Anna Dixon MP calls on new council to scrap plan to end Clean Air Zone
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
Anna Dixon MP for Shipley, has this week warned that scrapping Bradford's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) would be “a serious mistake that future generations would pay for”.
The MP’s words come in response to the new Bradford Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Place (Reform UK), stating in multiple interviews over the last month that his party plans to effectively abolish the CAZ by ending its related charges.
The CAZ is a targeted pollution-reduction programme designed to lower harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions and improve public health.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday during debate on the draft Clean Air Zones Central Services regulations, Ms Dixon pointed to three years of transformational progress in Bradford, including:
Nitrogen dioxide breaches reduced from 35 sites across Bradford to just three.
Nearly 600 fewer monthly GP appointments for breathing difficulties since the scheme was introduced.
£30,000 per month saved by the local NHS in reduced costs for inhalers, hospital admissions and respiratory care.
Anna Dixon MP said: "Bradford has long suffered from some of the highest levels of respiratory illness in Yorkshire. Children, particularly those from deprived backgrounds growing up near busy roads in Manningham, Shipley and the Aire Valley corridor, have been disproportionately exposed to air pollution that damages their health.
"The clean air zone was introduced for a reason. We were breaching legal air quality limits at 35 separate sites. That is not a minor issue, it is a public health crisis in the air that my constituents breathe. Three years into the scheme, we have cut that to just three sites. That did not happen by chance.
"The scheme works because it creates a genuine incentive for operators of polluting vehicles - HGVs, buses, taxis and vans - to upgrade to cleaner alternatives. Those investments save operators money in the long run while delivering immediate benefits to everyone who breathes Bradford's air. It is exactly the kind of sensible, evidence-based policy that should be expanded, not scrapped."
After mandating the creation of the zone in 2022, the then Conservative Government provided Bradford with close to £40 million to implement the clean air zone, with funding distributed to local businesses to support fleet upgrades and the transition to cleaner vehicles.
Ms Dixon emphasised that this investment has made the scheme beneficial for operators as well as residents: “Any increase in scheme fees must not be passed on to businesses and residents.
"I will be urging the Reform-led council to keep those costs stable as we continue delivering these health benefits. Additionally, the Government's investment in cleaner buses across West Yorkshire under the Bus Services Act 2025, bringing buses back into public control, will add further improvements to air quality in our communities."
Simon Lightwood MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, confirmed in the debate that any local authority considering abandoning a clean air zone before achieving sustained improvements in air quality would face scrutiny. The regulations being debated ensure schemes continue to operate effectively and fairly until legal compliance is achieved and maintained.
He said: "To answer the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley, any move to scrap a clean air zone before there is clear and sustained evidence of improved air quality would be both premature and reckless.
“Clean air zones were introduced to deliver compliance with legally binding air quality limits. Authorities are required to retain them until compliance has been achieved and maintained.”
