Birmingham residents living in city centre to lose Clean Air Zone exemption - here’s why

The announcement by Birmingham City Council means any resident living within the city centre – or the A4540 Middleway – driving a vehicle not compliant with the zone’s emission standards will have to pay £8 from Thursday (June 1).

The exemptions have been in place since the introduction of the scheme in June 2021. The city council said it has contacted the owners of 2,382 vehicles which still have an active exemption. Within the last two years, more than 3,700 exemptions have been active.

Most petrol vehicles manufactured after 2006 and diesel vehicles manufactured after 2015 are compliant with the zone and their owners will not be charged. Visitors to Birmingham children’s hospital and two GP practices inside the zone can still apply for vouchers to avoid charges.

It comes after the city council announced community groups can apply for a share of £4 million to help improve air quality in Birmingham.

The Brum Breathes Fund, open to grassroots organisations represented by one councillor, can apply online for up to £20,000, while those with two can get up to £40,000 for the next two years.

The council said it hopes the fund will be used to invest in projects to boost sustainable travel.

Waseem Zaffar MBE from the Clean Air Justice Network said while the clean air zone achieved “so much” in tackling pollution in Birmingham, he said there is “much more to do” have safe levels of air quality.

“In a city where nearly 1000 people die prematurely due to air pollution, we all must do more to tackle this public health crisis of air pollution.

“We welcome the launch of the Brum Breathes Fund which will ensure resources are accessible to communities in all neighbourhoods to introduce projects that tackle pollution, but we also call upon the council and government to provide more support to help Brummies make the transition from old polluting vehicles to walking, cycling, public transport and if necessary, electric cars.

“We urge Birmingham City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority, and the government to work together to offer similar levels of support in Birmingham.”

What has the city council said?

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said the number of most polluting vehicles entering into the clean air zone – and with it the city centre – halved from 15.2% in June 2021 to 6.6% in March 2023.

They said: “Birmingham’s clean air zone was introduced in response to the risk to public health caused through poor air quality, and its introduction is already having a clear impact.

“It’s important to note that all revenues generated by the scheme have to be used to cover its operation, and any net surplus revenues have to be re-invested in local transport-related and policies. The clean air zone is helping the council to deliver its pledge to improve air quality and support the development of greener and more active transport solutions, and we are committed to it as a vital part in the Brum Breathes Clean Air Strategy.”

Birmingham City Council has allocated £53 million of net surplus revenues from the clean air zone to projects such as a trial of hydrogen buses, upgrades to University train station, and improvements to stations on the Camp Hill line.