Tyneside councils set to miss deadline for cutting air pollution - again

pTyneside councils will miss the government#x2019;s deadline to finalise plans for cutting illegal levels of air pollution for a third time./p pMinisters had threatened legal action against Newcastle, Gateshead, and North Tyneside councils if they do not submit their final designs for a controversial Clean Air Zone (CAZ) by November 12./p pBut with a six-week public consultation on the latest plans yet to begin, that date will not be met - though the authorities insist that the delay will ultimately have no impact on the anti-pollution tolls coming into force in January 2021./p pUnder the latest proposals, coaches, buses and lorries will be charged #xA3;50 daily to drive into Newcastle city centre if they do not meet emissions standards. High-polluting taxis and vans will also pay #xA3;12.50, but private cars have been made exempt for now./p pConsultation on the plan was due to begin by the end of September, but the councils say that has been pushed back due to delays in legal advice./p pCouncillors should have been voting to approve the CAZ at meetings in early November, but that vote could now be pushed back to January unless a set of extraordinary meetings are scheduled before then./p pThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had previously set deadlines of this July and December last year for the plans to be submitted./p pWhen the deadline was last extended, former environment minister Therese Coffey warned that any further delay would be #x201C;unacceptable#x201D;./p pBut a spokesperson for the three councils said on Thursday: #x201C;We remain on target to meet the implementation date of 2021 for our clean air proposals./p p#x201C;We are in regular contact with government officials and they are fully updated on our plans and the progress we are making./p p#x201C;We will shortly be starting consultation on our final proposals, which will be submitted to government later this year.#x201D;/p p#xA0;Newcastle Lib Dem councillor Greg Stone said that the latest delay was #x201C;another embarrassing shambles#x201D;./p pHe added: #x201C;This new delay is further evidence that the Labour administration has lost its way on the clean air agenda and on city transport policy generally. It is increasingly difficult to have confidence that the cabinet member and her officers have a grip of the situation. They seem incapable of bringing forward plans by the November deadline, and it is not obvious their approach is going to be legally compliant.quot;/p pAir pollution is linked to more than 300 deaths on Tyneside every year and the government has issued the three councils with an order to clean up emissions hotspots by 2021./p p A#xA0;Defra#xA0;spokeswoman said: strong u/u u/u /strong #x201C;We have remained closely engaged with Gateshead, Newcastle and North Tyneside Councils and are aware of a delay to the submission of final plans. /p pquot;We are clear that a full plan must be provided this autumn and that implementation must begin no later than 2021, with compliance met in the shortest time possible.#x201D;/p