Could Calderdale implement a Clean Air Zone? Senior councillor says there are no plans at this time

A new Air Quality Strategy, endorsed by Calderdale Council’s Cabinet, referenced possibility of exploring a clean air zone in the borough.

Cabinet member for Climate Change and Resilience, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), said social media reaction was interesting.

A Stop The Halifax Clean Air Zone Facebook page had been started, but, he said: “We’re not there yet, we’re nowhere near that, we were just talking about other options and clearly no areas outside of urban centres have tried anything like that, and in those places they have been hugely controversial.

“But localised CAZs is an interesting concept and something we can consider down the line – that’s not, for the record, an admission of implementing any clean air zones at this point in time.”

Coun Patient was answering questions from Coun Martin Hey (Green, Northowram and Shelf), who also raised of how new home numbers which might result from Calderdale’s Local Plan, might worsen air quality.

Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) also said he did not know how the two things could square up.

One policy aim is to encourage people to use public transport, but there was a need to lobby for improvements, said Coun Jenny Lynn (Lab, Park).

She knew of a care worker saving to buy a car as they felt they could not rely on the bus service.

“That’s absolutely terrible, people feel they are being pushed into abandoning public transport because they feel they can’t rely on the bus service.

“Buses are the answer – but only if they turn up,” she said.

In Cabinet’s public question time, some requested changes in how air quality was measured, how data is recorded, and queried gaps in recent testing figures and use of national rather than local data.

Despite criticisms, Coun Patient said the council wanted to engage with the community.

The policy split into three parts, what the council could do, what the community can do and what partners can do – council could not make improvements alone, he said.