Enfield and Haringey Councils are being urged to “take their final chance” to bid for a share of £6 million of Mayoral funding to boost air quality in the borough. Local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM, said that with air pollution leading to the premature deaths of over 9,000 Londoners each year, communities must “use all the tools at our disposal to clamp down on dangerous emissions”.
This third and final round of funding comes as part of the £20 million Mayor’s Air Quality Fund, which launched in 2013. A proportion of this was allocated in early 2016 to introduce measures to tackle air pollution across 28 London boroughs, such as electrifying vehicle fleets, rolling out low cost electric charging points and reducing the construction industry’s impact on air quality in the capital.
All councils in the capital are encouraged to bid for a portion of the £6 million funding pot to deliver more local car-free initiatives, pedestrianisation schemes and low emission neighbourhoods.
The Air Quality Fund forms part of a number of actions the Mayor is already taking to clean up London’s air, such as the implementation of the T-Charge and the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
Local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM said:
“With air pollution contributing to the premature deaths of thousands of Londoners every year, it is fundamental that we use all the tools at our disposal to clamp down on dangerous emissions.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that children, and the most vulnerable members of our community, are being routinely exposed to toxic air.
“We have seen boroughs across London, including our own, already benefit from previous rounds of the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund, but there is still a lot more to be done if we are to effectively target pollution hotspots in our community.
“This is why I am urging Enfield and Haringey councils to take their final chance to bid for more of this vital funding, which could make a huge difference to the health of local people.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The Mayor of London recently announced the third and final round of his £20 million Mayor’s Air Quality Fund. Boroughs across London can bid for a share of £6 million to deliver measures to target local air pollution hotspots;
- A proportion of this has previously been allocated to introduce measures to tackle air pollution across 28 London boroughs, such as electrifying vehicle fleets, rolling out low cost electric charging points and reducing the construction industry’s impact on air quality in the capital;
- The Mayor has also introduced the T-Charge and will be implementing a Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) in Central London in 2019, extending this to the North and South Circular boundaries by 2021 .
- Research from King’s College London has shown that over 9,000 Londoners are dying prematurely every year as result of exposure to toxic air;
- Joanne McCartney is the London Assembly Member for Enfield & Haringey.