PPP Awarded £259k DEFRA Funding for Air Quality Improvement Programme
The Public Protection Partnership have been awarded £259K from the DEFRA Air Quality grant programme to deliver an ambitious and exciting project to make improvements to air quality across Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham Council areas.
This funding will support some of the positive work already happening in each of the Councils concerning Climate Change Action Plans and anti-idling projects, alongside a focus on the impacts of pollution around schools and encouraging a behavioural change to maintain changes going forward.
Across all three authority areas residents benefit from some of the best countryside, forest and parklands in the country and generally good levels of air quality. However through our monitoring (see link here) of the pollutant Nitorgen Dioxide we know that there are some localised areas of vehicle related pollution at an undesirable level (these are known as Air Quality Management Areas). The pollutant PM2.5 which is known to be particularly harmful to health and has many more sources than nitrogen dioxide could be affecting some residents and the funding will allow us to carry out a substantial monitoring regime for this around schools in and near our air quality management areas.
This monitoring will give us an understanding of pollution levels in the area, support our work with schools, find site specific ways to reduce the levels of PM2.5 and allow the impact of our projects to be assessed. Behavioural change is a key part of this project delivered through a variety of techniques.
To consolidate work already started within the three authorities we have funds to set up anti-idling areas and run an anti-idling behaviour change campaign involving all the schools, taxis ranks and car/van/lorry users across West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham.
We have also maintained our monitoring regime throughout the pandemic which has enabled us to look at the impact the changes which have taken place in transport related pollution during this time.
This project will support not only the environmental priorities of each of the Councils but ensures we protect residents from the health impact of poor air quality. The landmark ruling in October 2020 that air pollution “made a material contribution” to the death of 9 year old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has focussed everyone on the need to make improvements where we can.
