Last December, Leeds City Council announced proposals to improve air quality in the city, including the introduction of a Clean Air Zone and charging for certain categories of vehicle, and the proposed introduction of incentives for lower emission vehicles.

Leeds Civic Trust held an event at Leeds Town Hall in February to discuss these proposals and to give people the opportunity to discuss and debate the proposals with Council officials and experts.

Following this first stage of consultation, Leeds City Council has now published its revised proposal, which amongst other things proposes:

• A smaller clean air zone which will exclude much of South Leeds

• Lower charges for vehicles deemed to be the most polluting compared with the original proposals but including the same categories (buses, HGVs, taxis)

• A list of exempted vehicles (for example school buses)

• How the charges levied should be spent

Other cities are starting to produce Air Quality proposals – for example Birmingham are consulting on an air quality zone which will include charging for private motor vehicles.

The consultation commenced on 28th June and will finish on 12th August following which a final case will be prepared for submission to government for approval. The consultation website can be found here:

https://www.leeds.gov.uk/business/environmental-health-for-business/air-quality

Leeds Civic Trust will be holding another event on the evening of 24th at 6pm (to 8pm) to discuss and debate these revised proposals, organised in collaboration with Leeds City Council. The event will take place in the Henry Moore Room of Leeds Art Gallery.

They will be joined by Neil Evans, the Director of Resources and Housing at Leeds City Council with responsible for Air Quality, and Polly Cook who has operational responsibility for the policy, together with Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council, Cllr James Lewis, who has air quality as part of his portfolio of responsibilities. They will once again be joined by Dr James Tate of the University of Leeds Institute for Transport Studies, who will be providing the latest research intelligence on this issue. There will be ample opportunity for questions, debate and discussion.

Refreshments will be available from 5.45pm

The event is free, but please register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leeds-civic-trust-seminar-what-price-air-quality-in-leeds-an-update-registration-47556721434