Birmingham and Leeds to hit drivers with pollution tax
Drivers entering Birmingham and Leeds will face charges to enter from 2020 as part of a package of measures to improve urban air quality.
The proposed Clean Air Zones (CAZ) are still subject to public consultation and Government approval, but if given the green light would allow city councils to introduce a charging system that will mirror the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone.
>>>Welsh roads to get 50mph limit to improve air quality
Birmingham City Council wants to charge drivers of cars that do not meet Euro4 petrol and Euro6 diesel standards up to £10 per day, while HGVs could be forced to pay as much as £100. The fee would apply to vehicles entering the city centre, but exclude the A450 ring road.
The council in Leeds, however, has shifted its focus to commercial vehicles and proposed a £50 charge for the most-polluting HGVs, buses and coaches that enter the city's outer ring road. A £12.50 fee will also be introduced for taxis. Leeds City Council is also exploring car free days and a ban on idling outside schools and colleges.
The Government has come under increasing pressure from the EU to reduce air pollution. Indeed, despite repeated warnings, the UK is still in breach of a 2008 EU directive for nitrogen dioxide (NOx) levels, which had a compliance deadline of 2010. The Government has also had its clean air plans repeatedly challenged in the courts by environmental campaigners.
Ministers announced in July 2017 that sales of new diesel and petrol vehicles would be banned from 2040, but a report from cross-party group of MPs have urged this ban to be brought forward to 2030. The MPs described air quality in the UK as a "national health emergency", linked to 40,000 premature deaths each year and costing Britain £20 billion in healthcare.
Some £3 billion of public money has been earmarked to improve air quality, but a diesel scrappage scheme has been ruled out as poor value for the tax payer. Instead carmakers have introduced their own range of money-saving schemes, but with limited success. However, while car buyers are being encouraged to swap their petrols and diesels for electric cars with zero tailpipe emissions, there is confusion over the future of the plug-in car grant scheme.
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anthony mills on 25 June 2018
This means unless you are a high earner and can afford a new vehicle or conversely you happen to have a vehicle given you on the mobility scheme you will not be able to afford to shop or work or even visit in these towns. Result the complete failure of these towns commercially, financially and in pretty well all meaningful ways. They will become ghettos to those who do not work and therefore do not need to move around however there will be no shops for them to get supplies and it is unlikely that they will have the ability to shop online even supposing delivery firms are willing to pay the congestion charge. Public transport is often not accessible for a variety of reasons.Les Unsworth on 25 June 2018
People on mobility scheme DONT get a free car as implied but lease a car from them at there own expense no different than any other person obtaining a car on a lease agreement.If they wish a different or specific car (if it's available to order) then they pay a higher initial deposit to cover the extra costs.
Let's not take away the fact that is not a "perk" to be disabled
Engineer Andy on 25 June 2018
Why do I think these is yet another wheez by councils to bolster their general coffers and to give more bureaucrats even more power and high salaries?
If they were REALLY serious, they put the money raised into spot checks on all vehicles and MOT stations to check that drivers aren't gaming the system via bribes to pass MOT emissions tests.
The same goes for homes (to a lesser degree) and business who do the same regarding boilers and emissions from chimneys and other gaseous waste product stacks. These sort of abuses of the Clean Air Act are often far worse than the emissions from a 15 year old car that is well maintained.
Not helped when seemingly many car manufacturers have cheated by adding software to temporarily reduce emissions for MOTs but in real life aren't that much different to EU3 and 4 cars' emissions.
Edited by Engineer Andy on 25/06/2018 at 14:39
volvo4nuts on 25 June 2018
I agree with engineer Andy find any excuse to tax the ordinary motorist . This so called checks are craftily done on roads between 7.30 and 8.30am emissions are at their greatist find this in our city of Exeter these so called clean aire nthusiests using there equipment like water pistols wait another hour and for most of the day until 4.30 the air is fine. .Richard Parker on 25 June 2018
I have nothing against trying to reduce pollution, waste ,and using less finite resources out of the ground by recycling, BUT, i do have a problem with arrogant and well paid people who are supposed to represent the electorate and ordinary people of this country.The way some of our elected representatives talk in parliament you would think they all believe we can go out and buy or lease these new cars with same ease we buy a loaf of bread !
Many people who are running older diesel cars and vans are already struggling to pay their household bills,and it is these people ( along with others ) who help keep this country going.
The very least this government can do is let the owners of those vehicles use them without penalty to the end of that vehicles life,and buy another old vehicle if they wish providing it will pass an mot until that too is no longer economical to repair.
It is the small businesses and less fortunate that we should be nurturing not penalising.
So they want us all to buy new cars !
I have written to honest john before about the cost of uneconomical repairs on modern vehicles,their unreliability due to over complicated electronics,and the wast full disposal of a car well before its mechanical and bodywork demise.
How much is this contributing to climate change.
Time the government made manufacturers produce a reliable safe and cheap to fix car that would last twenty five years,maybe then the hardworking people of this country could still go about their business AND pay their bills,they wont because the government is in bed with the car manufacturers.
So as someone rightly said on here many small businesses will find the cost of replacement vehicles too much and wind up,how much is that going to cost the country !
Richard Parker on 25 June 2018
I have nothing against trying to reduce pollution, waste ,and using less finite resources out of the ground by recycling, BUT, i do have a problem with arrogant and well paid people who are supposed to represent the electorate and ordinary people of this country.The way some of our elected representatives talk in parliament you would think they all believe we can go out and buy or lease these new cars with same ease we buy a loaf of bread !
Many people who are running older diesel cars and vans are already struggling to pay their household bills,and it is these people ( along with others ) who help keep this country going.
The very least this government can do is let the owners of those vehicles use them without penalty to the end of that vehicles life,and buy another old vehicle if they wish providing it will pass an mot until that too is no longer economical to repair.
It is the small businesses and less fortunate that we should be nurturing not penalising.
So they want us all to buy new cars !
I have written to honest john before about the cost of uneconomical repairs on modern vehicles,their unreliability due to over complicated electronics,and the wast full disposal of a car well before its mechanical and bodywork demise.
How much is this contributing to climate change.
Time the government made manufacturers produce a reliable safe and cheap to fix car that would last twenty five years,maybe then the hardworking people of this country could still go about their business AND pay their bills,they wont because the government is in bed with the car manufacturers.
So as someone rightly said on here many small businesses will find the cost of replacement vehicles too much and wind up,how much is that going to cost the country !
on 25 June 2018
Get rid of pollution by making transport companies pay hefty fines to clean up the air or spend vast amounts to purchase new euro 6 trucks. Then what do we do with the old trucks we send them abroad to poorer countries who will disable any environmental equipment they have. But don’t worry these vehicles will only pollute the air around them it will not go in to the atmosphere that surrounds us all ?This short sighted view takes no account of the pollution caused in the manufacturing of the new vehicles. We are just being duped in to paying more tax. Either direct or in direct. If the do gooders really wanted to clean the environment they would insist all the dirty trucks and cars were destroyed and not moved on to pass the problem on to people and countries who can’t afford to do the right thing.
So come on all you tree huggers answer the points raised and realise you can’t pass the buck to others in the false way you seem to be willing to do now. LETS HAVE THE WHOLE STORY
r pitchford on 26 June 2018
i have disabled grand children that have to visit hospitals in Leeds all the hospitals are with in the city centre Leeds inner ring road runs through the centre of Leeds the outer one does not my kids cant go by train. and these con charges will end up in the councils back pocket as usual like money for road repairs given to councils for road repairs people travel miles to go to the specialist LGI and ST James as well as others Leeds hospital LIG has specialist cancer and blood disorder units ST James has a heart unit that people travel hundreds of miles to fuel road tax and insurance have all been hiked up well above other countries plus all you cars services and then you get jobs worth councillors wanting to inflict prolusion charges will it apply to bus companies if they stick hundreds of pounds charges on delivery wagons and van companies will either stop delivering or increase all their goods prices its always the driver that has to pay stop sending money to other countries mend the NHS with it.all councils do is set on moor staff and no one can do anything about itJ. Mike Rose on 27 June 2018
I would imagine if a pollution levy becomes wide spread in the UK, especially for HGV's then the hauliers may start to introduce a city delivery surcharge.This in turn would 'Crank' up the prices in city centres, this would then cause further damage to city centre stores who are already struggling with reduced sales, high rents and rates. That is also made worse by customers being discouraged by the charge themselves.
on 27 June 2018
Just stay away from these places if they don't want drivers visiting there town then don't go .Anything you need can be delivered to your door from Amazon or Ebay .Im not about to spend money on a new car so I can visit there stupid town sod them .Add a comment