'High-level review' of Clean Air Zone under way

Bradford Council has confirmed it is undertaking a "high-level review" of the city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

It comes after Reform council leader Stephen Place said the CAZ should remain in place, but that the charges should be scrapped, arguing they had a negative impact on businesses.

Bradford Council was ordered to improve the city's air quality by the then-Conservative government in 2018, with the CAZ launched in 2022.

In a statement issued this week, Place said the council was working to "facilitate the earliest revocation of this ministerial direction".

Commercial vehicles causing the most pollution are currently charged a daily fee to enter Bradford and parts of Shipley.

The government has stated the CAZ can only be lifted two years after Bradford has proved it has reached legal levels for air quality.

In a statement obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week, Place acknowledged the CAZ scheme was a legal requirement to reach air quality compliance in the shortest time possible.

"However," he said, "we are now undertaking 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.

"This will assist us to make the right decisions for the people of Bradford and the Bradford district."

Money raised through CAZ charges can only be reinvested into schemes and measures which improve air quality.

Imran Khan, leader of the Labour group on Bradford Council, said that figure currently stood at £3m a year and paid for ongoing projects.

"Where would Reform find that £3m if they wanted to keep the team in place, if they wanted to keep the environmental projects in place?

"All of those things are really important and have had a significant impact on our health."

Matt Edwards, leader of the Green Party group on Bradford Council, told the BBC last month that a CAZ without a charging element "made no sense".

"The whole purpose is to reduce the number of the most polluting vehicles entering the city centre," he said.

"Without enforcement, it simply will not work."

Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative group on Bradford Council, said the Tories had always been opposed to the charging element of the CAZ.

She added: "We all want clean air – but it's got to be done properly and it's got to consider the impacts on businesses and the economy."

Bradford received £39m from the government to implement its CAZ, which enabled it to offer grants to upgrade HGVs, taxis and buses to meet emission targets.

The council's Air Quality Annual Status Report in 2025, said the number of locations breaching legal air-quality limits had fallen from 35 to two.

The report suggested the CAZ had contributed to an uptake of cleaner vehicles, while the council's website said it had led to around 700 fewer visits to the doctor for breathing and heart problems every month.

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