Council spent £1m on non-CAZ compliant vehicles

The council was criticised for spending the money when it faced financial difficulties

A council spent more than £1m hiring vehicles that did not comply with its own Clean Air Zone (CAZ) policy.

Birmingham City Council paid a total of £4,054,699.94 to hire vehicles in 2022, the only full year for which post-CAZ data is available.

Of that number the council, which declared itself effectively bankrupt in September, spent £1,131,000 on transport that would be charged to enter the city centre.

An authority spokesperson said that when the time arises to replace fleet vehicles steps are taken to ensure they are CAZ-compliant.

The figures also show that in 2022, £2,923,699.94 was spent on vehicles that qualify to be driven for free in the CAZ.

The zone was set up in June 2021 to crack down on polluting vehicles and tackle high levels of nitrogen dioxide in the city centre.

In October, councillors unveiled a report that said the area had reduced pollution by 17%, despite an increase in vehicles entering the zone.

'Compound residents' misery'

But Conor Holohan, from the TaxPayers' Alliance, criticised bosses for spending money on the hiring of non-compliant vehicles when the council faced financial troubles.

"As Birmingham residents prepare for huge cuts to services and council tax rises, news of this waste will only compound their misery," Mr Holohan said.

In September, a team of eight government commissioners were parachuted in to assist the authority after it acknowledged it could no longer balance its books.

The difficult financial outlook has been driven largely by equal pay claims by council staff soared to £760m.

The problems date back to a Supreme Court ruling in 2012 that found hundreds of workers in traditionally female-dominated roles were denied bonuses given to those in male-dominated positions.

The CAZ was set up in June 2021 to tackle to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions from vehicles in Birmingham city centre

The latest CAZ figures, which were obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, also revealed how much the city council has spent on hire cars this year.

As of 10 November, the local authority shelled out £3,524,473.32 on borrowing vehicles.

Of that, £2,471,473.32 was spent on modes of transport that did conform to CAZ rules, meaning around £1,053,000 was paid out for vehicles that were not compliant.

'New additions are compliant'

The local authority owns 146 vehicles that do not meet the requirements of the CAZ and therefore would be charged if they were driven in the area, according to the FOI.

A council spokesperson said: "Vehicles owned or leased by the council often need to be replaced or upgraded due to operational needs.

"When the time arises to add to our fleet, we always seek where possible to ensure that new additions to our fleet are compliant with city’s Clean Air Zone. ”