Air Quality Scrutiny Workshop

Jim Longhurst was an invited participant in a Bristol City Council event to consider progress with air quality management in the city. Jim shared with the meeting some of the conclusions of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Commission referring to the scale and severity of the current air quality problems in the UK. He noted that Bristol has a very good air quality monitoring network and a strong evidence base that supported the continuing declaration of an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for nitrogen dioxide in the city. According to the timescale set out in the Air Quality Regulations the AQMA should have been revoked by 2005 due to actions taken in the city’s Air Quality Action Plan. Unfortunately this has not happened but the city is not alone in this as more than 60% of local authorities still have one or more AQMAs.  Jim described this situation as the mismanagement of air quality, where the evidence of the problem is known and compelling but the remedial action to improve the situation is not taken.  Jim recommended that the city recommits itself to the management of air quality and develops a new city wide Air Quality Strategy with strong targets for improvement actions to be completed within specified timescales. Central to this new strategy must be a clear identification of where responsibilities and accountabilities for actions are held within the city. Jim noted that the new Mayor has a critical role to play in developing, implementing and being accountable for such a strategy.