Government confirms Birmingham Clean Air Zone delay

Taking to Twitter Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for transport and environment, said the Government had agreed to a request from the council to suspend the introduction of the charge until at least 2021.

He said: “I’m pleased that the Government have agreed to our request and confirmed that the Clean Air Zone will be not be launched before January 1, 2021, as we continue to monitor the impact of Covid-19."

Councillor Zaffar had written to both the Transport and Environment Secretaries last month requesting the delay, citing the impact of the coronavirus as the main reason to not introduce the daily charge.

Once operational, the CAZ will charge high-polluting cars £8 a day and buses and lorries £50 a day to enter the city centre – and is expected to raise around £8 million per year for the council.

It was originally due to be introduced in the summer of 2020, but has been plagued by setbacks since the launch date was announced. This included a delay caused by a fault with the government’s online vehicle checker.

In his letter to government, Councillor Zaffar said that the spread of coronavirus was having a "profound impact on the economy of the city", and requested that the introduction of the CAZ was pushed back until at least 2021.

In his letter, he wrote: “Covid-19 is having a profound impact on the economy of the city and our preparations for the Clean Air Zone.

“Businesses are focussed on trying to support their employees through an extraordinary situation rather than upgrade their vehicle fleets.

“Lower income workers and residents are focussed on ensuring they and their families stay safe rather than apply for an exemption or financial incentive.

“For these reasons we are requesting a postponement to the launch of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone.”

Birmingham City Council have stated that the delay will be kept under "constant review", though no official date has been given for the 2021 launch.