The Government’s attempt to show the European Commission that it can meet legally binding targets to reduce air pollution has been thrown into doubt by the actions of the London mayor. The Government calculations for meeting the PM10 target by 2011, include the western extension of the congestion charge and stage three of the Low Emission Zone, but the new mayor has pledged to abolish the former and to suspend the latter.
Darren Johnson said:
“The Government is facing European legal action because of London’s appalling air pollution. Boris Johnson’s decisions to scrap the western extension of the Congestion Charge and to delay the next phase of the Low Emission Zone have seriously messed up the Government’s strategy to avoid large fines from the European Commission. The Government has failed for ten years to significantly improve London’s air quality. Unless the Government and London mayor can implement a big new idea to dramatically slash pollutants within the next twelve months, the Government must be prepared to use its powers of direction. There is a strong legal case for the Government to over-rule the mayor and insist either that he retains the western extension of the Congestion Charge and proceeds with Phase 3 of the Low Emission Zone, which would make stricter air quality standards apply to vans as well as buses and lorries.”
“The mayor’s decisions to weaken both congestion charging and the Low Emission Zone have been the height of irresponsibility and an absolute disaster for London’s environment. No other proposals by either the mayor or the Government could deliver the same scale of reductions in emissions within the next year. Air pollution in the capital already results in over 1,000 premature deaths per year and there is emerging evidence that it is having a serious impact on the long-term development of children’s lungs.”
Ends
Notes to editors
1) The DEFRA consultation on the draft UK notification to the European Commission to secure additional time to meet the limit values for particulate matter for certain zones/agglomerations in accordance with the Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe, can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/air-quality/index.htm