Wokingham Borough Council receives funding to improve air quality

Wokingham Borough Council has received a £259,000 grant from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to enable them to improve air quality across the borough.

The funding will be used to enable the council to continue its work with the Public Protection Partnership (PPP), a shared service delivering environmental health, licensing and trading standards across Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham Borough Councils.

Through the PPP the council has been monitoring nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution and found that in some areas there is an ‘undesirable level.’

In a bid to reduce this, the council will work in partnership with the PPP on anti-idling projects and projects that focus on the impacts of pollution around schools. 

The council will also focus specifically on measuring particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution. 

This monitoring will give the council an understanding of the pollution levels in the area. It will also support the councils work with schools and help them to find site-specific ways to reduce the levels of harmful air particulates.

The council’s eco-travel officer will also continue to deliver a series of one-off events, active travel initiatives, campaigns and educational resources in order to increase active travel and reduce air pollutant emissions, with particular attention on key target areas within the borough.

These projects will not only support the council’s plans to become carbon neutral but will also work to protect residents from the health impact of poor air quality.

Clare Lawrence, assistant director for place at Wokingham Borough Council, said: ‘We are thrilled to be working with our neighbouring authorities through PPP to improve air quality in the local area. We are committed to promoting a clean and healthy borough and we welcome help and guidance from the PPP to enable this.

‘We can all play our part in improving the air quality across our borough. Small changes like turning off your engine while sitting at traffic lights can have a big impact that will positively affect for all of us.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay