Agenda item

The Technical Services Manager, WRS presented a report on the Air Quality Behaviour Change Project, and in doing so, stated that he welcomed the opportunity to share, with Board Members, information on key initiatives and activities that aligned with WRS priorities and policies.

Members were informed that between 2018 and 2022, staff from WRS had engaged with Public Health at Worcestershire County Council (WCC) to mirror work done by other Local Authorities to fund and engage behaviour change work.

WRS had utilised external funding to develop a behaviour change project. A Behaviour Change Officer (BCO) was recruited in late February 2024 on a fixed term contract for 2.5 years.  The aim of the project was to improve air quality through encouraging sustainable travel initiatives, particularly within schools and local businesses in specific locations. Key aims included reducing short car journeys by encouraging walking and cycling, raising awareness of air quality impacts, and encouraging community partnerships. The funding received was tied to certain areas.  The specific target areas for the project included London Road, Worcester and the Lickey End M42 Junction, Bromsgrove

The report therefore sets out the work of the BCO to date and future work plans.

Key Activities and Achievements:

The BCO’s work could be classed into 4 workstreams, as detailed on pages 84 to 88 of the main agenda pack, and titled as follows:-

1. Survey Insights.

2. School Engagement.

3. Community Outreach.

4. Promotional Materials.

Survey Insights:

HoW College – WRS AQ Survey

Since the main baseline survey failed to gather sufficient information from the younger end of the population, those aged between 16 and 30 years old; a new survey was conducted in September and October 2024 with the participation of the HoW College group, which involved all campuses, in Worcester, Malvern, Bromsgrove and Redditch. This survey was developed in-house, and the online survey reached 741 college students and staff, to assess transportation habits, awareness of air quality and barriers to sustainable commuting.

Respondents were mainly aged 16-30, with many living more than four miles from the relevant campus. Findings showed a reliance on cars, gaps in understanding of pollution sources, and identified personal and infrastructure barriers to low-emission travel options like walking or cycling. Further details of the results were detailed in Appendix 2 to the report. Key Information derived from the Surveys was further detailed on pages 85 and 86 of the main agenda pack. 

School Engagement

Survey data indicated that some focus was necessary on young people, with schools and colleges as potential venues for promoting air quality awareness. Hence, the BCO prioritised outreach to schools to foster engagement and identify participation opportunities.

A database was created with 264 schools as potential contact points across the County (242 state schools and 22 independent schools.)  Between March and June 2024, 49 school visits were conducted, introducing the BCO role and promoting the AQ Worcestershire 2024 initiative.

From July to October 2024, emails were sent to schools to arrange meetings and explore potential air quality projects, resulting in 10 responses and collaborative meetings with schools in Worcester, Bromsgrove, Pershore, and Kidderminster, including the University of Worcester.

Following these efforts, 59 schools were contacted, achieving a significant milestone with six schools - including five schools and Heart of Worcestershire College (HoW)—committing to ongoing behaviour change projects and activities such as workshops and assemblies. Further details of these were included in Table 3 in Appendix 3, and Figure 1 on page 87 of the main agenda pack.

Community Engagement 

The BCO also established key partnerships with community groups, including Breathe Easy in Redditch and local care homes along London Road in Worcester. This had helped reveal gaps in community awareness regarding air quality issues and emphasised the need for targeted monitoring and education.

Future Work

With funding until approximately September 2026, the BCO’s work programme was expected to continue, as detailed on page 89n of the main agenda pack.

The Chairman took the opportunity to express sincere thanks to the BCO for the great work in engaging with young people.

Members also expressed their sincere thanks and complimented the work being carried out and agreed that all stakeholders needed to engage with initiatives and to tackle air quality.  Members further commented that they had found the report informative and that they had not heard of all of the initiatives detailed in the report.

The Technical Services Manager therefore reiterated, that as recommended at the beginning of the report, that Members note the actions being taken by WRS officers and assist in enabling positive discussions to improve air quality in Worcestershire.  The information needed to be shared with all Members of each partner authority.

With monitoring air quality (including particular matter) and the collection of all of the data gathered; officers’ thoughts were to change or influence the behaviour of those at risk of adverse impacts from poor air quality, and to change the behaviour of those impacting on air quality. Also to encourage and promote positive initiatives.

Following on from a query with regards to the following statement on page 90 of the main agenda pack, which stated that ‘It shortens lives’, the Technical Services Manager briefly explained the statement, in that poor air quality was medically proven to shorten lives and this was factually correct. The Director of Regulatory Services indicated that officers understood this message might be stark and the way these things were communicated would be tailored to the audience to avoid unnecessary alarm.

RESOLVED that Members note the report and actions taken by WRS Staff and assist in enabling positive discussions to improve air quality in Worcestershire.

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