Agenda item

Clean Air Zone Consultation

Report of the Leader of the Council seeking approval for public consultation on the proposed Clean Air Zone.

Minutes:

DECISION MADE:  (CAB 18/19 20895)

 

On consideration of the report of the Leader of the Council, the report was modified to include confidential background papers to enable Cabinet to access the most up to date technical information supporting the information and key/summary detail contained in the report itself.

 

Cabinet listened carefully to the representations from some of the parties present at the meeting to proceed to consultation without a preferred option and their reasons for requesting this, in particular the fear of creating a perception that charging is inevitable and the economic impacts that may give rise to, but that Cabinet consider that the current scientific, health and evidence base clearly support a preferred option of a charging scheme as the method to achieve compliance with air quality targets in the quickest way possible. Cabinet considered that having a preferred option provides a clear evidence base to focus the consultation on the key legal tests the City must meet while still allowing the widest possible range of feasible and evidenced based options to come forward supporting alternative means to achieve the same end that can be tested and considered alongside evidence of economic and health impacts and other mitigation measures etc before any final decision on how to address air quality targets in the City is taken in due course.

 

Having further considered representations from Mr Johnson (RDA), Dr Davis, Ms Batten (Clean Air Southampton), Mr Hall (Southampton Hackney Association), Kevin May (K and K), Mr J Hille Ris Lambers (D P World), Mr McMillan (Unite Union), Alistair Welch (ABP), Councillor Galton and Councillor Fitzhenry, Cabinet agreed the following:

 

(i)  That Cabinet supports commencement of a 12 week public consultation exercise concerning proposals to introduce a Clean Air Zone in Southampton.

(ii)  That Cabinet endorses the outcome of the Clean Air Zone Outline Business Case to date, the preferred option identified and its consistency with SCC’s Clean Air Strategy 2016-2025 (published November 2016.

(iii)  That Cabinet agrees to consider the outcome of the consultation at its meeting on 16th October 2018.

Supporting documents: