MPs call for end of 'poisonous air' emergency

Four Commons committees have urged for an end to the UK's ‘poisonous air’ emergency and demanded a faster phase-out of petrol and diesel cars, which is currently set for 2040.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, and Transport Committees calls for a new Clean Air Act, a clean air fund financed by the transport industry, a national air quality support programme for councils, and for the government to require manufacturers to end the sale of conventional petrol and diesel cars earlier than the current 2040 target.

The unprecedented four-way report says that the government’s approach to air pollution, which is causing an estimated 40,000 early deaths each year and costing the UK £20 billion annually, is more concerned with ‘box-ticking’ and demonstrating compliance than ‘taking bold, affirmative action’.

Putting the protection of public health and the environment ahead of political convenience, the committee urges the government to introduce a Clean Air Act to improve existing legislation and enshrine the right to clean air in UK law, as well as bring forward the date by which manufacturers must end the sale of conventional petrol and diesel cars, in line with more ambitious commitments from around the world.

Neil Parish, chair of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said: "The government's latest plan does not present an effective response to the scale of the air quality catastrophe in the UK. We are concerned that the Government is treating air quality as a box-ticking exercise. Real change will require bold, meaningful action. We are calling on government to develop a properly resourced support scheme available to all councils struggling with air quality, and to require manufacturers of polluting vehicles to pay their fair share by contributing to an industry-financed clean air fund".

Martin Tett, Environment spokesman at the Local Government Association, said: “The Committee is right to recognise the unique position of individual councils to understand the causes of air quality issues in their area, which is why they need the flexibility to deliver their own plans to improve air quality in their community. This is particularly important with regard to clean air zones as well as expanded road and traffic measures.

“These local plans, developed with communities, will include a range of measures to deliver cleaner air and it’s essential they are approved swiftly by the government, and fully funded and resourced. If the government’s air quality plans are to be successful, they not only need to be underpinned by this local flexibility and sufficient funding but also accompanied by robust national action. Good air quality is vital for our health and quality of life as well as the environment and councils would support a national public health campaign to raise awareness of the risks of poor air quality and the actions people can take to help tackle it.”