£6m for projects tackling toxic air in London

Sadiq Khan has invested £6 million from his Air Quality Fund in 15 new projects being established across London with the aim of improving the capital’s air quality and tackling our climate emergency.

The Mayor of London said that the new schemes include initiatives to cut pollution from river craft and construction machinery, as well as establishing hundreds of car free and pedestrianisation schemes.

Boroughs across London will also work with the Mayor to deliver 11 further projects to improve air quality, including: a project to tackle emissions from South London construction sites, an anti-engine-idling campaign spread across 27 boroughs, school streets in Redbridge, a zero-emission zone in the City, cargo bikes in Camden and retrofitting boats to cut emissions on the Thames.

These projects will share £4 million from the Mayor, match funded with almost £6 million from the boroughs. The funding is the final round of the £22 million Mayor’s Air Quality Fund.

As part of the fund, four new Low Emission Neighbourhoods (LENs) will be established in Hackney, Dagenham, Southwark and Camden. LENs receive funding and support to install electric vehicle charge points, expand cycle lanes, establish green walls and investigate traffic reduction schemes.

Khan said: “Our filthy air is a health crisis that increases the risk of dementia and asthma and damages the lung development of our children. I’m delighted that our Air Quality Fund is helping boroughs to clean up some of our most polluted streets, making them safer for pedestrians and cyclists, providing electric vehicle charging points and supporting businesses and residents in adopting cleaner modes of transport.

“The introduction of the ULEZ in April this year was a major and necessary step in addressing our filthy air and protecting the health of all Londoners. Now this local funding is helping boroughs continue to do their part to improve air quality. Not only that but it is also helping Londoners to experience what a zero-emission city could be like, especially as we work to tackle our climate crisis.

“But London politicians can’t solve these issues alone. We need government ministers to wake up and recognise the true scale of this health emergency, and give us new clean air legislation and a national vehicle scrappage fund to truly improve the quality of the air we breathe.”