£5 million of funding released to improve London's air quality

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has released the first part of the Air Quality Fund in an attempt to improve the air quality of the city as a whole. The fund will ultimately provide £20 million to the fight against London air pollution. To start the work, Mr Johnson has released £5.4 million towards the cause, which will see businesses in London and the boroughs start work.

At the moment the UK is in breach of the EU air quality law, meaning that something must be done to enable the country as a whole to reach its emissions targets. London's Air Quality Fund was created earlier in the year by Mr Johnson and will run for a total of ten years. The fund will provide monetary support for local communities to work on measures to reduce air pollution, particularly within areas where air quality is lowest.

The money can be used towards a variety of projects including investing in low emissions vehicles, helping the construction sector to produce fewer emissions and to plant more green areas. London boroughs have been submitting their bids to try and receive a piece of the funding for their projects. Borough councils can work with businesses, health authorities and neighbouring councils to work to reduce pollution through their submitted plans.  

Communities are being encouraged to get involved in the efforts to improve air quality throughout the city. Any funding that a group receives through the Air Quality Fund will be matched by the partnership or borough group, to allow larger projects to take place.

Mr Johnson said: “This is all about helping local people to take forward projects that they know will help tackle the most polluted parts of their neighbourhoods. The more we work together to tackle air quality, the bigger the potential impact, and this funding will be used to make a real improvement.”  

 

Published 28th June, 2013

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