Leeds council hands back more than £1.5m in clean air grants

Council bosses have handed back more than £1.5 million worth of clean air grants back to the government following a decision to scrap the scheme.

The funds were originally part of a £29 million funding grant given to the city’s council to help them introduce a clean air charging zone in Leeds.

However, the scheme has now been dramatically scrapped – with the local authortiy forced to hand back the cash to Westminster.

Initial plans would have seen the creation of a new grant and loans scheme to help taxi drivers to update their vehicles to more eco-friendly models, as well as the installation of a network of number plate-recognising cameras.

They would have also charged a fee to high-emitting taxis, HGVs and buses entering the city centre and some areas of north Leeds, with around £18 million earmarked for taxi and HGV drivers.

The funds were intended to help combat the dangerous levels of pollution that are building up in the city, previously described as a silent killer. However, it has been scrapped now due to an alleged but dubious sudden improvement in the city’s air quality.

Council bosses this week made the decision to return the funds, having already spent £27.5m on the now-cancelled scheme.

Some funds have been retained to help support the upgrade of taxis, HGVs and other vehicles to greener models, however, reports the YEP.

The council has since stated that it will be able to repurpose the network of cameras and that grants and loans are still available to help local businesses become greener.

Feature image – Mtaylor848.