Defra backs Nottingham pollution plan but warns tardy councils

04/12/2018 | CHRIS AMES

Ministers have approved Nottingham City Council’s new plan to tackle air pollution in the city centre but other key councils have missed the latest Government deadline.

Nottingham, which is one of five cities originally directed to implement a charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ), is the first local authority to have its air quality plan approved.

Environment department Defra said Birmingham and Leeds were the only other councils out of the five required by Ministerial Direction to produce a Full Business Case, to have handed one in.

Southampton and Derby councils have again missed a deadline to submit plans.

In September environment minister Thérèse Coffey wrote to Southampton and Derby councils, which had indicated that they would miss a deadline that month, warning of ‘serious associated consequences’ if a further deadline of 30 November was missed.

Earlier this month Southampton City Council said it will submit its business case by 31 January 2019. In response to an enquiry from Transport Network,  it has confirmed that this remains its position.

As the deadline expired at the end of last  week, Defra repeated its warning of the ‘serious associated consequences’ for the two councils.

On Sunday (2 December), Derby City Council said it had submitted its 'latest business case' to Defra. This appears to be a response to a request from Dr Coffey for the council to provide an already overdue outline business case. The council said that 'further development on the business case will be made during December and after Christmas'.

Defra said Nottingham had been working with its officials and the Department for Transport to identify measures to ‘reduce levels of pollution in the shortest possible time and deliver compliance with legal air quality limits’.

Nottingham's Plan

Nottingham’s plan, which does not include a CAZ was cleared by ministers, who have issued a Ministerial Direction for it to be implemented.

The strategy includes:

  • Retrofitting 171 buses with technology to reduce emissions, funded through the Government’s Clean Bus Technology Fund;
  • Changing the age and emissions policy for hackney carriages and supporting an increase in low emission taxis. £1m from government will be used to provide a licensing discount for drivers, a taxi rank with charging points, fund home chargers and expand the council’s ‘try before you buy’ scheme, which started this week
  • In addition, Nottingham City Council has received funding from the Government to support the conversion of its own fleet, including replacing heavy, high polluting vehicles such as bin lorries with electric vehicles.

Dr Coffey said: ‘The plans have been finalised thanks to hard work and collaboration - a brilliant example of what can be achieved when local and national government work together towards a common goal.’

Cllr Sally Longford, portfolio holder for energy and environment, said: ‘We’re looking forward to progressing these schemes to clean up the city’s buses and taxis, building on our strong track record in improving air quality through investment in sustainable transport, such as the electric tram, our award-winning electric and biogas bus fleets and cycle network.’

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)

£42679.0000 - £50211.0000 per annum
Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)Permanent, Full Time£43,960 to £51,718 per annum*Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Project Manager (Major Projects)

£44,711 - £47,754
Are you an experienced project professional or engineer with looking to take the next step in your career? Halifax, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Civil Engineer - Roads

£45,894 - £54,952
Are you an experienced engineer looking to support the Scottish Government’s national objectives. Scotland
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Senior Civil Engineering Technician

Grade 7 £29,093 to £32,654 per annum
We are looking for a flexible individual who has the ability to meet targets and analyse and resolve complex technical problems and formulate a design Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council

Project Team Manager

£55,147 to £60,676 per annum
We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for a role as Design Team Manager Norwich, Norfolk
Recruiter: Norfolk County Council

Clerk of Works

GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Assistant Projects Engineer

GRADE 06 (£29,093 - £32,654),GRADE 07 (£33,366 - £37,035), GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Traffic Management

£45,718 - £48,710 per annum
At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives. Bath, Somerset
Recruiter: Bath & North East Somerset Council

Vehicle Technician - Improver

£28,624 - £30,060
Transport Services is responsible for all aspects of transport and related services Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Principal Engineer - Highways Safety

£37,035 - £45,718 (plus £3000 Market Rate Supplement, reviewed annually)
To help achieve our ambition we are looking for a Principal Engineer with the following skills and experience to join the team. Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Part Time Caretaker and General Hand

Up to £25081.00 per annum + Full Time Equivalent
Part Time Caretaker and General HandPermanent, Part Time£25,081 Per Annum, Full Time Equivalent, equal to £13.00 per hourLocation
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Programme Delivery Office Administrator

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum
At Derbyshire, we have been on a journey to transform the way we deliver highway services to make them fit for the future Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Support Officer - Highways Asset Management Systems

£31,586 - £34,314
We are a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving our highway infrastructure. Lincolnshire
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Highways Officer (East)

£31,586 - £34,314
This is an exciting opportunity in an ever-evolving service that is both challenging and rewarding. Lincolnshire
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Rights of Way Assistant

£28,797 - £30,708
Within the Highways Directorate we are looking to appoint enthusiastic, customer focused and experienced person to join the Service. Darley Dale, Matlock
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy)

£46,731-£49,764
We are looking for an experienced professional to join North Northamptonshire Council as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy). Sheerness House, 41 Meadow Road, Kettering moving to Haylock House, Kettering Parkway, Kettering NN15 6EY, United Kingdom
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Electrical Engineer

Grade 9 £34,314 to £37,938 - Grade 10 £37,035 to £40,476 - Grade 11 £39,513 to £43,693 - Grade 12 £42,708 to £46,731 p.a.
The Construction Consultancy Services (CCS) team provide client-side construction consultancy services across a range of professional disciplines to d Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council

Head of Highways

£66,366 - £85,284 pa
Highway Operations is a large division within the Planning, Growth & Infrastructure. Enfield (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recruiter: Enfield London Borough Council

Director Highways, Transport & Waste Management

up to £120k
There for Nottinghamshire. There for each other. There for you. Nottinghamshire
Recruiter: Nottinghamshire County Council

Director of Highways and Transportation

£126,909
We’re seeking a dynamic and innovative leader to spearhead our Highways and Transportation services. Essex
Recruiter: Essex County Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW