Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Cabinet considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) that had also been considered by the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) at their meeting on 11^th July 2018 (their minute 5/18 referred), on the development of a Local Air Quality Action Plan for Coventry. A briefing note was tabled setting out the recommendations of the Scrutiny Board, for the Cabinet’s consideration.

In July 2017, the Government published the “United Kingdom Plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations”, and Coventry was named as one of 22 towns and cities within the UK where NO₂ levels were forecast to exceed legal limits by 2020. The Government had established a Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) to work with the relevant local authorities to achieve the legal limits for NO₂ in the shortest possible time within the identified towns and cities.

To meet JAQU requirements, the City Council needed to develop a Local Air Quality Action Plan (LAQAP) setting out how the Council would achieve the legal limits for NO₂ in the shortest possible time. This LAQAP, supported by a Full Business Case identifying the resources required to implement it, needed to be submitted to JAQU by the end of 2018. 

An initial Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for the LAQAP was submitted to JAQU in March 2018, outlining the range of measures under consideration for inclusion in the LAQAP, as outlined in Paragraph 2.1 of the report. The SOC would form the basis for the further development of the LAQAP.  Further work was underway to investigate possible routes to achieve compliance including promoting the use of electric vehicles and utilising the latest technology to maximize the efficiency of the road network and to promote changes in travel behaviour.

In the meantime the City Council had been successful in obtaining funding to help reduce NO₂ including:

1. £2.021m ‘early measures’ funding which will be targeted at the A4600 corridor (Ball Hill)
2. £1.5m ‘clean bus technology’ fund for retrofitting over 100 National Express buses to make them Euro 6 compliant
3. £300,000 for the introduction of residential on-street electric vehicle charging.

Cabinet approval was sought to add these to the capital programme.

The Government had also published details of the latest round of the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (ULEBS) whilst Innovate UK was also currently calling for bids , to be submitted by the end of June, to its Research and Development Fund for on-street and wireless charging technologies for electric vehicles.  Both of these offered opportunities for the City Council to develop further bids for funding that would support the operation of electric-powered buses within the City, initially through a pilot project based on the Walsgrave Road corridor.  This would clearly contribute towards achieving NO₂ compliance within the City as part of the Air Quality Action Plan.

The Government published the draft National Clean Air Strategy for consultation on 22^nd May 2018 with responses due to be submitted by 14^th August 2018.  A response to relevant questions was currently in preparation. 

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board support the recommendations to Cabinet and further recommended that:

1)  The Local Air Quality Action Plan considers the following:

a.  A strong emphasis on encouraging cycling and walking

b.  Further investigation into the use of green corridors to improve air quality

c.  Use the Councils licensing powers to address pollution caused by diesel taxis

d.  Encourage all bus operators in the city to improve the quality of their fleet to be Euro6 compliant.

 RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

1)  Delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), following consultation with the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport, Cabinet Member for City Services and the Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, to:

·  Determine the final content of the Local Air Quality Action Plan and Full Business Case and to bring these back to the Cabinet for consideration prior to submission to the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit by December 2018.

·  Implement the Early Measures programme for the A4600 Corridor utilising the £2.021 million grant funding received from Government for this purpose.

·  Develop and submit to the appropriate bodies, bids for grant funding for further measures that would support the objectives of the emerging Local Air Quality Action Plan.

·  Respond to the Government consultation on the Clean Air Strategy.

2)  Notes the addition of the NO₂ Plan Early Measures Fund grant awarded for the A4600 Corridor (£2.021m) and approves addition of the successful Coventry NO₂ Reduction Early Measures Programme to the Council’s 5 year Capital Programme as approved by Council on 20^th February, 2018 (their minute 105/18 refers) and delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), following consultation with the Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, to enter into funding agreements as appropriate.

3)  Agrees that the Council acts as Accountable Body for, and notes the addition to the Council’s capital programme of the £1.5m Clean Bus Technology Fund capital grant, and delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), following consultation with the Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, to enter into funding agreements as appropriate.

4)  Notes the addition of the £300,000 On-street Residential Charge Point Scheme capital grant to the Council’s 5 year Capital programme and delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), following consultation with the Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, to enter into funding agreements as appropriate.

5)  Delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) for the conduct of procurement processes as relevant to achieve delivery of the Air Quality Action Plan and for the award of the procurement once a compliant tender exercise has been conducted.

6)  Agrees the recommendations of the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) that the Local Air Quality Action Plan considers the following:

a)  A strong emphasis on encouraging cycling and walking

b)  Further investigation into the use of green corridors to improve air quality

c)  Use the Councils licensing powers to address pollution caused by diesel taxis

d)  Encourage all bus operators in the City to improve the quality of their fleet to be Euro6 compliant.