Agenda item

Ian Tait addressed the committee, and a summary of his comments are set out below.

1.    He emphasised the importance of air quality for pedestrians and noted the strategy’s commitment to delivering the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. He referred to his desired pedestrian improvements to the City Bridge, identifying it as a key route into Winchester.

2.    The Council should show political leadership by making it difficult for car drivers to access Winchester city centre.  It should promote an emphasis towards walking, cycling, and public transport and away from the private car.

3.    He expressed concern regarding the low number of all-electric taxis (two).

The Cabinet Member for Recycling and Public Protection (Councillor Cramoysan) responded to the points raised. Regarding the City Bridge, there was currently no evidence of this being a poor air quality hotspot.  He confirmed that the Council was lobbying and had recently signed off funding (CIL money) to help expand walking and cycling infrastructure in the city. The Council had limited direct leverage over bus companies and therefore the focus remained on encouraging changes to reduce traffic.  Regarding all-electric taxis, Councillor Cramoysan detailed the challenges faced by taxi drivers and also reminded that installing chargers on ranks would only benefit Hackney Carriages, excluding Private Hire vehicles. The taxi licensing policy did, however, offer an incentive: electric vehicles and hybrids could be registered as taxis three years older than their petrol or diesel equivalents, helping offset costs. Councillor Cramoysan concluded by welcoming the opportunity for interested taxi drivers to meet with him and officers to discuss their challenges and concerns.

Following introduction by the Cabinet member, the Service Lead: Public Protection then gave a presentation on the Air Quality Strategy, and several questions were asked, including the following:

1.    Further clarification was sought on whether the delay in the transport policy timeline was attributable to the county council’s financial issues and what action could Winchester City Council take to influence.

2.    A question was raised regarding how the loss of, or potential threat to, specific local bus services, would fit into the objective of increasing public transport use.  An enquiry was made as to whether the council could look at providing funding to maintain specific bus services that served rural communities.

3.    A question was asked regarding the rationale for revoking the existing Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and why the AQMA was not being retained for a longer period, given that the council aimed to meet higher air quality standards than the current national baseline.

4.    A question was asked regarding the possibility of integrating actions and awareness related to PM1s (short-lived climate particles and related issues such as bonfires) into the strategy.

5.    A question was asked concerning how much credit the council could claim for air quality improvements based on local interventions, versus those improvements resulting from technological advancements, such as electric vehicles).

6.    Further clarification was sought on whether the countywide study being undertaken by Hampshire County Council included analysis of the impact of external pollution sources, such as Southampton airport and docks.

7.    A request was made to ensure that consideration was given to rural topographical issues, specifically temperature valley inversions, when developing plans for smoke control areas.

8.    A question was asked whether the use of mobile air quality monitoring solutions was part of the plans being considered by the council.

9.    An enquiry was made regarding how the communications challenge of conveying the positive agenda of cleaner air to the wider public was being incorporated into the strategy.

These were responded to by the Cabinet Member and the Service Lead: Public Protection.

The committee thanked officers and the Cabinet Member for an informative update.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be received and the comments raised by the committee, as summarised above, be noted.