Councillors in B&NES have called for more powers to be given to Councils to take action on air pollution in the interests of protecting the health of local residents.
At yesterday’s B&NES Council meeting, Councillors from all political groups voted in support of a motion by Councillors Nigel Roberts and Lisa Brett.
The motion calls on the government to devolve powers to manage traffic to local Councils and to increase funding for cleaner vehicles. The motion was adopted unanimously bar 1 abstention.
Councillor Nigel Roberts (Odd Down) commented: “At present we have a gap between the actions the Council needs to take to improve air quality in Bath, Keynsham and Saltford and the powers it has to do so.
“Helping residents to live healthy lives is an important part of the Council’s job. There is international evidence to show that poor air quality damages human health. With most air pollution coming from vehicles, the government needs to give Councils the ability to influence polluters and protect residents’ health.
“As a Liberal Democrat administration we are already doing many things to tackle air pollution. For example, we have continued to fund the successful freight consolidation scheme, which helps reduce the number of HGVs coming into Bath. We have invested in cycle and pedestrian routes and we have introduced 20mph limits to increase road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. There is much more we could do if the government were to give us the ability to do so.”
Councillor Lisa Brett (Walcot), who seconded the motion, spoke of the direct impact of air pollution on the London Road on the health of her own family.
Lisa said: “Residents in Bath suffer from some of the worst air quality in the UK and the London Road, where I live, is the most polluted area within Bath’s Air Quality Management Area. This poor air quality may have directly damaged my family’s health.
“Most people are stuck living with poor air quality – because air pollution is beyond the control of individuals – it demands action from policymakers. Essential steps in improving air-quality in B&NES have frequently been stifled by Central Government and their centralised power to influence.
“B&NES Council needs to be granted the same powers as London and Wales to implement traffic management measures. We need to exert greater influence over polluters in order to save taxpayers from footing huge health bills in the future.”
Walcot Liberal Democrat campaigner Tom Williams, added: “Air pollution caused by slow-moving, stop-start traffic is one of the biggest problems facing the London Road. It is negatively impacting residents’ health and the government needs to take action to allow the Council the powers to tackle this problem.”
