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Campaign for Air Pollution Public Inquiry

  1. Evidence of Health Effects. There are many scientific reports by organisations like World Health Organisation, Public Health England and the British Lung Foundation documenting the health effects of air pollution and the thousands of deaths each year in the UK. The evidence is unarguable.
  2. Governments Failure. The Government has failed to take any effective action on air pollution for many years which is confirmed by the EU Court in 2014 and the UK Supreme Court in 2015 which both ruled the Government must take urgent effective action on air pollution.
  3. Reasons for Failure. The reasons that air quality strategies have failed is because decisions are not evidence based and do not comply with Public Law. Strategies in relation to transport, incinerators and many other areas have failed for this reason.
  4. Public Inquiry Support. In 2014 a group of 25 MPS and Lords and the Environmental Audit Committee supported the call for a Public Inquiry into the thousands of deaths from air pollution. The Government rejected the EAC call for a Public Inquiry.
  5. VW Emissions Scandal. The VW emissions scandal is a misnomer. It should be the ‘Emissions Scandal’ because it’s not just VW or even all manufacturers who are at fault. The Government has known that the Euro emissions standards have not worked for many years and chosen to take no action.
  6. London. The Mayor of London said in written evidence to the EAC in 2010 that the Euro standards have failed. He said that ‘a new Euro 5 vehicle creates 5 times as much NO2 as a 15 year old vehicle’. He ignored his own evidence and scrapped thousands of taxis claiming to clean up pollution by doing so. The Chair of the EAC Inquiry which initiated the Taxi Age Limit was disgraced Tory MP Tim Yeo, who was also Chair of the company selling new taxis that drivers were forced to buy. The Mayor of London has not implemented a single effective strategy to reduce air pollution in his 8 years tenure. The Low Emissions Zone is another misnomer; it is actually a very High Emissions Zone.
  7. The Cost. The cost of failed air pollution strategies to the NHS could be as much as £1 BILLION A WEEK based on figures from a Government report. This means that it not just those directly affected by health issues; EVERYONE is affected by air pollution, because we all suffer from the current underfunding of the NHS.
  8. Why a Public Inquiry? If there was a train crash and 160 people died there would be an immediate Public Inquiry to establish why it happened and what could be done to prevent it ever happening again. There are 160 deaths every single day from air pollution and we need to establish exactly why air quality strategies have failed so that effective urgent action can be taken going forward.
  9. Simple Solutions Ignored. There are many simple solutions which have been ignored. Cleaner Diesel fuel as used in Sweden can reduce PM pollution by 30%. Testing of buses in Brighton shows that 95% of pollution is caused when vehicles stop start. Proper traffic management to improve traffic flow, like a ban on Peak Time deliveries or Park and Ride schemes have also been ignored. Planning permission should not be given for incinerators and other sources of pollution in AQMAs.
  10. Action. A simple course of action will be if the Campaign for Air Pollution Public Inquiry is supported in the form of media releases and an ePetiton. This will result in a debate in the House of Commons which in itself will raise enough awareness with MPs and the media for action to be taken

Thousands of people throughout the UK are dying from Air Pollution confirmed by a recent World Health Organisation report.

The Government and Local Authorities have failed to implement effective Air Quality Strategies and the EU are taking action to fine the UK.

In May 2013 and again in 2015 The Supreme Court has declared that the Government is failing in its legal duty to protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution.

In November 2015 25 MPs and Lords supported the call for an urgent Public Inquiry into the thousands of deaths from air pollution and this was recommended in a report by the Environmental Audit Committee. The Government rejected this recommendation.

In London improper and unlawful Air Quality transport policies have failed to reduce harmful emissions and these ineffective policies are replicated nationwide.

Throughout the country many applications for Incinerators are not complying with proper process resulting in improper approval being given.

In many cases the Local Authority has to fund waste disposal. If that same Local Authority is making a Planning Decision from which it gains financially because burning waste is a cheaper option,then surely this decision is improperly biased and constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

 

The Campaign for Air Pollution Public Inquiry has been to set up to enable the many campaign groups across the UK who are concerned about Air Quality and Pollution to take united action.

Many campaign groups are frustrated by the failed Political and Judicial Processes which are allowing improper decisions to be made which are resulting in failed air quality and pollution which causes thousands of deaths each year in the UK.

Many cities in the UK have been designated as Air Quality Management Areas.

What is an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)?

All local authorities are required to assess air quality in their areas. An Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) must be declared if pollutant concentrations are likely to exceed health based standards in any outdoor location where members of the public are likely to be present. Where an AQMA is declared an air quality action plan (AQAP) must be drawn up detailing how the local authority intends to improve air quality.

In most cases the required healthy Air Quality standards have not been met because of failures to reduce pollution from transport.

If a city has been designated as an AQMA it has a legal requirement to make efforts to reduce pollution.

If a Local Authority then gives Planning Approval for an Incinerator in an AQMA it is not complying with Public Law.

Any decisions made by a Public Body have a legal requirement to;

Follow correct procedure, be Rational and Evidence Based, to Have Proper Purpose, to be ECHR Compliant, to be Proportionate and to be Properly Reasoned.

These are not obligations they are LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.

If a Public Body, for example A Local Authority, ignores these Legal Requirements in its Planning Process and improperly gives Planning Approval for an Incinerator in an AQMA, then this decision is Unlawful and should be challenged.