York given £72,000 to improve air quality

York Council has been given a £72,750 boost from the government to improve the city's air quality.

The local authority has received the sum in a bid to tackle air pollution in the city after the Yorkshire Post revealed that the problem had escalated and resulted in the premature deaths of 158 people every year.

It received the grant from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help the council find ways to reduce the level of carbon emissions in the area.

Over the next few months, members of the council will produce an Air Quality Action Plan, which will list its ideas on combating the problem.

One of these could include the setting up of 700 electric vehicle recharge points to promote low emission cars travelling through the city.

In addition to this sum, £20,000 will be given to the local authority to support York's role as a low emission champion.

Another Yorkshire city that could benefit from an air quality fund is Sheffield, after the newspaper reported that 500 people die prematurely every year as a result of the city's pollution.

Posted by Claire Manning