A case for Bradford’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ)

Clean Air Day, which is held annually across the UK, is the nation's largest campaign dedicated to raising awareness of air pollution and its impact on health. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the progress being made to tackle one of the country's biggest environmental health threats – and to renew commitments to cleaner, healthier air for everyone.

This year's Clean Air Day, which was held on 18 June, should have been an opportunity for Bradford Council's new Reform UK administration to reaffirm its commitment to the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and the role it has in protecting public health and improving air quality.

Instead, we got silence. Silence because the council’s new leadership has announced its intention to scrap the CAZ. Upon being elected in May this year, new Bradford Council new leader, councillor Stephen Place, said: "I think it [the CAZ] has achieved its aims and so we'll stop it."

Place subsequently said that the council was carrying out "a high-level review of the CAZ to evaluate the scheme and investigate the best way forward to facilitate the earliest revocation of this ministerial direction”.

The CAZ was introduced in September 2022 to tackle illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution and protect public health in Bradford. 

Air pollutants, such as those from vehicle exhausts, negatively impact the health of both children and adults. Pollution from nitrogen dioxide is linked to a wide range of serious conditions, including poor birth outcomes, cardiorespiratory disease, lung and non-lung cancer, and cognitive development and neurological disorders.

It’s estimated that around a third of asthma cases in Bradford may be attributable to air pollution. The most recent figures suggest that around 500 people die in the district each year from respiratory disease. There are over 13,000 diagnosed cases of COPD and more than 41,000 people living with asthma.

The benefits of clean air are particularly important for children, older people, pregnant women and those living with asthma, heart disease and other respiratory conditions, all whom are most vulnerable to the negative health impacts of air pollution.

Since its inception, the CAZ has delivered improvements in air quality, accelerated the transition to cleaner vehicles and contributed to measurable health benefits across the district.

Bradford Council's own monitoring data shows some of the lowest NO2 levels ever recorded in the district since the CAZ was introduced.

Research linked to the Born in Bradford programme found that improvements in air quality associated with the CAZ were linked to around 732 fewer GP visits every month for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

This included a 25% reduction in respiratory GP visits and a 24% reduction in GP visits for patients with heart conditions. Researchers estimated that those reductions saved the NHS around £30,700 every month during the scheme's first year.

Born in Bradford found that these health benefits extended across the whole city, not just inside the Clean Air Zone, thanks to cleaner vehicles now operating throughout the district.

These are not abstract statistics – they represent real improvements to real people's health and quality of life.

The Clean Air Zone has also helped transform Bradford's vehicle fleet. The district's taxi fleet is now 99% compliant with clean air standards and has been described by Bradford Council as one of the cleanest in the country.

Compliance among vans, buses and heavy goods vehicles has also increased significantly following more than £20 million in grant support for vehicle upgrades.

In addition, the CAZ has helped unlock funding of around £3 million a year for wider environmental improvements, including EV charging infrastructure, Clean Air Schools, LNER e-bikes and climate action planning.

Place may argue that the CAZ has achieved its aims, but the reality is quite different. Despite the clear progress outlined above, air pollution remains a serious public health challenge in Bradford.

Recent assessments of the CAZ's performance by Bradford Council show that air quality continues to exceed legal limits in locations across the district. 

With research estimating that up to 38% of asthma cases among children aged 7–15 may be attributable to traffic-related air pollution, this is not the time to pack up and declare victory.

If the scheme were removed too soon, the risk is not simply that pollution levels could rise again. It’s also possible that the health improvements being seen across Bradford could begin to be reversed, leading to poorer health outcomes for residents. This would especially affect those living in the district's most deprived communities.

Air pollution is closely linked to inequality, with the highest concentrations and health burdens disproportionately affecting deprived inner-city communities. This makes air quality not only a public health issue but also a social justice issue. Scrapping the clean air zone would undo any progress made towards tackling health inequalities in Bradford.

It’s Clean Air Bradford's view that, based on the currently available evidence, the CAZ should not be scrapped but strengthened. UK legal air quality limits remain significantly weaker than the standards recommended by the World Health Organization, meaning areas can meet legal requirements while still experiencing levels of pollution associated with substantial health impacts.

Clean Air Day was a chance for Bradford Council's new administration to set out how it would build on the improvements already achieved, protect public health and continue improving air quality across the district.

Instead, residents were left with uncertainty about the future of one of the most significant positive public health interventions Bradford has seen in recent years.

The debate should not be about whether Bradford abandons what is working. It should be about how the district builds on the progress already made and continues the journey towards cleaner air, healthier communities and better public health for everyone.

Clean Air Bradford will continue to make the case that decisions about air quality must be guided by evidence, not politics. Bradford Council now has a choice: maintain one of Bradford's most successful public health interventions or dismantle a scheme that is already delivering cleaner air, fewer illnesses and tangible benefits for communities across the district.

We urge the council to listen to the science, the health professionals and the residents who stand to benefit most and commit to keeping and strengthening the Clean Air Zone for the health of current and future generations.

Also in The Journal: we went on a journey to discover more about councillor Stephen Place, Bradford Council’s new leader:

For a while, Stephen Place was content with sharing his two cents on social media. He had no qualms about what he posted. This was who he was, what he thought and how he saw the world. Not that it mattered (basic civility notwithstanding). He wasn’t worth paying attention to. He didn’t have anything interesting to say. He was just another unremarkable and predictable voice on the online right drowned out by the feverish clamour of a “virtually lawless public square” overflowing with people clamouring to be heard and seen in an AI-powered “golden age of stupidity”.

Here's what we found out.

Read all about it