The UK government has a long-term strategy to improve air quality across the country by discouraging the use of older, more polluting vehicles. In addition, its short-term goal is to reduce the number of areas where air pollution breaches legal limits.
As a result, central government tasked local authorities with improving air quality in their areas. Five cities were mandated to introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) - Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton. The Government also named 23 other local authorities where it expected pollution levels to soon reach illegal levels.
Many local authorities have conducted feasibility studies and are going through the consultation process. Some had plans to introduce CAZs in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that some of these plans have been delayed.
In October 2020, a joint review by Leeds City Council and central government concluded that the planned CAZ for the city was no longer required.
Both Nottingham and Leicester have also cancelled their plans to introduce CAZs.
In Derby, the City Council is to deploy traffic management measures rather than a CAZ as its way of dealing with air quality issues.
In Southampton, central government approved the implementation of a Local NO2 Plan instead of the introduction of a charging CAZ.
Some local authorities have delayed the implementation of their CAZs in order to allow time for more financial support to be provided to help residents and businesses upgrade their vehicles
The Scottish Government has mandated that Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow should introduce Low Emission Zones (LEZs). All these zones are already in place, but grace periods exist before charging starts (see below).
In summary:
The rules for each CAZ vary but commercial vehicles that don't meet Euro 6 emissions standards will be charged to operate in a CAZ.
Protect your business against thousands of pounds going up in smoke! Contact your nearest branch today to discuss how you can avoid CAZ charges.
Further details about CAZs and their introduction are available from the UK Government website and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Road Freight and Logistics published a report on CAZs in November 2020.