Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that:-

(i)         Sheffield’s air pollution urgently needs to be reduced;

(ii)        in many parts of Sheffield, especially near busy roads, in the city centre and close to the M1, levels of air pollutants sometimes exceed maximum legal limits;

(iii)       air pollution impacts on the health of people in our city, especially the most vulnerable, causing permanent lung damage in babies and young children and exacerbating lung and heart disease in older people, and contributing to an estimated 500 premature deaths in Sheffield each year;

(iv)       other English cities, such as Leeds, Nottingham and Derby, are introducing Clean Air Zones to reduce the level of these pollutants, with support from central government, and that Sheffield is not on this list; and

(v)        Clean Air Zones received significant public support in the YouGov poll reported in The Guardian newspaper on 4^th July 2016, in which 76% of respondents supported the implementation of Clean Air Zones to bring their cities’ levels of pollution to within European maximum legal limits;

(b)       believes that:-

(i)         it is unfair for Sheffield residents to be left behind breathing polluted air, when other major cities have Clean Air Zones planned;

(ii)        a Clean Air Zone should be introduced in Sheffield’s Air Quality Management Area to ensure Sheffield’s air quality is within maximum legal limits by 2020; and

(iii)       the scale of this public health crisis is such that action on air pollution cannot wait and this Council should immediately take steps locally where we have the power to do so; and

(c)        calls on the Administration to:-

(i)         lobby the appropriate government minister to gain support for a Clean Air Zone in Sheffield;

(ii)        commit to take steps towards implementing a Clean Air Zone in Sheffield, so that the people of Sheffield are not left breathing polluted air;

(iii)       commit to the immediate development of a new Sheffield-wide Action Plan to bring air quality within maximum legal limits and replace the 2012 plan, which failed to achieve its main objectives by its target date of December 2015, with one that will ensure the safety of Sheffield’s public;

(iv)       issue public health warnings when air pollution levels are particularly high, so that people can make informed decisions relating to their health;

(v)        immediately take steps deemed to be necessary to help reduce deaths and illnesses linked to polluted air, including but not limited to:-

(A)       working with Sheffield's major bus and tram providers to make public transport more joined up and affordable;

(B)       supporting taxis to meet clean emission standards;

(C)       promoting and incentivising the use of electric vehicles and car clubs, and ensuring that Council vehicles are electric where possible; and

(D)       promoting walking and cycling to work;

(vi)       ensure that work to bring air pollution within safe and legal limits is adequately prioritised as a key public health issue; and

(vii)      report back to the relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee on the progress made on these actions by no later than January 2018.