Birmingham fines itself 82 times over Clean Air Zone breaches

Charges for high-polluting vehicles were due to be introduced in 2020 but were delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic

A council overseeing a pollution-busting Clean Air Zone (CAZ) for city centre traffic has issued 82 fines - to itself.

Birmingham City Council vehicles incurred charges by driving through areas where transport is required to follow certain emission standards.

It then incurred fines when those fees were not paid in time.

The authority said it would be paying the penalties under the scheme introduced on 14 June.

A number, it said, were the result of waste vehicles needing to travel into the city for repairs and maintenance.

The Conservative opposition accused the authority of taxing residents "while ignoring the tax themselves".

Under the CAZ scheme, daily charge for vehicles that do not meet standards is £8 for cars, vans and taxis, or £50 for HGVs and coaches, unless a valid exemption is in place.

It is enforced using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), which records vehicles travelling within the ring road.

Anyone who fails to pay within six days after entering the zone faces a £120 fine, which is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

It is not clear the total amount owed by the council, nor how many fines were the greater of the two amounts.

The authority has been asked for the total number of fines issued since the CAZ began.

Motorists living inside the zone are among those facing exemptions

The leader of the Conservative opposition, Robert Alden, said: "There is only one question that residents will be asking - why should they pay Labour's travel tax if they won't pay it themselves?"

But Labour cabinet member John O'Shea said: "Any suggestion we are avoiding the payment of charges when due is a blatant untruth."

He explained: "Our garage facility for our refuse collection vehicles is situated inside the Clean Air Zone, so all vehicles will need to go inside it from time-to-time for maintenance and safety checks.

"We are currently investing in building two new depots outside the CAZ, including a new council maintenance and repair site."

He added the council was working to convert its entire fleet to cleaner vehicles which met the CAZ standards.

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The CAZ was introduced to tackle poor air quality in the city, which the authority said was responsible for 900 deaths in the city per year.

It was officially launched on 1 June, but there was a two-week delay to charges to give motorists "time to adjust".