Council pays 470k for own Clean Air Zone breaches

Birmingham City Council paid more than £470,000 in daily charges and fines to itself after its own vehicles broke Clean Air Zone rules. The council said it had been replacing non-compliant vehicles and wanted “eco driving” across its fleet, but one in eight vehicles still did not meet emissions standards. Since the Clean Air Zone began in 2021, non-compliant vehicles triggered 3,262 daily charges and fines costing £472,253. Money from these charges and fines supports Clean Air Zone operating costs and some government charges, and any surplus must be spent on transport or environmental schemes rather than general council funds. Food bank organisers said some volunteers could not afford CAZ charges, reducing donation deliveries and cutting support levels.

"PA Birmingham City Council has paid more than 470,000 to itself in daily charges and fines because its own vehicles break the rules of its Clean Air Zone (CAZ) policy. The authority said it had been replacing non-compliant vehicles over the past 12 months and wanted "eco driving" across its fleet, but admitted one in eight vehicles still did not comply with the zone's emissions standards. Since the CAZ scheme began in the city centre in 2021, non-compliant vehicles in Birmingham's fleet have triggered 3,262 daily charges and fines at a total cost of 472,253."

"Government commissioners have been working with Birmingham City Council since it issued a so-called Section 114 notice in 2023 declaring its own effective bankruptcy. In March, the council's then Labour leadership hailed its first balanced budget in three years. The number of daily charges and fines the council has paid to itself represented around 20 times the number paid by any other UK council running a CAZ, Low Emission Zone (LEZ) or Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which was able to disclose any similar payments for breaking their own emissions standards."

"Money paid in charges and fines goes towards the CAZ operating costs and covering some Government charges, while any surplus has to be spent on transport or environmental schemes. It cannot go back into the council's general funds. Kings Heath Food Bank coordinator Sharon Power said: "The country's in this state: people are having to choose to heat or eat and they're [the council] spending money right, left and centre. It's absolutely appalling.""

"Food bank organisers said their own work relied on the goodwill of volunteers, but some could not afford the city's CAZ charges. They said fewer volunteers to drive donations around the city meant the food bank was helping half the number of people it used to support each week before the CAZ was introduced in 2021. A request made to the council for the food bank's volunteers to be exempted from"

Read at www.bbc.com