Central Government’s reluctance to take decisive action on tackling air pollution has been described as “very disappointing” and “a lost opportunity” by the Local Government Technical Advisers Group’s vice president John Lamb.

Speaking at the group’s AGM in London on Monday evening, he remarked: “The Government has said that local councils should consider having discussions with businesses about employee travel plans, consider having conversations with taxis about idling engines and consider talking with bus operators.

“But central Government needs to act, rather than say it is down to local councils. While we welcome the fact that Government released the plan during purdah, we need stronger national leadership.”

He also called on the four House of Commons Select Committees which recently came together to discuss the issue of poor air to “undertake a high level scrutiny of the air quality plan” and added that he hopes their collective ambition to address the issue continues into the next Parliament.

Another group to voice frustration over Government's air quality report is ADEPT, the Association of Directors of Economy, Environment, Planning & Transport. Its environment board chair Paula Hewitt said: “We need the Government to take an active lead and not just expect local authorities to act in isolation.”

She welcomed Government's commitment to extend Clean Air Zone pilots, the promise of an increase in funding to speed up the use of hydrogen vehicles and electric taxis, retrofitting vehicles and the wider use of environmental performance information.

But she added: “Most of the measures contained within the plan are designed to increase existing mitigation activity. We want to see new measures being implemented such as a more strategic approach to monitoring of air quality across the country and the introduction of a system that clearly advises people not to use their cars when pollution levels are high.”

The Government’s draft plan says that it is now for local authorities “to develop local proposals likely to achieve the air quality limits within the shortest time possible”. But the Local Government Association's chairman Lord Porter responded: “Any new burdens for councils must be fully funded by the new Government.”

(Photo courtesy of Colin Smith and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)