Agenda item

That the Low Emission Strategy be approved and taken before Full Council for adoption.

The Lead Member for Environment & Leisure and the Environmental Quality Team Manager gave a detailed presentation on the Slough Low Emission Strategy (LES) which formed part of the Slough Air Quality Action Plan.  The Cabinet was asked to recommend the strategy to full Council for approval.

The LES set out a plan to improve air quality over the period to 2025 through a reduction in vehicle emissions by accelerating the uptake of cleaner fuels and technologies.  Slough experienced elevated levels of air pollution, which had significant negative health impacts on local people with 47 attributable deaths in the most recent year and contributed to a range of other health conditions.  The Lead Member stated that the adoption of the strategy would be ‘the end of the beginning’, to be followed be an action plan and a package of measures to improve air quality.

The Council was already taking action and had designated 5 Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) where levels were being breached and levels in Langley may require a new AQMA in the future.  Lead Members discussed some of the current and future actions which included an increase in electric charging points in the borough; electric pool cars for Council use; the use of vehicles meeting the latest Euro VI emission standards for the waste and recycling fleet; vehicle emission standards for taxi and private hire drivers; and the feasibility of a Clean Air Zone to potentially set emission standards for taxis, buses, coaches, lorries and vans in key areas.

The Cabinet recognised that air pollution was a major public health issue for Slough and reaffirmed its commitment to play a leadership role in addressing the problems caused by vehicle emissions.  Approving the strategy would set a high level of ambition and would be a platform for a Low Emission Programme to improve air quality, reduce health impacts and attract investment.

Speaking under Rule 30, Councillor Smith welcomed the principle of the strategy and encouraged the Cabinet to “go further, faster” and an extension to the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) into Brands Hill and Colnbrook was suggested.  In response, the Leader provided assurance that the ambitious strategy would be backed by further action to provide cleaner air and the Officer commented that the LEZ standard was currently to Euro IV and the Council’s ambition was to set a higher standard.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Cabinet welcomed the work that had been undertaken to develop the LES and agreed to recommend its approval to full Council on 27^th September 2018.

Recommended –  That the Low Emission Strategy be approved.