MPs urge Government to put improving air quality 'at core' of post-pandemic rebuild

Drawing on evidence taken from health experts, local councils and campaign groups, the Committee's Air Quality report urges the Government to firm up its commitment to clean air by amending the Environment Bill- now delayed until autumn- to set a specific target to reduce particulate levels in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

Responding to fears that social distancing concerns may cause an increase in car use, the MPs call for a public campaign to encourage people use public transport once the pandemic is over. They also demand that Government investment in walking and cycling matches up to its rhetoric.

The report, a copy of which is attached to this email, urges the Government to:

• Commit to making legal clean air targets more stringent. The report sets out the Government's 'moral case' for doing so; highlighting that the most disadvantaged communities, who contribute the least to air pollution, suffer the most from its effects. It also raises concerns that the current Clean Air Strategy, ‘lacks the ambition to fully address' the challenges posed by poor air quality, and that targets carried over from EU law could be 'easily amended'. The Environment Bill must therefore be amended to include a specific target to reduce levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in line with WHO guidelines. Long-term targets for other key pollutants, including NO2 and ammonia, must also be set.

• Provide a long-term funding structure so local councils can deliver their duties to improve local air quality. The current Clean Air Strategy delegates too much responsibility to local authorities without sufficient resources to deliver, and without effective engagement from Government. The Committee calls for joined-up cross-departmental Government support, incorporating departments beyond Defra and the Department for Transport.

• Launch a public communication campaign, encouraging a return to public transport once levels of covid-19 have fallen sufficiently, as well as embracing forms of active travel including cycling and walking. While the Committee welcomes the Government's pledge to a green recovery, including the ban of the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, it urges the Government to make investments in the necessary infrastructure now, including the rollout of electric vehicle charging points in rural communities, and improved broadband to enable home working.

• 'Lead by example'; updating Government Buying Standards (GBS) to ensure that only zero tailpipe emissions vehicles are procured across the public sector by 2025. Raising concerns about whether financial stresses currently felt by public transport providers will slow their transition to cleaner vehicles, it also calls for the Government to consider further public investment to 'maintain momentum'. Consideration should also be given to incentivising small businesses to update transport fleets with cleaner vehicles.

Neil Parish MP, Chair of the EFRA Select Committee, said:

“Every year, an estimated 64,000 deaths are linked to air pollution disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities. In rebuilding after the pandemic, we have a moral duty to put improving air quality at its core.

“While the Clean Air Strategy is a step in the right direction, the Government needs to be more ambitious. Before the Environment Bill comes back, commitments to reduce the levels of toxic particulates that cause the most harm must be strengthened - and targets on reducing the health impacts of air pollution included too.

“We were quick to return to our old ways following the spring lockdown, with pollution levels bouncing back by the summer. The Government has rightly banned the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, but we need more work to help accelerate towards a greener, cleaner future, so that commuting less and using electric vehicles more will be a real option for the majority.”