Air Quality Grants awarded across England to fund local projects for cleaner air

Local authorities in English local authorities have been granted over £11 million from the UK Government’s Air Quality Grant for air quality projects, including the enhancements of several air quality monitoring networks.

The funds are to help councils develop and implement measures to reduce air pollution, which according to the World Health Organization kills approximately 7,000,000 people across the globe annually, in schools, businesses and communities. This year’s funding for the Air Quality Grant, is more than double the amount awarded in 2021, enabling local authorities to deliver much needed air quality improvements.

Over £1m of funding will pay for measures to improve public awareness about the risks of air pollution. This follows a recommendation from the Coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report after the tragic death of 9-year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in 2013.

A significant proportion of the grants will be spent on air monitoring technology. Transport for Manchester, Brighton and Hove City and Bradford Metropolitan District Council are among a number of organisations planning to enhance their particulate monitoring networks. 

The UK Government is taking steps to lower air pollution levels through the recently passed Environment Act; this requires two new targets to be set for a reduction in the level of fine particulate matter in the air. A public consultation on these targets is to be held in the near future.