July 2020 likely for Birmingham and June for Leeds; Yorkshire city offers more compliance funding
Both were due to come into force in January. BCC has announced that its CAZ will not be enacted until July 2020 at the earliest, while information from Leeds suggests that June 2020 is its earliest estimate.Birmingham City Council (BCC) and Leeds City Council (LCC) have said that they expect the implementation of their respective Clean Air Zones (CAZs) will be delayed by at least six months.
Each city blamed the delay on the government’s failure to deliver a vehicle checker tool in time for the planned January date, and its transfer to them of the responsibility for providing a system to collect charges incurred by non-compliant vehicles.
Meanwhile, LCC has launched a second funding round to help some affected businesses transition to compliance. Around £900,000 remains available, according to information passed to the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) in a meeting last Thursday (27 July).
CPT Regional Manager Andrew McGuinness adds that while operators who have previously been awarded funding may bid again, applications from those who did not do so previously will be favoured. A further round of funding will commence some time after the Leeds CAZ is launched, using the initial revenue raised.
Additionally, LCC has clarified to CPT the definition of acting to qualify for a sunset period. The deadline for applying for such a period is the end of July and operators that are successful must be able to:
- Demonstrate that an order has been placed for a compliant vehicle or a retrofit solution, and provide the lead time
- Show that a Millbrook testing appointment has been made for a suitable retrofit solution where it is not yet certified by CVRAS
- Prove that their vehicle is booked for in retrofit installation.
