Clean Air Zone: Breakdown of spending called for after Sheffield City Council rakes in up to £20m

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Star readers are demanding a breakdown of spending after Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone raked in up to £20m.

People want to know what the rest of the money will be spent on after the city council said £1m would go towards improving air quality near schools.

The authority also said there were costs involved in delivering, maintaining, enforcing, processing, administering, and decommissioning the CAZ when the time comes.

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Sheffield Clean Air Zone came into force on February 27 2023.Sheffield Clean Air Zone came into force on February 27 2023.
Sheffield Clean Air Zone came into force on February 27 2023.

On The Star’s Facebook page, the overwhelming majority of people were critical of the scheme, with many demanding more detail around spending.

The CAZ was launched on February 27, 2023. It charges certain diesel vans and taxis £10-a-day to travel on, or within, the inner ring road. Some coaches, buses and lorries are charged £50-a-day.

Sheffield City Council said it raised £13,137,764 in fines in its first 19 months, to the end of October. It did not say how much was raised from motorists paying the daily charge. But based on the one-year figures, the sum would be half as much again - taking the overall total to about £20m.

Steve Platts said: “What exactly has the £13 million been spent on? There’s no way on earth what they’re saying totals £13 million. Where’s the breakdown of these costs?”

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Julie Steade: “So where's the money going? They should be made to show the public what money like this is spent on if they don't already.”

Eileen Broughton said income should be spent fixing potholes.

Some readers think Clean Air Zone money should be spent fixing pot holes in Sheffield.Some readers think Clean Air Zone money should be spent fixing pot holes in Sheffield.
Some readers think Clean Air Zone money should be spent fixing pot holes in Sheffield. | National World

“What are they doing with the money? Are they going to do all potholes in Sheffield?”

Others discussed the impact on their lives and businesses and some talked about other sources of pollution.

Nigel R Sheppard referred to the Christmas market.

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He said: “Quite a few diesel generators knocking about over the last few weeks. Has SCC fined themselves?”

Andy Hirst was concerned that landowners who burn heather received a free pass.

“Yet the smoke from the Victorian practice of burning the heather moorlands to Sheffield’s west, wafts into the city unrestricted negating any clean air initiatives.”

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Craig Woodhall said he now drives through residential areas.

“Including the ring road is just ripping off the working man. I now drive my dirty diesel van on residential roads which I normally wouldn’t touch, causing noise and pollution on kids and pensioners instead.”

Ryan Angell said he now does a big detour to get to Costco.

“I drive a Renault Master campervan…live in S6…if I need to fill up at Costco I need to drive all round the other side of Sheffield to dodge the CAZ…so instead of being on the road 10 mins I’m on the road 30-40…make perfect sense!”

Paul Moynahan said: “It just moves the pollution to the areas where people live.”

Andy Wraith said he now avoids the city centre.

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“Not had a penny out of me, unfortunately city centre businesses have also not had a penny out of me because of it. Absolute joke!”

Mit Booth agreed.

“Up there with the worst things to happen to the city centre. What an absolute pocket rinser. Deters people to enter an already struggling Sheffield city centre.”

Beth Hamer was blunt.

“Tell us how many businesses have gone to the wall because of it!”

Brendan McMenamin, director at LABS Building Services/The Damp Shop, described the “major detrimental effect” the CAZ was having.

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“We have multiple vehicles so we aren't in a position to just replace our fleet with compliant vehicles. Then we have to police who goes in and when, which in a business with 25 employees is harder to do than we might have initially envisaged and is an administrative nightmare.”

The city council says air pollution - in the form of NO2 - has fallen “significantly” but some locations are still above legal limits and it is not in a position to consider decommissioning the CAZ.

It would also have to demonstrate air quality would not shoot back up if it were removed.

The council says that while the CAZ is not a permanent measure it is hoped air quality improvements will be.

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Earlier this year, the authority said it would spend £1m from CAZ income on improving air around schools.

It says it will be used to bring in 20mph restrictions at 22 locations outside schools, most of which have been implemented.

It will also be spent on cycle storage at schools, extending the School Streets and Modeshift Stars initiatives up to March 2026 and more Bikeability events in the north of the city during holidays.

The council says it also has to spend CAZ income on delivering, maintaining, enforcing, processing, administering - and decommissioning when the time comes.

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