Central government has not always got the balance right in how it works in partnership with local government, having been prescriptive in some respects, while seeming to avoid responsibilities that naturally sit at a national level in others. The best approach to addressing air quality issues varies between areas according to local circumstances. Although Local Authorities have had the freedom to set different exemption criteria and different charging levels for Clean Air Zones, some feel tha...

Central government has not always got the balance right in how it works in partnership with local government, having been prescriptive in some respects, while seeming to avoid responsibilities that naturally sit at a national level in others. The best approach to addressing air quality issues varies between areas according to local circumstances. Although Local Authorities have had the freedom to set different exemption criteria and different charging levels for Clean Air Zones, some feel that JAQU has been inflexible and lacks understanding of local politics, with too much emphasis placed on 6 Tackling local air quality breaches CAZs as the Type: recommendation | Number: 3 | Response status: accepted Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation approach in their area in consultation with their local communities. Under the NO programme, local authorities are responsible for developing their own Clean Air Plans. Throughout plan development, local auth