The Conservative Government have gone further to build on their ambitious course of action to tackle air pollution and clean the air we breathe.
Buckinghamshire Council will receive £578,000 of new funding to boost air quality across the area, helping to clean up the air local people breathe. The grant will cover the cost of upcycling the first refuse collection vehicle as well as providing a blueprint for the future conversion programme. The funds will also be used to pay for performance trials, spare parts and specialist equipment for maintaining the vehicle. It all paves the way for more vehicle conversions to follow in the future.
The Government’s Air Quality Grant has been bolstered with £11.6 million for councils across England for their clean air projects.
This funding means more than £42 million has been awarded through the Air Quality Grant since 2010 across almost 500 projects – helping more local authorities to deliver cleaner air for their communities.
More than double the funding awarded in 2021 has been made available for this year’s grant, meaning a raft of innovative projects to deliver air quality improvements are being supported across the country.
Commenting, Greg said: “Cleaning up the air we breathe is not only vital to slashing emissions and reaching net zero – but it also helps us live healthier lives.
“This funding boost for Buckinghamshire Council will be key in the delivery of their project to clean up our air – with £42 million going to projects across England through the Air Quality Grant since 2010.
“The funding this Conservative Government is putting in place is vital for cleaning up our air – delivering on the Government’s pledge to tackle air pollution as we build back greener.”
Commenting, Environment Minister Jo Churchill said: “Air pollution is a huge environmental risk to public health. While it has reduced significantly since 2010, we know there is more to do, which is why we have doubled the amount of funding awarded this year to help local authorities take vital action.
“The projects supported by this latest round of funding include innovative local schemes to boost the use of green transport, increase monitoring of fine particulate matter – the most harmful pollutant to human health – and improve awareness of the risks of poor air quality around schools and in care homes.
“We know that local authorities are best placed to find solutions to the issues they face in their areas, and we will continue to work closely with them and offer support to help deliver real change in cleaning up our air.”
Read more about how Buckinghamshire Council will be using the grant here: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/buckinghamshire-council-to-convert-first-refuse-vehicle-to-electric-thanks-to-government-grant/
