Leeds Council gets Govt greenlight and £29m funding for Clean Air Charging Zone

Leeds City Council has secured approval for the creation of a Clean Air Charging Zone in the city as it looks to reduce air pollution.

With £29m in government funding towards the project, the authority will be encouraging businesses to transition to less-polluting vehicles.

The worst-polluting coaches, buses, taxis, private hire cabs and HGVs will all face charges for driving within the zone – although private cars, vans and motorcycles will be exempt.

To assist companies as they transition to cleaner vehicles, £23m of the £29m funding will support affected businesses in the form of grants of up to £16k per vehicle.

Cllr James Lewis, executive member with responsibility for sustainability and the environment said: “Having now received the greenlight from the Government, our priority is to ensure the successful delivery of the Clean Air Charging Zone as required by ministerial direction over the next 50 weeks.

“Businesses that are likely to be affected need to look at the vehicles they operate and begin their final preparations for the introduction of the zone.”

He continued: “We recognise that this will be a difficult transition for some businesses to make.

“We have not received the full amount of funding that we asked the Government for, however, we are pleased to confirm today that a number of significant financial support packages will be available to assist owners of affected vehicles. We will be working hard to make sure this money is available swiftly. “

Speaking further, Cllr Lewis insisted that the council will not make money from the charges; instead, revenues generated will go towards the cost of operating the Clean Air Charging Zone.

Cash will also be used to support the owners of affected vehicles and go towards other schemes improving air quality.

The Clean Air Charging Zone will go live from January 6, 2020.