Parties refuse to rule out expanding city's clean air zone

Two parties standing in the current election say the CAZ should be removed once air quality improves

Two of the four main parties hoping to run a city have refused to rule out expanding its clean air zone.

The Green Party and the Liberal Democrats say an extension to the Bristol scheme is an option - although neither are currently actively planning an expansion if they win the backing of voters in Thursday’s local elections.

The Labour-run council was told by the government it had to implement the zone, first enforced in 2022, to cut harmful nitrogen dioxide levels to legal limits.

Speaking in a local election debate about the environment on BBC Radio Bristol's John Darvall show on Tuesday, Labour and the Conservatives said the CAZ can be removed once air quality targets have been hit.

The comments came as prospective councillors from the four political groups clashed over how to improve the city’s public transport, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

There was also broad acceptance that the council would fail to hit its 2030 net zero goals.

'Expansion not in manifesto'

Heather Mack, a Green Party candidate, said the party would aim not just for the “bare legal minimum” of improving air quality to set limits but would continue to monitor data to decide the zone’s future.

Asked by John Darvall whether this meant the party might propose an expansion, Ms Mack said: “I’m not ruling out expanding it or not expanding it – neither is on the cards right now.

“We’ve only got one year’s worth of data. These sorts of decisions take years of looking at data to come to.

“It’s not in our manifesto, it’s not something we’re immediately planning to do.”

Liberal Democrat said Andrew Brown said extending the zone “cannot be excluded at this point”.

Labour Mayor Marvin Rees’s final annual budget included using money from CAZ fines and charges, which totalled £31million as of January, on road repairs and subsidising loss-making bus services.

Ms Mack said these projects would have been happening anyway and that CAZ income was additional cash that was supposed to go on active and sustainable travel.

Heather Mack said expanding the zone is "not something the Green Party is immediately planning to do"

Labour's Kye Dudd said the council was required to spend the money on transport, and had done that.

He said: “The CAZ is here to stay until we get legally-compliant air, which we’re on track to do in the next couple of years."

Conservative group leader Cllr Mark Weston said: “As soon as we’re legally compliant, the CAZ should come off.

“It’s creating barriers to communities trying to access work, families and everything else."