Statement on Government’s Clean Air Strategy

The Government has today published its Clean Air Strategy which includes measures to prohibit the sale of the most polluting fuels for wood-burning stoves and open fires.

It also outlines steps that intend to make the UK to become the first major economy to adopt goals based on World Health Organisation recommendations.

In response, Caroline Russell AM, Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee, said:

"The medical evidence concerning the impact of air pollution is overwhelming. The air we breathe is killing vulnerable Londoners.

“We need an unflinching and wide-ranging response which meets and matches the true scale of the crisis. This strategy is one part of the answer but it remains a concern that the Government is proposing nothing new to tackle road pollution. The strategy, as a whole, is short on detail and we want to see targets that are binding and implemented to strict deadlines.

“While we welcome any measures that will reduce Londoners’ exposure to damaging pollutants – such as the proposed ban on certain fuels – they must be backed by legislative muscle. Londoners should have a legally enforceable right to clean air.

“If the Government is serious about tackling air pollution it should not be pressing ahead with a third runway at Heathrow. Its own analysis shows that expansion would increase congestion and toxic air pollution across a wide area of London.”