Delayed Bradford Clean Air Zone to start in September

Drivers of commercial vehicles will face charges to enter the city centre

The worst-polluting lorries, vans and taxis will be charged to enter Bradford city centre from September, the council has confirmed.

The city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) had been due to get under way in spring.

Bradford Council said it had been directed by the government to implement a CAZ to achieve compliance with legal limits for air quality.

Drivers of HGVs and buses breaching pollution limits will pay £50, while vans and minibuses will be charged £9.

Taxis face a fee of £7 to enter the city centre. There is no charge for drivers of private vehicles.

The government has been calling on regional authorities to introduce CAZs since the UK's highest court, the Supreme Court, ordered ministers in 2015 to take immediate action to cut air pollution.

The council said it had put forward alternatives to a CAZ, but "the government has instructed the council that a charging CAZ is the only way that the district can comply with the direction in the shortest possible timeframe".

"The latest monitoring data for Bradford shows that the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide is being breached at several locations across the district," the council added.

The Bradford CAZ was due to start in spring 2022

The authority said the 26 September start date would allow it to test its IT systems and allow businesses more time to apply for funding to upgrade their vehicles.

The council's Air Quality Director Andrew Whittles said that one in five children in the city had breathing problems.

He said emissions were a "significant source of poor air quality and health" and research showed "the most disadvantaged communities" would benefit from the CAZ.

According to the council, £30m has been spent preparing for the scheme. Almost 3,500 businesses had applied for grants to hit emissions targets.

More than 370 buses meet the standards, with 33 electric ones introduced from next year and 87% of the city's taxis are now compliant.