Leeds and Birmingham councils are to "significantly postpone" the January 2020 start dates of their clean air zones (CAZs) after a government delay to an essential online tool it is developing.

In a joint statement issued today (18 June), the two councils said they had been on track to roll out their respective CAZs on the basis that a vehicle checker tool, which is being delivered by the government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU), would be ready by October this year.

However they say JAQU has now confirmed that the system will not be available until at least December — leaving just weeks before the zones were due to come into force in January 2020.

Additionally, the councils say the government is now expecting local authorities to deliver a system for collecting payments from non-compliant vehicles which enter the CAZs — having previously said that it would deliver this.

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Councillor James Lewis, deputy leader for Leeds City Council, said: “It is extremely disappointing that Leeds has been forced to delay the introduction of one of the UK’s first clean air zones because of the government’s failure to meet its own commitments to the two largest local authorities.

“Leeds City Council has worked incredibly hard to make sure that the clean air zone would be delivered on time, successfully meeting a number of challenging deadlines set by the government. Many local businesses have similarly invested both time and money into ensuring their own preparedness for January.

“Despite this delay we will continue to financially support owners of affected vehicles switching to less polluting models that will not be charged, as doing so is the best way to improve air quality prior to the charging zone’s introduction. As planned, we will also begin to install the camera infrastructure required for the zone within the next few weeks."

He added that the government now needed to outline new timescales that they are confident can be delivered in order to give residents and businesses across the country “clarity and certainty about the future of these schemes”.

Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment at Birmingham City Council, said the delay to the online tool means a January CAZ start date was now not possible.

“It would be completely unfair on residents, businesses and visitors to the city who would only have a matter of weeks, if not days, to make key choices about their travel behaviour or upgrade their vehicles. This is simply unacceptable”

“While this does mean people will have longer to make these changes, it will also delay Birmingham in achieving air quality compliance, leaving our city exposed to dirty air for longer than anticipated," he said.

He added: “Despite these challenges, we will continue to work closely with the government and other cities to achieve compliance in the shortest possible time because our priority remains ensuring that the people of Birmingham have access to clean air, as is their basic human right.”

Birmingham has confirmed it is now aiming to have its CAZ in place by July 2020.

A government spokesman told motortransport.co.uk: "We are aware of concerns over delays and are carrying out work to develop key components of the system to support the charging clean air zones for January 2020.”

An "absolutely right" decision to delay

The FTA told motortransport.co.uk that Leeds and Birmingham had “absolutely done the right thing” in postponing their CAZs.

Christopher Snelling, head of UK policy at FTA, said: “We've been in talks with government on this particular issue for a while now about the charging mechanism and enforcement and we are really pleased that Birmingham and Leeds have taken this step, because they are absolutely right that the government is not ready for this.”

He added: “They have not yet set up a single, national charging portal. It isn't in place. Given the risks involved with such a system, it is totally unrealistic to expect that it can be in place and ready to use right at the start of 2020.

"Operators need complete reliability and certainty. They've absolutely done the right thing to delay for a few months in order to get the right systems in place so operators know where they stand.

The FTA has also raised concerned around the enforceability of CAZs and whether the camera networks planned will be able to make automatic charging work the same way as in London.

“Whilst we remain opposed to [CAZ] charging, we always believe that once a regulation is in place it needs to be properly enforced,” Snelling said. Otherwise, he added, it could create an unfair playing field penalising those compliant operators adhering to the rules while unscrupulous ones could slip through the net. “This would be deeply unfair to our members.”

Rethinking policy

The RHA has urged the government to rethink its approach on improving air quality following today's announcement.

Chief executive Richard Burnett said the government is "failing to deliver on its own policies and needs to encourage local authorities to look at congestion-easing measures if they’re serious about reducing emissions".

He added: “Their delays in getting the technology ready postpones the arrival of enforceable zones in two key cities, but for operators facing the prospect of £50 per day charges it’s a delay, not a reprieve.

“It’s time for a rethink on improving air quality. Clean air zones will prove ineffective if they keep disproportionately targeting HGVs whilst ignoring other factors and vehicle types.”

Working with industry

BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney said: “Major towns and cities cannot take the risk of introducing clean air zones without having the right infrastructure and tools in place to support fleets and drivers.

“It’s important that every effort is made to help road users understand whether their vehicle is compliant, and the government vehicle checker tool will be crucial. JAQU should not launch it until it is ready and has been properly tested, and Leeds and Birmingham have done the right thing by delaying their implementation."

He added that BVRLA was pleased to see JAQU consulting with industry and providing a demonstration to a cross-section of its members to gain feedback on the technology.

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