Leeds Clean air zone plans reviewed due to coronavirus

The Clean Air Zone in Leeds would have affected motorists driving inside the outer ring road

Plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Leeds have been suspended for the foreseeable future, the city council has said.

The scheme, originally due to start in January, was delayed in March.

Improvements in air quality during the pandemic could mean government support and funding being withdrawn, the council said.

It said it hoped to clarify the scheme's future following a review in the autumn.

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The scheme, first proposed in 2016, would see owners of heavily polluting lorries, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles charged for entering parts of the city, but private car owners and motorcycles would have been exempt.

A £6m camera system has already been installed to monitor the scheme.

Proposals were first announced in October 2016

The council's deputy leader James Lewis said a further review of the scheme would take place because if the government decided the air quality in Leeds was at acceptable levels, its funding for the scheme would be withdrawn.

"If the city's air pollution is expected to stay below legal limits then we will no longer have the support of the government to introduce a charging Clean Air Zone," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Given this uncertainty, our financial support will continue to be paused until the review is complete and we have received further direction."

Mr Lewis said the council was in discussions with the government about the scheme's future.

He said he recognised pausing the scheme again would be frustrating for businesses and hoped to be able to "clarify the future of the Leeds CAZ" in the autumn.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport (DfT) said: "The people of Leeds are breathing their cleanest air for a long time - and we want to keep it that way.

"That is why we are working closely with Leeds City Council to understand the impact of Covid-19 on their plans to maintain cleaner air."

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