As the UK prepares to mark Clean Air Day on 18 June, campaign group Clean Air Bradford is warning that proposals from the new Reform UK administration at Bradford Council to remove Bradford’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) risk reversing hard-won progress in tackling air pollution and improving public health.
The intervention comes after the leader of Bradford Council, Reform’s Stephen Place, indicated that the new administration intends to scrap the scheme.
Speaking after Reform took control of Bradford Council, Cllr Place said: “I think it’s done its job, and it says within the business model that once it has achieved its aims it will stop, and I think it’s achieved its aims and so we’ll stop it.”
Clean Air Bradford says the evidence shows the CAZ is helping to clean Bradford’s air and improve people’s health, but warns that treating current progress as a reason to scrap the scheme risks undermining the very progress that has been achieved.
Campaigners argue that improving air quality is exactly why the CAZ should remain in place until Bradford has secured sustained compliance with legal limits and made further progress towards healthier air.
Since its introduction in September 2022, Bradford’s Clean Air Zone has delivered significant reductions in harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) pollution, accelerated the transition to cleaner vehicles and helped improve public health across the district.
Research linked to the Born in Bradford programme found that improvements in air quality associated with the Clean Air Zone were linked to around 732 fewer GP visits each month for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, including a 25% reduction in respiratory GP visits and a 24% reduction in GP visits for heart conditions. Researchers estimated that these reductions saved the NHS around £30,700 per month during the scheme’s first year.
Cleaner air particularly benefits children, older people, pregnant women and those living with asthma, heart disease and other respiratory conditions, who are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution.
There is evidence that in Bradford that up to 38% of asthma cases among children aged 7 to 15 may be attributable to traffic-related air pollution [https://borninbradford.nhs.
Bradford Council’s own monitoring data shows some of the lowest NO₂ levels ever recorded in the district since the CAZ was introduced. Monitoring at key sites has shown substantial improvements, despite traffic levels returning to pre-pandemic levels.
The scheme has also driven major investment in cleaner transport. Bradford’s taxi fleet is now 99% compliant with clean air standards and has been described by the council as one of the cleanest taxi fleets in the country. Compliance among vans, buses and heavy goods vehicles has also increased significantly following investment supported by more than £20 million in grants.
In addition, the CAZ has enabled funding for environmentally positive projects such as EV charging infrastructure, Clean Air Schools, LNER e-Bikes, and Climate Action Planning.
Darren Parkinson, spokesperson for Clean Air Bradford, said: “The Clean Air Zone is first and foremost a public health measure. It is helping to reduce harmful pollution, improve people’s health and ease pressure on local health services.
“We are already seeing the benefits. Research linked to the Born in Bradford programme found cleaner air was associated with hundreds fewer GP visits for heart and lung conditions every month. That means fewer people becoming ill, fewer visits to the doctor and less pressure on the NHS.
“Pollution levels are falling, cleaner vehicles are replacing older polluting ones and Bradford’s air is getting cleaner. These are benefits that should be protected, not put at risk.”
The group also warned against attempts to dismantle the scheme before the district has achieved sustained legal compliance.
Dave Robison from Clean Air Bradford, added: “The fact that the CAZ is working is not an argument for scrapping it. It’s an argument for keeping it in place until the job is finished. Bradford remains under a Ministerial Direction from Government and air quality challenges remain.
“Councillor Place says the Clean Air Zone has achieved its aims and should therefore be scrapped. We disagree. The evidence is clear that, despite significant progress, the CAZ has not yet fully achieved its legal and public health aims.
“If the scheme were removed too soon, the risk is not simply that pollution levels rise again. The risk is that the health improvements we are already seeing begin to be reversed. Declaring victory now and dismantling one of the most significant public health interventions the district has ever seen would be a serious mistake.”
Clean Air Bradford says the Clean Air Zone should be seen as the beginning of Bradford’s clean air journey, not the end of it.
UK legal air quality limits remain significantly weaker than the standards recommended by the World Health Organisation, and many communities continue to be exposed to levels of pollution associated with serious health impacts.
The group notes that particulate pollution from tyre wear, brake dust and road abrasion remains a serious health concern, particularly for children. High traffic volumes also continue to contribute to noise pollution, road danger, community severance and poor public health outcomes.
Bradford and District Friends of the Earth has backed Clean Air Bradford’s calls to retain the charging Clean Air Zone. Coordinator Jessie Snowdon, said: “Clean Air Day is about protecting people’s health. Cleaner air means fewer asthma attacks, fewer heart and lung problems and healthier lives for thousands of people across Bradford.
“But cleaner does not mean clean enough. Traffic is still too high and pollution still above World Health Organisation guidelines continuing to put children’s health at risk. Abandoning measures that are reducing that harm would be irresponsible.
“Scrapping the charging Clean Air Zone now would be a backward step for public health. The real question for Bradford is not whether we go backwards, but how we build on what is already working. The CAZ is a first step towards cleaner air and healthier communities. We should be accelerating progress, not undoing it.”
Clean Air Bradford is calling on the new Reform UK administration at Bradford Council to keep the Clean Air Zone in place, fulfil Bradford’s legal air quality obligations, and use Clean Air Day on 18 June to set out how it will further improve public health and air quality across the district.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
• Bradford’s Clean Air Zone was introduced in September 2022 following a Ministerial Direction from central government requiring action to reduce illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution.
• Bradford Council received £39m from the government to fund the CAZ – this is national government money that has been invested into Bradford to improve the air quality and resident’s health.
• Bradford Council monitoring has reported some of the lowest NO₂ levels ever recorded in the district since the CAZ was introduced.
• Bradford’s taxi fleet is now 99% compliant with clean air standards and is described by Bradford Council as one of the cleanest in the country.
• More than £20 million of grant funding was distributed to businesses and transport operators to support vehicle upgrades before the CAZ was introduced.
• The CAZ has also supported wider clean transport and environmental initiatives, including Clean Air Schools, LNER e-Bikes, EV charging infrastructure and Climate Action Planning.
• Research linked to the Born in Bradford programme found that improvements in air quality associated with the CAZ were linked to approximately 732 fewer GP visits per month for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, including a 25% reduction in respiratory GP visits and a 24% reduction in GP visits for heart conditions. Estimated NHS savings were approximately £30,700 per month during the scheme’s first year.
• Research led by the Born in Bradford programme estimated that up to 38% of asthma cases among Bradford children aged 7–15 may be attributable to traffic-related air pollution.
• The World Health Organisation updated its Global Air Quality Guidelines in 2021, recommending annual average PM₂.₅ concentrations of no more than 5 μg/m³ and annual average NO₂ concentrations of no more than 10 μg/m³.
• UK legal air quality limits remain significantly higher than WHO guideline levels, meaning areas can meet UK legal requirements while still experiencing pollution levels associated with substantial health impacts.
References
1. ITV News Calendar, “Bradford Council’s leader says city must be involved in grooming gangs enquiry” (27 May 2026)
2. Bradford Council, “Lowest levels of air pollution ever since introduction of Bradford Clean Air Zone”
3. Born in Bradford, “Bradford clean air zone saves NHS over £30,000 a month in first year”
4. ITV News Calendar, “Bradford clean air zone saves NHS £30,000 a month in first year” (19 February 2025)
5. World Health Organisation, Global Air Quality Guidelines (2021)
6. Born in Bradford / University of Leeds, “Air pollution linked to up to 38% of asthma cases among Bradford children” (2024)
7. Bradford Council, “Bradford Clean Air Zone and the results of traffic flow monitoring”
8. Bradford Council, Clean Air Zone information and programme overview