Birmingham residents to lose Clean Air Zone exemption

The Clean Air Zone exemption for residents ends 1 June

People living inside Birmingham's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will lose their exemption from paying charges.

It means any resident driving a vehicle not compliant with the zone's emission standards will have to pay £8 from Thursday.

The exemptions have been in place since the introduction of the scheme in June 2021.

The city council said it has contacted the owners of 2,382 vehicles which still have an active exemption.

Within the last two years, more than 3,700 exemptions have been active.

The CAZ was introduced to improve air quality and is in operation 24 hours a day.

It covers an area of the city centre within the A4540 Middleway.

Most petrol vehicles manufactured after 2006 and diesel vehicles manufactured after 2015 are compliant with the zone and their owners will not be charged.

Visitors to Birmingham Children's Hospital and two GP practices inside the zone can still apply for vouchers to avoid charges.

The exemption is coming to an end two years after the Clean Air Zone scheme was introduced

In March last year, Birmingham City Council said levels of nitrogen dioxide had dropped 13% since the CAZ was introduced.

"There has been an extensive programme of communication to holders of this exemption and they are being reminded that, if they work in the Zone, they may be eligible for the Council's vehicle scrappage grant," the council said.

"It is important to note that the end of the temporary residents' exemption does not impact on the permanent exemptions that are in place, which include categories such as emergency vehicles, vehicles with disabled passenger tax class, community vehicles and recovery vehicles."