Clean Air - is it fair?
The most polluting commercial vehicles will soon have to pay a daily fine to drive into Sheffield City Centre. For some, this paves the way for a greener future - but others think this could be a blow to the city's small businesses.
Frank Hayes’ shop has served Sheffield’s motorbike-loving community for over 20 years, having withstood a financial crash, a pandemic and a soaring cost of living crisis. But the 61-year-old owner of SMC Bikes believes a new threat is on the horizon.
On 27 February 2023, a new Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will come into force, a national government initiative implemented by Sheffield City Council. It aims to do what it says on the tin, reducing emissions by charging high-polluting commercial vehicles for driving into the city centre.
Lorries and buses will face a £50 daily charge, whilst drivers of non-compliant minibuses, trucks and taxis will spend £10 a day. Those who fail to pay on time could face a £120 fine.
For Mr Hayes, the initiative is more than just an annoyance. He has Euro 6 vehicles - already compliant with the requirements - but the £50 daily charge that will be imposed on the larger lorries needed to bring in new vehicles and spare parts could spell the end for his business altogether.
The Clean Air Zone is ‘Class C’, meaning it only affects commercial vehicles and not private cars. Residents driving non-commercial vehicles will be allowed to drive through the city centre without being charged, even if their vehicle is considered a high pollutant. There are a number of national exemptions in place, such as for those with a disability, and for historic, military and ultra low emission vehicles.
Mr Hayes has already started to feel the effects. Two of his three skilled technicians have left their jobs, worried it will be unaffordable to buy a new van compliant with the CAZ restrictions. It has forced Mr Hayes to rush the training of other employees, to ensure he has enough qualified staff.
“They also cannot afford to come into work each day and pay £10 for this privilege so they are gone, I have lost them,” he said.
“I have now got one qualified technician left.”
While SMC Bikes is located outside of the CAZ, the only way to reach it is by driving 120 yards through the restricted area. Despite the council promising an alternative route which does not involve the ring road, it remains the only way they can be accessed.
They now find themselves debating if a move to Doncaster, Chesterfield or Rotherham is the only way to save their business.
Taxi drivers across the city may also be grappling with a £10 daily charge if they fail to upgrade their vehicle. Ibrar Hussain, Chair of the App Drivers and Couriers Union Sheffield Branch, said drivers are struggling to afford to buy compliant vehicles amid cost of living pressures. He recalled several stories of local drivers suffering from stress and anxiety, feeling as though they have nowhere to turn.
“Drivers are leaving. They’re in panic mode. The council needs to give a good, proper package of financial support for them, but they’re not interested in listening, because we are not their priority,” said Mr Hussain.
But Sheffield City Council face an ultimatum. In 2017, data from DEFRA indicated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide exceeded legal limits on average, in some places by as much as 30 percent. They have since been directed by the government to reduce air pollution to compliant levels by the end of 2023.
For Cllr Julie Grocutt, Co-Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee of Sheffield City Council, this is the best case scenario. There simply is not enough government funding to support all vehicles becoming compliant this year, she explained. But with the support that has been made available, the council hopes that no one will be forced to pay a fine, and everyone can have the opportunity to upgrade.
She said, “We have £20 million of funding available specifically to help people who have got non-compliant vehicles with the clean air zone.”
“We spent a long time going backwards and forwards with the government to make sure that we had the best deal and funding arrangement we could, to support businesses and taxi drivers across our city,” she said.
According to Ms Grocutt, the council has engaged in consultations with the public, small businesses and taxi drivers’ unions since the scheme was first proposed in 2017.
Some businesses have already taken advantage of this support. Jill Winton owns Plantology, a floristry business in the city centre which relies on using vans to deliver bouquets to customers around the city. She said Plantology had taken part in a council scheme to trial the use of an electric van, but said the cost was unsustainable in the long term.
“We love the idea of clean air and it is high on our sustainability agenda but we just can’t afford to spend £40,000 on an electric van,” she explained.
She had explored applying for a council grant, but said that the maximum amount of £5000 would not be enough to fund a new vehicle.
Businesses based in places as close as Dronfield (7.5 miles from the city centre) will not be eligible for any financial aid, as they come under the Derbyshire council. Whereas those in Thorne, on the outskirts of Doncaster (32 miles away), will.
Resident and owner of independent shop Wickwire, Vicky Coates, 55, uses her registered van for both work and personal purposes. She said, “We use the van for everything: shopping, theatre trips and meals out in town in the evening as well as journeys to the train station for my work.”
Ms Coates is also concerned about her suppliers who are unable to reach her without passing through the CAZ.
She said, “People will pay the penalty and will still pollute, so it’s not improving air quality, it’s just generating money for the council.”
The council says the support is there, but others aren’t convinced. Amidst the smell of motorbike petrol and freshly cut roses there is a feeling amongst some of Sheffield’s businesses that more will be lost than gained from this initiative.
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