Breathing life into West Yorkshire

Our report reveals that in West Yorkshire, a staggering 800,000 people are exposed to illegal levels of air pollution, despite UK government deadlines for reduction. Based on a YouGov survey conducted in January 2023, the report calls for a systematic approach to combat this issue, proposing an action plan that builds upon the West Yorkshire Low Emissions Strategy from 2016 to 2021.

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What’s the problem?  

Despite some progress, targeted action to tackle toxic pollution across West Yorkshire seems to have stalled.  

  • Recorded levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO²) across the region are exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines by more than four times.  
  • People are exposed to life-limiting toxic air just by going about their everyday lives.  
  • In West Yorkshire, hospital admissions of childhood asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are above the national average.  

What have we found?  

We found that communities across the region are worried about breathing in toxic air and want to see bold action that will protect their health and enable them to use cleaner modes of transport.  

  • 66% of parents with children under 18 are concerned about the impact of air pollution on their health.  
  • All parents aged 18-24 with young children reported being concerned about the impact of air pollution on their children’s health.  
  • 91% of people in West Yorkshire were in support of cheaper public transport.  
  • Across all those surveyed, 45% of people were in support of a clean air zone in their area.  
  • 3 out of 4 respondents were also in favour of financial support, like scrappage schemes, to facilitate the transition towards cleaner modes of transport.  

Our recommendations  

It’s time to turn the tide, to take bold action on toxic air and to protect everyone’s lungs. We’re calling on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to take a joined up approach in tackling toxic air pollution as an urgent priority.

  1. Implementing a new Low Emissions Strategy for the next five years that: 
    • sets out action across all local authorities with the aim of achieving WHO guidelines, learning from best practice across the country  
    • targets action to the most polluted areas and encourages the development of clean air zones in the most polluted areas  
    • develops a public transport plan that seeks to increase access and affordability for the communities that need it most  
    • works closely with communities to develop local travel interventions, especially people on lower incomes and people with lung conditions  
    • is integrated with the West Yorkshire Integrated Care System’s plans for improving respiratory health.   
  2. Developing school streets and air monitoring programmes with all councils in West Yorkshire, prioritising the worst affected areas. This should include live air quality monitoring of NO2 and PM2.5at all schools. All data should be made available so that school communities can use it to protect their health and improve transport infrastructure in those areas. 
  3. Improving monitoring across the region with a particular focus on areas of deprivation and where pollution is worst.
  4. Developing an air quality alert system that provides timely information about high air pollution episodes, targeted to communities who need it most with the advice they need to protect their health.