£5 million boost for councils to tackle air pollution

Local authorities across England have been granted more than £5 million in government funding to deliver innovative projects to improve air quality.

From the government’s Air Quality Grant, the funding is set to help councils develop and implement measures to benefit schools, businesses and communities and reduce the impact of dirty air on people’s health. More than double the funding awarded in 2020 has been made available for this year’s grant, meaning a raft of particularly strong applications are being supported.

Proposals which have won funding include projects and campaigns to: partner with GPs to train them as Air Quality champions to raise awareness of the health impacts of air pollution in their surgeries; promote anti-idling and organise school street closures at pick-up and drop off times; encourage the uptake of electric taxis; and enhance educational programmes for schoolchildren.

The highest proportion of the funding, £700,000, has been awarded to Westminster City Council for the expansion of Clean Air Village 1, 2 and 3.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Air pollution has improved significantly since 2010 but remains the greatest environmental risk to human health. This funding demonstrates our commitment to improving our air and also our openness to innovation, through pioneering initiatives such as campaigns to encourage greater use of electric bikes and education programmes teaching children about the harms of fine particulate matter.

“We know local authorities are in the best position to address the issues they face in their areas. These projects demonstrate how they can deliver innovative solutions for their communities and we will continue to work with them closely to offer ongoing support.”

The £5,129,295 awarded in this round of funding means that almost £70 million has been awarded through the Air Quality Grant since it was launched in 1997.