Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 120934, what proportion of (a) the £3.5 billion air quality plan, and (b) the £475 million for local authority implementation will be awarded to (i) the West Midlands and (ii) Birmingham City Council.

The £3.5 billion committed to support the improvement of air quality consists of funding that supports various strategies like cycling and walking and grants for cleaner transport. It does not set specific allocations by areas and future funding awards cannot be prejudged. Examples of grants that have been awarded to the West Midlands are £39m for Birmingham Cycle Revolution, £6.9m for new low emissions buses and £1.1m for retrofitting buses and taxis, and £4.6m across Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry to support infrastructure for electric taxis.

The £475 million is focused on supporting the local authorities with the most significant air quality challenges. Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council have been required to draw up local plans to accelerate action to improve air quality. To date, they have been awarded £1.4 million between them to support their feasibility studies, and a further £1.2 million to Birmingham City Council to support implementation of early measures such as traffic management infrastructure. Most of the £475 million is still to be awarded, following the development of local plans.