Council encourages residents to participate in upcoming Clean Air Day

The East Staffordshire Borough Council is encouraging residents to participate in Clean Air Day on Thursday, 19 June, as the Borough continues to make significant progress in improving air quality.

Clean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools and individuals to raise awareness about air pollution and share information on how we can all take action to tackle it.

Air pollution affects health, but the borough is seeing significant improvements.

The Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) at St Peters Bridge roundabout in Stapenhill was revoked in August 2024 following several years of consistent compliance with air quality targets.

The Derby Turn AQMA is also showing positive trends, with nitrogen dioxide concentrations remaining below the annual mean target for two consecutive years and not even within 10 per cent of the target, putting the Council in a position to potentially revoke this AQMA within the next year or two if this trajectory continues.

Councillor Simon Slater, Cabinet Member for Communities and Regulatory Services, said: "The data shows that efforts to improve air quality in East Staffordshire are working.

“The revocation of the Stapenhill AQMA last year was a milestone achievement, and we're seeing continued improvements in our remaining AQMA.

“Clean Air Day gives us all an opportunity to build on this progress by taking simple actions to reduce air pollution."

The Council has also supported Staffordshire County Council's successful bid for ZEBRA2 funding to introduce electric buses and associated infrastructure for Service 9.

The funds have been released and the project is currently going through the planning process for installation of infrastructure at the Diamond Bus depot, which will further reduce emissions across the borough.

To mark Clean Air Day, the Council is encouraging residents to:

• Stop engine idling – switching off when stationary saves fuel and reduces pollution
• Measure their air pollution footprint using the Clean Air Hub's online calculator
• Consider active travel options like walking and cycling for short journeys

Click here for more information about Clean Air Day and how to get involved.