Leeds City Council is to halve the daily fee for non-Euro-6 HGVs entering its clean air zone (CAZ), from £100 to £50. 

It is also scaling back the geographic boundary of its charging zone, which it said will lessen the economic impact on businesses while improving air quality across the city.

The council said the revised scheme proposals come after feedback from nearly 9,000 responses to its draft CAZ plans.

To help support businesses, Leeds City Council is also urging the government to assist it with supporting an HGV retrofit accreditation as well as making funding available to assist businesses.

It is also pushing, on a national level, for a policy on intercity charging that would only see vehicles charged once per day regardless of how many CAZs they entered.

A statutory consultation on the revised CAZ plans will be launched later this month. Leeds City Council has been directed by the government to provide its full business case by 15 September.

Those wanting to have their say on the revised proposals can do so online from 28 June, with the consultation running for six weeks until 12 August.

Leeds Clean Air Zone Roadshow

There will also be the opportunity to speak directly with the council at a free half-day event for HGV operators being held on 3 July at Elland Road Stadium, Leeds.

Here, as well as hearing from senior air quality and fleet members from the council, you’ll also be able to learn more about HGV retrofit technology progress and explore some of the latest clean fleet vehicles on the market.

You’ll also hear from Leeds City Council about its strategy for transitioning its own fleet to ultra-low or zero-emission vehicles. The council already has one of the largest local authority fleets of low-emissions vehicles in the UK and has committed to buying a further 200 electric vans by 2020.

It is also to open a public access refuelling site in the city, which will enable HGV and van operators to refuel using alternative fuels such as CNG, LNG, electric and hydrogen in the future.

Make sure you register today for this free, half-day event for HGV operators.

Councillor James Lewis, Leeds City Council executive board member for resources and sustainability, said: “As part of ensuring we submit a business case that works for the whole city, we are currently engaging with those trades and organisations that will be directly affected by the implementation of a charging zone in Leeds.

“These meetings are vital for us to better understand the support that businesses who operate in the city need to make the move to become ‘compliant’ under the clean air charging zone stipulations.

“Making sure we ask for the right support from the government at this stage will allow us to better prepare and offer support and guidance to businesses through these new changes."

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