New clean air strategy – responsibility for improving air quality still sitting firmly with local authorities
Published on 25th May 2018
On 22 May 2018, the UK government launched a new clean air strategy which aims to reduce air pollution as a key part of delivering its 25 Year Environment Plan. The announcement was timely, released just a few days after the UK government was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union over its continued failure to tackle illegal levels of air pollution, and shortly before World Environment Day on 5 June 2018.
The draft strategy proposes new primary legislation to provide local government with powers to improve air quality. In conjunction with the announcement, a new tool for local government to calculate the potential costs of air pollution was also introduced. While the strategy draws attention to the dangers of lesser known particulates released by the agricultural industry, open fires and cleaning products, it fails to comprehensively address particulate matter released as a result of shipping, aviation, rail and, in particular, road transport.
Kiera Taylor comments further on the new clean air strategy in this article published by LexisNexis.
