Revealed: How Tory politicians fought plans to tackle air pollution | air pollution

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An investigation by the Guardian found that Conservative councillors, MPs and local associations openly opposed measures to clean up air pollution, often at odds with government policy.

Decarbonization of transportation is one of the government’s “priority action areas” in the upcoming COP26 global climate talks. However, cities in the UK have been slow to adopt Clean Air Zones, schemes that prevent the use of older, more polluting vehicles and incentivize cleaner forms of transport. Only three cities currently operate CAZ.

There are 25 council districts covered by Clean Air District proposals that also have more than one governor. Members of the Board of Governors opposed the schemes in about half of those (13).

The Guardian also analyzed Facebook ads about Clean Air Zones and found that 17 Conservative MPs, candidates or associations took out 50 ads criticizing the Clean Air Zone, often before local elections.

Responding to the Guardian’s findings, Andrea Lee, Clean Air Campaign Manager at environmental charity Client Earth, said: “Government is not doing enough to tackle air pollution. Ministers’ approach to tackling the air pollution crisis has left local authorities to do the heavy lifting.

“This has often resulted in delays and poor proposals as local authorities often lack the resources, capacity, and, in many cases, leadership to deal with the problem.”

In 32 council districts with a labor group, members of labor councils opposed the schemes in only five. However, local conservatives have not been universally opposed, supporting clean air zones in a number of regions including Dundee, Aberdeen, Bath, North East Somerset and Oxfordshire.

The Guardian’s analysis on Facebook found that clean air zones were a controversial topic in the lead-up to local elections, with about a quarter of the 593 Clean Air Zone ads placed in the month up to polling day. In May, Birmingham’s Conservative Party paid for a declaration that read: “Help stop Labor’s war on motorists by…opposing Labour’s ‘travel tax’.” Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone was introduced in June, the first outside of London Private Car Shipping.

Birmingham Governors Declaration. Photo: Facebook

Chancellor Robert Alden, leader of the Birmingham Conservative Group, told the Guardian that the Clean Air Zones “have been shown in the council’s special reports to penalize the less affluent in Birmingham and [failed] to offer compatibility with clean air.” Alden said the conservative group favored investing in “green infrastructure.”

Opposition to clean air zones was also a campaign issue in Newcastle, with the local Conservative Party issuing 11 ads criticizing Tyneside clean air district proposals ahead of the 2019 local elections. One ad text: “Time is running out. This is our last chance to stop Labour’s plans for a car tax It’s £12.50 a day.” The Tyneside Clean Air Zone is expected to launch in July 2022, 18 months later than planned.

Labour has put in 56 ads indicating clean air zones, all of which have been positive – most of which were paid for by the Labor Party in London before expanding the capital’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulysses).

The Newcastle Conservatives Facebook Ad. Photo: Facebook

In 2018, judges asked the government to bring air pollution levels within legal limits in the shortest possible time, after Client Earth brought it to trial three times. Over 60 councils have been directed to improve air quality, whether through Clean Air Zones or other means, but only London, Bath and Birmingham have a Clean Air Zone in operation. Other cities including Glasgow and Oxford impose a low-emissions zone that only affects buses.

Some councils canceled clean air district plans after improvements in air quality during the pandemic when the shutdown initially reduced traffic. According to research by the Green Alliance, traffic has since returned to pre-lockdown levels in a number of cities that have canceled clean air district plans, including Southampton and Leeds.

Lee, of Client Earth, said: “Road transport, especially diesel vehicles, is the main source of illegal air pollution in our towns and cities. Councils should not rely on temporary drops in pollution that occurred during lockdown to avoid the urgent need to clean the air on a permanent basis.”

Quick guide and explained clean air zonesView

What are clean air zones?

The government defines a Clean Air Zone as “an area in which targeted actions are taken to improve air quality”. It often involves shipping the most polluting vehicles entering the area.

What vehicles are affected?

There are four different types of clean air zones:

CAZ A – buses, buses, taxis and rental private vehicles

CAZ B – buses, buses, taxis, PHVs, heavy goods vehicles

CAZ C – buses, buses, taxis, PHVs, HGVs, light goods vehicles and minibuses

CAZ D – buses, buses, taxis, PHVs, HGVs LGVs, minibuses and cars

What cities occupy clean air zones?

London and Birmingham are the only cities where the Clean Air Zones charge for private cars. Bath operates CAZ C, except for cars and private motorcycles.

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Successful clean air zones must be implemented as a broader program to decarbonize transportation, said Philippa Borroman, policy advisor at Green Alliance. “We think you have to do that in tandem with improving public transportation, it can’t just be a stand-alone piece,” she said.

“Because if you put a zone [charging] Private cars in an area where there is no public transportation or it’s too expensive, it’s totally unfair.”

London Clean Air District on Facebook Posted by Iain Duncan Smith MP. Photo: Facebook

Borrowman highlighted other examples of successful mitigation strategies, including scrap schemes and investments in bike-safe infrastructure.

The Facebook analysis also revealed several Clean Air Zone ads placed by think tanks and lobbyists with links to the Conservative Party.

Companies owned by Thomas Burwick, the former chief technology officer of Vote Lea and a consultant to Cambridge Analytica, have placed three Facebook ads critical of Ulez in London. TaxPayers’ Alliance – a liberal think tank founded by Matthew Elliott, former CEO of Vote Leaf – has put up two Facebook ads criticizing Olly’s.

An ad against Ulez on Facebook put together by the Taxpayers Alliance. Photo: Facebook

The most active lobby group has been EcoCentral UK, which has placed eight ads opposing schemes for clean air districts in London, Bristol and Bath. We are sick and tired of high taxes and bans in the name of ‘save the planet,’ read an ad. ‘Join us to stop the war on motorists.’

Eco Central UK, whose Facebook page has since been deleted, was described by Desmog as “a Welsh pro-Brexit group … promoting climate science denial.”

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Local authorities are best suited to address the issues they face in their local areas, working with their local communities and businesses.” The spokesperson also said the government was implementing a £3.8 billion plan to clean up transport.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs noted “significant” improvements in air quality since 2010 and said the government was committed to helping councils achieve compliance with legal nitrogen dioxide limits.

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