Agenda item
Air Quality Pledges
This report informs the committee how the Council is progressing with local air quality action plan measures.
Minutes:
Jennifer Barrett (Nuisance Control Team Manager) introduced the report on the progress made against the Brent Air Quality Action Plan 2017-2022, noting that the five year plan sought to cut local pollutant emissions from key sources. Provided as an appendix to the report was the Annual Status Report for 2017, which the council was required to provide to the Mayor of London.
Jennifer Barrett advised that one of the core objectives had been engagement with the public and schools, advising that air quality around schools had been identified as an urgent priority. The report detailed a number of projects with schools including a raft of activities being undertaken under the council’s Breathe Clean project. This project built on previous work with schools, including school audits, tailored assemblies and the ongoing schools idling programme, to provide data allowing the council to better estimate exposure of children to poor air quality around Brent Schools. It was intended that by late Spring 2019, the council would have a shortlist of high-priority schools.
Outlining another key strand of activity, Jennifer Barrett advised that emissions from construction sites from non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) had the potential to significantly contribute to local pollution. A GLA sponsored programme around inspection of this equipment was now underway and all London boroughs were expected to join at a cost of £4,000 – a sum significantly less expensive than implementing a programme individually. It was intended that the council would join the NRMM action group once arrangements had been confirmed.
The Chair thanked Jennifer Barrett for her introduction to the report and invited questions from the committee. Members sought assurance that this was a matter of high priority for the Cabinet and questioned what regular monitoring data was provided to the Lead Member. Members welcomed the initiatives described but questioned what intensive, urgent action was being taken to address those four areas identified at crisis point. The committee emphasised the importance of community engagement and questioned how Clean Air for Brent was being engaged and included in the council’s activities. Members’ sought to understand the role of the Director of Public Health in the council’s response to poor air quality and further questioned the potential impact of the Mayor’s forthcoming ultra-low emissions zone, which only partially included Brent. Questions were raised on whether the Cabinet would challenge the car lobby and what enforcement powers officers had with respect to idling vehicles. The committee further pushed for confirmation of the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) issued by the authority for idling. Discussing, the pollution at construction sites, Members questioned what responsibilities developers had to fund mitigating actions to address the pollution caused at their sites and how closely the council worked with developers to achieve carbon neutral developments. Additional questions were raised regarding work with partners such as Transport for London (TfL) to address other significant sources of pollution. In concluding their questioning, Members queried what work was being done to encourage the uptake of more electric vehicles in the borough.
In response to the queries raised, Councillor Krupa Sheth (Lead Member for Environment) confirmed that Brent’s air quality was an issue of significant importance. Jennifer Barrett cautioned that changes in results over shorter monitoring periods may not be particularly revealing. It was clarified that some of the intensive work being undertaken with streets surrounding schools targeted those specific areas identified as in need of urgent action. Councillor Krupa Sheth confirmed that she would meet with Clean Air for Brent as an important stakeholder in the activities going forward. It was confirmed that the Director of Public Health was involved with the work regarding air quality and one of the key things Public Health colleagues were currently working on was reviewing and updating the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for Brent which provided an evidence base for the CCG when setting their commissioning intentions.
Councillor Krupa Sheth advised that Councillor Tattler (Lead Member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning) had met with TfL to discuss the implications of the ultra-low emissions zone for Brent and emphasised that discussions with all members of the council would be needed to determine the political will to support more proactive action against pollution from motor vehicles. Jennifer Barrett advised that Brent’s enforcement officers did have the power to issue FPNs to drivers of idling cars if they refused to comply with a reasonable request to desist. However, no such FPNs had been issued to date. Furthermore, the maximum fine that could be awarded was £40 which was a minimal sanction. Other Local Authorities had been more successful using Public Space Preservation Orders (PSPOs) to increase the potential penalty. Brent was exploring this possibility and would take a more robust approach moving forward.
Jennifer Barrett confirmed that there were a range of funds that could be applied for and the schools most affected by poor air quality had been sign-posted to these. Where appropriate, schools and parents had been assisted in applying for Community Infrastructure Levy funds, and had also been very successful in undertaking fundraising to support projects. Via the Breathe Clean project, the council had worked closely with Brent’s schools to identify local issues and needs.
Chis Whyte (Director of Environment Services) explained that there had been changes to the structure of Environment Services which brought together the strategic work around Air Quality management, including that of highways, sustainable transport, traffic movement and planning teams. Those structural changes supported the close working already taking place between the different teams.
It was confirmed that Councillor Tatler regularly met with TfL regarding the bus fleets used in Brent and Chris Whyte confirmed that that issue was extended to the council’s own large vehicles, such as refuse vehicles and buses. The council proactively pursued grants and other opportunities to install electric car parking facilities in Brent and a diesel surcharge was applied to Brent parking permits.
The Chair thanked the officers for their contribution to the meeting.
RESOLVED:
i) That Brent’s policy on air quality rigorously focus on our worst areas and spread best practice thereafter.
ii) That the committee establish a scrutiny task group at the earliest opportunity with the target of taking the action plan and developing into a delivery strategy with measurable and periodic review points.
iii) The Lead Member for Environment receive regular updates from officers on the air quality in the target hotspots, with the results sent to all members periodically, as appropriate.
iv) That the Chair of the committee write to the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board to request that the Board consider air quality in Brent as a Public Health issue and that this be added to the Board’s future programme of work.
v) That the Lead Member for Environment meet with Clean Air for Brent and that members of the Scrutiny Committees be invited to attend.
Supporting documents:
- Air Quality Report, item 8. PDF 93 KB
- Appendix 1 - Brent Annual Status Report 2017, item 8. PDF 703 KB
- Updated Air Quality Report, item 8. PDF 147 KB