Local authorities can't tackle air pollution alone
This month, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has finally published its highly anticipated responses to the Air Quality Strategy consultation – which ran for only ten days.
Across hundreds of responses, the feedback was clear: if we are to address dangerous levels of air pollution, local authorities must be better equipped.
Councils are in the strongest position to target the specific issues faced in their community and to bring in achievable solutions. While extensive vehicle usage may be the biggest cause of air pollution for London, for example, in Port Talbot, the air pollution caused by steel works will be a key focus. One policy approach cannot - and should not - work for all.
Yet without increased funding allocation and training provision, this will be a difficult mountain for local councils to climb. Air pollution is a significant and growing problem that requires immediate action which they are currently not equipped to face.
A recent study, commissioned by Enjoy the Air, found that 38 percent of the public can now feel the effect of polluting vehicles on their breathing. The projected costs for treating illnesses exacerbated by air pollution, including asthma and lung cancer, are as much as £20bn over the next decade.
When compared to the annual £10bn cost of obesity to the NHS, the strain on healthcare services as a result of dirty air is staggering.
This situation is most acute in major cities. Across the UK, our research shows that almost half of young people are considering moving to another city to escape unhealthy levels of air pollution.
If even a small percentage of the 2.5 million young people across the country joined this exodus of metropolitan life, the skills shortage and economic upheaval would significantly change the landscape of cities including London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Central government must recognise that tackling air pollution goes further than a health issue, it has significant economic repercussions too. Key structural issues continue to persist across the country, with less than half of the public believing that public transport in their area is good enough to avoid most car journeys. In Wales, this drops to less than a fifth.
To meaningfully address air pollution, and to empower local authorities, a collaborative effort is needed, not just in actions but also in financial accountability, across siloed sectors to join up data from environmental departments, with healthcare and transport trends.
Currently, concerned citizens are unable to access the data that would provide a complete picture. Just 31% of the public know where their council currently monitors air pollution and how to access this information.
Training for local councils that facilitates a better understanding of the data, and empowers them to demonstrate cause and effect, would be a powerful tool in encouraging local behaviour change.
Air pollution is already leaving its mark on our environment, our health, and the socio-political geography of our country. With significant pressure mounting from the consultation period, DEFRA must now put meaningful action in place to support local councils clean up the air in their communities.
They cannot hold their breath any longer.
Kate Barnard is Chief Executive of Enjoy the Air, an organisation working to demonstrate the cause and effect of air pollution to healthcare authorities.
