Birmingham Clean Air Zone to launch in June 2021

Charges for high-polluting vehicles in Birmingham city centre will come into force from 1 June 2021

A charge for drivers of high-polluting cars in Birmingham will come into force in June 2021, the council has said.

The Clean Air Zone, which will see daily fees for older vehicles driving in the city centre, was originally due to be implemented in January this year.

However, it was delayed by issues with vehicle-checking software and the economic impact of coronavirus.

Birmingham's air pollution is "a public health risk" thought to contribute to 900 deaths a year, the council said.

The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will cover all roads inside Birmingham's A4540 Middleway ring road and the council estimates the charges will apply to about 25% of vehicles on the city's roads.

A map shows the proposed Clean Air Zone in Birmingham

The proposed charges for high-polluting vehicles are £8 for cars and £50 for buses and HGVs, with some exemptions.

It is also part of a wider transport plan that could see all private cars banned from driving through the city centre by 2031.

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"Poor air quality remains a public health risk and a Clean Air Zone provides the city with an effective tool for tackling this issue in the shortest possible time," Cllr Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, said.

While road use dropped during lockdown, Cllr Zaffar said traffic was "now nearly back to pre-Covid levels" and introducing the CAZ next summer was "right for the city".

Birmingham's Clean Air Zone had already been postponed twice

Analysis

By Kathryn Stanczyszyn, BBC political reporter

So will it be a case of third time lucky on the rescheduling front for Birmingham's Clean Air Zone? Or unlucky, depending on your point of view?

The controversial zone is the only one planned outside of London which will see a charge for private vehicles.

Some argue it will economically disadvantage those already struggling, and that was before coronavirus hit.

But the city council has remained clear that its direction of travel is… much less travel.

And yes, cleaner air is a government requirement, but it's also an crucial aspiration.

It seems the infrastructure is in place and the will, and indeed the legal necessity, is very much there to make this a reality next June.

But in these swiftly changing times, it's still a fairly long way off.

The city council received multiple warnings about air pollution and was told it faced a £60m fine if it did not clear up the air by this year.

The policy has attracted criticism, with claims businesses and low-income residents will be particularly hard-hit.

Taxi firms in Birmingham protested with "go-slow" demonstrations, arguing cabs should be exempt from the charges and demanding more support from the council.

The council has said it will provide a number of exemptions and incentives.