Draft Clean Air Zones Central Services (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Anna Dixon Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2026 General Committees

[Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart.

In Bradford, our new Reform-led council wants to scrap the clean air zone. I believe that would be a serious mistake that future generations of Bradfordians would pay for. Our city has long had one of the highest levels of respiratory illness in Yorkshire, with children, often from deprived backgrounds, growing up near busy roads in Manningham, Shipley and the Aire Valley corridor, having been disproportionately exposed to nitrogen dioxide levels linked to asthma, stunted lung development and reduced life expectancy.

It was in 2022 that the Conservative Government required places such as Bradford to introduce a clean air zone. It seems that the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire has forgotten that the policy was first introduced by a previous Government. At that time, Bradford was in breach of legal limits for nitrogen dioxide at 35 separate sites across the district. That is not a minor infraction; it is a public health disaster hiding in the air that my constituents breathe. Today, three years into the scheme, the figure has fallen to just three sites. That is a transformational difference that did not happen by chance.

The clean air zone created a tangible incentive. The hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire talked about carrots and sticks, and there is a definite incentive for the operators of the most polluting commercial vehicles, such as HGVs, buses, taxis and vans, to upgrade to cleaner alternatives. The impact on public health is evident. As of last year, the number of GP appointments in Bradford for people with breathing difficulties had dropped by nearly 600 a month since the clean air zone was introduced. Similarly, by reducing spending on inhalers, hospital admissions and long-term respiratory care, the clean air zone is estimated to have saved our local NHS around £30,000 every month.

Our city received close to £40 million from central Government to implement the clean air zone. That funding supported businesses to upgrade their fleets by transitioning to cleaner vehicles, making use of the benefits of technology and reducing their long-term operating costs.

On the draft regulations, it is important that the increased fees will not be passed on, and I hope the Minister will urge the Reform-led council in Bradford not to do so. The Government’s investment in cleaner buses in West Yorkshire in the coming years under the Bus Services Act 2025, bringing buses back into public control, will also have huge benefits in reducing respiratory problems.

In conclusion, Bradford’s clean air zone has driven significant improvements in air quality, and the evidence shows that it is benefiting the health of my constituents. Can the Minister confirm that any move by Reform to scrap the clean air zone before there is evidence of sustained air quality improvements would be both premature and reckless?