Sheffield CAZ charges top £3m in first eight months

Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone has raked in almost £3.3m in charges in just eight months – but the costs involved in the scheme are even higher so far.
By Julia Armstrong, Local Democracy Reporter
Published 17th Nov 2023, 13:03 BST
Updated 17th Nov 2023, 13:03 BST
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The Clean Air Zone (CAZ), introduced by Sheffield City Council in February, charges owners of mainly commercial vehicles that are non-compliant with emissions rules to drive on the Inner Ring Road or within the city centre.

At a meeting of Sheffield City Council’s transport, regeneration and climate change policy committee this week (November 15), committee chair Coun Ben Miskell said that CAZ charges up to the end of September totalled £3,285,600 but the scheme costs came to £4,258,746.

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Coun Miskell said that some costs may be a one-off so there may be a surplus in future. He said the council needs to have a plan in place for how any surplus is spent alongside other funding streams to improve air quality.

Sheffield Clean Air Zone - charges for the first eight months totalled almost £3.3mSheffield Clean Air Zone - charges for the first eight months totalled almost £3.3m
Sheffield Clean Air Zone - charges for the first eight months totalled almost £3.3m

He said that issue is being discussed at the next meeting of the committee.

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Coun Miskell added: “It’s the right thing to do because many people’s lives are blighted by dirty air in our city and a significant number of early deaths, hospital admissions and such like. Clean air is, of course, a human right and that approach of improving air quality is what drives our position about the Clean Air Zone.”

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Coun Ben Miskell, chair of Sheffield City Council's transport, regeneration and climate policy committee. Picture: LDRSCoun Ben Miskell, chair of Sheffield City Council's transport, regeneration and climate policy committee. Picture: LDRS
Coun Ben Miskell, chair of Sheffield City Council's transport, regeneration and climate policy committee. Picture: LDRS

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He was responding to transport campaigner Roy Morris, who asked about the figures. He urged the council to tell Sheffielders how much the scheme is improving air quality and what the surplus is spent on to benefit the city, so that the CAZ can be seen to bring benefits.

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Mr Morris also said that the council’s target of achieving net zero carbon by 2030 must involve people and cannot be attained by “stealth”.

Coun Miskell said that city-wide air quality monitoring is assessed on an annual basis and the 2022 figures cannot be released until they have been looked at by the government. They will then appear on the council’s air quality web page: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/pollution-nuisance/air-quality

He said he supports a variety of projects to improve air quality in the city, including the School Streets project to cut cars around schools and encourage active travel for pupils.

Related topics:SheffieldSheffield City CouncilMPs