice in 2023.