'Cash grab' Greens lose vote over plans to raise CAZ charge to £14

PLANS to hike the Clean Air Zone charge to as much as £14 a day have been ruled out - for now.

- Alex SEABROOK

Antipollution campaigners were among those to criticise a plan to increase the daily fee from £9 as progress on reducing pollution in the city centre slowed down last year. Since the Clean Air Zone was introduced three years ago, levels of nitrogen dioxide have fallen across Bristol and within the zone that covers a large part of the city centre. But last year, that reduction was less than in 2023, and nitrogen dioxide levels actually increased in two spots.

Initial modelling done by Bristol City Council staff showed increasing the fee - potentially to £10, £12 or £14 a day - would deter drivers of non-compliant vehicles from entering the zone and speed up progress towards getting pollution within legal limits.