Council gets help to tackle pollution

York Council announced yesterday that it was one of only three local authorities which had successfully bid to take part in the Energy Saving Trust’s Plugged-in Fleets initiative.

The council is the only authority in the North to benefit from the free guidance on how electric vehicles can add value to its organisation. The council’s £15,000 in funding will also pay for a strategic plan for the introduction of the vehicles into its fleet.

The council’s cabinet member for transport, planning and sustainability, Coun Dave Merrett, said: “We need to move as quickly as possible to introduce different, less polluting vehicle technologies and this award will help us to create some of the necessary support infrastructure.”

The council is among 19 other organisations across England, including the Yorkshire-based supermarket giant Morrisons, which will benefit in the scheme funded by the Department for Transport and Transport for London. The other councils included are Southwark Council and Surrey County Council.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in April that a city-wide consultation had been launched by York Council to enforce steps to counter air pollution which has been dubbed an “invisible killer” linked to scores of premature deaths every year. Senior councillors admitted the need to tackle York’s poor air quality is among the greatest challenges that the city is facing.

Plans include a revolutionary freight interchange to prevent lorries heading into the city centre, with a fleet of electrically-powered vehicles used to make deliveries and reduce congestion.

It is estimated between 94 and 163 people die prematurely in York each year because of poor air quality. It is about the same as the number of premature deaths from alcohol abuse, obesity and road accidents combined.