Bradford Clean Air Zone to be launched in Spring 2022
The lead in period for the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) has been extended. Instead of being introduced in January, the CAZ will be launched in Spring 2022.
This will allow businesses more time to use the Clean Air Funding available and upgrade their vehicles. This includes a new £1.7m fund to increase the electric vehicle grants available for taxis.
It will also provide more time for council systems to integrate with the Government’s national IT infrastructure which manages all Clean Air Zones across the country. The Council will make an announcement early in the New Year with the confirmed go-live date.
 Government has instructed Bradford to introduce a Class C CAZ which may affect commercial vehicles, including buses, coaches, lorries, vans and taxis, however, passenger cars are not affected. The intention is to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels and improve air quality across the District, as quickly as possible. Health research in Bradford shows that the largest health benefits will be felt by the poorest communities in the City.
Preparations for the CAZ are well underway with over 16km of new digital ducting introduced in the District and all the CAZ perimeter enforcement cameras installed, which are now ready to go live.
The Council has provided funding to ensure that all buses accessing the CAZ will be compliant, with further plans to introduce electric buses in the District. A further £7.4m of funding has been provided which will see heavy goods vehicles (HGV) registered in the District being upgraded to CAZ standard. Funding has also seen 60% of our licensed taxis already upgraded to CAZ standard. The £10.4m Clean Air Van & Minibus Fund is currently live on the Breathe Better Bradford website, providing grants of up to £4,500 to upgrade vehicles in the District to the correct standard.
New funding of £1.7m available for Bradford taxi proprietors
A new funding of £1.7m to increase the electric vehicle grants is now available for taxis.
The Government has granted Bradford Council an extension of the lead in period to the Clean Air Zone and, instead of going live in January 2022, the CAZ will now be introduced in the Spring.
This will allow businesses more time to use the Clean Air Funding available and upgrade their vehicles.
It will also provide more time for council systems to integrate with the Government’s national IT infrastructure which manages all Clean Air Zones across the country. The Council will make an announcement early in the New Year with the confirmed go live date.
Whilst many taxi owners are opting for petrol hybrid vehicles, they can also opt for an electric taxi with increased £10,000 grants from a new £1.7m fund being announced today.
The Council recognises that some taxi proprietors may be struggling to upgrade their vehicles and so we will be launching a taxi scrappage scheme early in the New Year; the first in the country.
The Council has already confirmed that, after extensive lobbying, Government has allowed the daily charge for non-compliant taxis entering the CAZ to be reduced from £12.50 to £7, making it the lowest daily charge in the UK.
The Bradford Licensed Taxi trade has achieved 60% CAZ compliance so far and is constantly improving with increasing numbers of taxi owners taking advantage of the grants on offer.
The Council recognises the work of taxi owners that has been carried out to date. To support this work, the Council has provided a comprehensive funding package with the highest grant available in the UK to upgrade private hire vehicles (PHV).
Taxi owners with non-compliant taxis will be able to apply for the grant to be paid up front on condition that either a compliant taxi is purchased within 4 months from application or the non-compliant taxi is de-licensed after this period.
The Council will also continue to provide the current grant scheme to enable owners to be paid grant funding once they have licensed their new vehicle.
Taxi owners will also be able to use the current grant scheme to apply for increased grants if they wish to upgrade to an electric vehicle. For owned or leased electric taxis, the owner can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 for a wheelchair accessible vehicle or up to £6,000 for a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle. Should any taxi owner who has already upgraded their vehicle feel that they would have made a different decision, had this funding been made available earlier, then please contact the Council so that we can discuss options.
What do local businesses think?
We have created a Clean Air Zone play list on YouTube so you can see how local companies have worked with Bradford Council to gain access to funding and grants available to Bradford businesses. There is also interesting information from Born in Bradford research programme and the from a local Primary School that is situated inside the Clean Air Zone.
BTS Travel explain how their company got assistance from Bradford Council applying for Clean Air Zone grants for mini bus transport.
Driving Miss Daisy can tell you how their business has benefited from grants to help replace vehicles with a cleaner compliant one so that it meets the required emission standards.
First Bus have applied for grants to support the replacement non-compliant vehicles to clean air zone standards and to assist with the ongoing running costs of electric vehicles.
Manningham Concrete explain the grants have applied for and the support they received from Bradford Council.
TF Smiths have received grants to make their vehicle fleet complaint and will also benefit from businesses cost savings in fuel and maintenance.
Rosie McEachan from the Born in Bradford Research Programme explains how every ward in Bradford will benefit from cleaner air. Air quality will improve across the district, both inside and outside the Clean Air Zone boundary.
Situated inside the Bradford Clean Air Zone St. Stephen’s Primary School explain the health improvements they looking forward to when the zone is launched in Spring 2022.
You can watch the complete play list here:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzYOSpxR-vtv19BCJQiWJa7ACjNVZM8Jc
Clean Air Zone links and information
Anyone who feels that they may be affected by the Bradford CAZ, or any other CAZ, can check their vehicles on the Government Clean Air Zone website -https://www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones
All information regarding the Bradford CAZ, including information about grants and exemptions, can be found on the Breathe Better Bradford website -https://www.bradford.gov.uk/breathe-better-bradford/breathe-better-bradford/
For further information regarding the Bradford Clean Air Zone please go to the Breathe Better Bradford website.
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