Air Pollution

(asked on 18th November 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on the additional powers and funding local authorities will need to help tackle air pollution as set out in the Environment Act.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 23rd November 2021

The Environment Act will improve the local air quality management framework to enable greater local action on air pollution by ensuring that responsibility for addressing air pollution is shared across a wider range of partners. It also ensures local authorities have simple to use powers to tackle emissions from domestic burning, a key source of harmful fine particulate pollution.

Defra’s Air Quality Grant programme also provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution. The Government has awarded nearly £70 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997.

Further, in line with commitments in the Environment Act 2021, we are currently reviewing the National Air Quality Strategy and will be publishing a revised Strategy in 2023. A key objective of this review will be to develop a strong support and capability-building framework to ensure local authorities have the necessary tools to take local action. We are working across government on this Strategy, including with officials at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

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