Issue - meetings

Report of the Strategic Director of Place

Presented by the Community Services Portfolio Holder

Councillor D Harrison was welcomed to the meeting and presented the recommendations put together by the Air Quality Task and Finish Group and approved by Community Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 25 November 2020, found at Appendix 2 of the report. In doing so, he highlighted the cross-party nature of the work and the importance of further air quality monitoring as a means to improve the health outcomes of the people living in the District.

Councillor A Woodman then presented the report, referencing the background of the report, the work undertaken by the Air Quality Task & Finish Group and Community Scrutiny Committee, the Leicestershire Air Quality and Health Action Plan 2020-2024 recently agreed by Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet and the proposed Air Quality Delivery Plan.

Thanks were expressed to the work undertaken by Scrutiny and it was proposed to accept the majority of the recommendations set out in Appendix 2, with the exception of the specific sites for extra monitoring named in the fourth of the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations.

It was moved by Councillor A Woodman, seconded by Councillor R Ashman and

RESOLVED THAT CABINET

1)    Notes the Report on the Future Provision of Air Quality.

2)    Accepts the recommendations made by Community Scrutiny Committee listed in Appendix 2, with the exception of the specified locations for additional monitoring in the fourth recommendation.  With monitoring of PM_2.5 to instead be agreed and delivered in a more strategic approach under the direction of the Public Health team.

3)    Adopts the Air Quality Delivery Plan in Appendix 5, subject to Council Approval at its Meeting in February 2021.

4)    Recommend that Council approve the costs identified in the financial implications and resources in the Budget for 2021/22 & future years.

Reason for decision: Following Cabinet on 10 December 2019, the Environmental Protection team agreed to return to a future Cabinet meeting with an update on the air quality delivery review including the proposed delivery plan.