Agenda item - Air Quality - Update

Agenda item

Air Quality - Update

Minutes:

The Board were asked to consider a report that provided an update summary for each partner authority on Local Air Quality Management work undertaken by Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) for each district.

 

The Technical Services Manager, WRS, introduced the report and in doing so informed Members that, the monitoring of Nitrogen Dioxide was undertaken using diffusion tubes to establish an annual average in many locations across the County.

 

The purpose of Local Air Quality Management was to establish if there were any breaches of National Objectives for specified pollutants and to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) if identified. 

 

Members were informed that recently the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) guidance had changed the emphasis from monitoring and identification to resolution of air quality concerns.  In response, WRS have identified priority actions for all established AQMAs and were working with steering group members to resolve any issues.

 

In addition WRS has produced an Air Quality Action Plan Update for 2016 on the work undertaken.  The Action Plan Update formed part of each District Council’s reporting requirements on air quality and provided an update on progress made with actions to address poor air quality in AQMAs.  Members were asked to note that there was not a requirement to produce such a plan for Redditch Borough Council and Malvern Hills District Council as they currently had no AQMAs in their areas.

 

The Technical Services Manager, WRS, drew Members’ attention to each of the partner authorities updates as detailed on pages 10, 11 and 12 in the report.  The updates also detailed the areas, that due to improved conditions, WRS would be recommending to those partner authorities that the AQMAs be revoked.  The Technical Services Manager, WRS, stressed that no AQMAs would be revoked prematurely. 

 

At this stage in the meeting, the Head of WRS explained that one of the reasons the report had been brought before Board was in order to provide Members with detailed information on what WRS as a service delivered on behalf of each partner authority.  The Technical Services Manager’s Team, WRS, were a highly skilled team and undertook work to liaise, push forward and deliver a high standard of work on behalf of WRS and each partner authority.

 

The Technical Services Manager, WRS, responded to several questions from Board Members and in doing so, informed Members that Defra had recognised that their previous guidance was report heavy.  The revised format required an annual status report, an action plan and progress report.  The action plan concentrated on ‘priority’ actions and things that could be achieved in order to progress these particular ‘priority’ actions.

 

With regard to engaging with local Ward Members, the Technical Services Manager, WRS, explained that there was a County wide steering group with local Members involved where there were AQMAs.  Moving forward there would be one steering group with sub-groups formed for particular AQMAs.

 

WRS officers had a good dialogue with Worcestershire County Council (WCC), strategic highways.  There were a lot of different schemes being undertaken and those who had to deliver the projects were somewhat removed, but WRS continued to work towards achieving further dialogue with WCC, Highways. 

 

Members congratulated the Technical Services Manager, WRS and his team on producing an informative and comprehensive report.  Members realised the benefits of the work carried out by WRS and that even the smallest of actions taken by WRS could make a difference.

 

Members asked for it to be noted that the Technical Services Manager, WRS and his team ensured that they kept themselves updated with regard to local Ward Members, to ensure that the correct local Ward Members were updated with regard to progress or any issues in respect of AQMAs in their ward area.

 

The Chairman thanked the Technical Services Manager, WRS, for a worthwhile report.

 

RESOLVED:

(a)  that the Local Air Quality update report for each District be noted; and

(b)  that the Technical Services Manager, Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) to provide Board Members with the website link to the WRS Air Quality Action Plan Progress Report for Worcestershire April 2015 to March 2016.

Supporting documents: