Harrow has been classified as an Air Quality Management Area. An AQMA is declared if a local authority finds an area is unlikely to meet the national air quality objectives.
The council has a statutory duty to monitor, report on and contribute to improving air quality in the borough. This includes the preparation of an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) every five years.
In responding to the Harrow council consultation on the draft AQAP, residents shared a concern for air quality and its impacts on human health and wellbeing.
The Harrow Air Quality Action Plan 2025-2029 before the council cabinet meeting on 10 April, informs that road transport emissions in Harrow are a significant source of pollution and commercial heavy and light duty vehicles make up almost 20% of all NOx, PM10 and PM2.5 transport emissions.
[air pollutants NOx (nitrogen oxides) are gases, while PM10 and PM2.5 are particulate matters]
The council priorities identified in the plan are to tackle air quality issues within its control and how it will collaboratively work with the community, the Mayor of London and other London boroughs to support and influence wider improvements.
It is good for the Harrow council to now work with the London mayor to improve the air quality in the borough, contrary to its previous hostility towards the mayor’s initiatives like Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion programme (ULEZ impact still ignored).
Out of 32 London boroughs, Harrow was one of the four Conservative held London councils – Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon – that along with Surrey County Council had gone for a judicial review challenging the London mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion programme across all London boroughs.
The revolt was apparently instigated by the Harrow councillor Susan Hall, who at the time led the GLA Conservatives group. Later, she stepped down from the post to stand against sitting London mayor Sadiq Khan (now Sir) but was badly rejected by the Londoners.
The legal challenge was dismissed but the Harrow council administration never apologised to the residents for wasting their £150,000 on the court action which was apparently staged for the political gain at the London mayor election.
The report fails to credit that the boroughs which have seen the biggest reductions in NOx emissions due to the ULEZ expansion are Sutton, Merton, Croydon, Harrow and Bromley, where harmful emissions are estimated to be around 15 per cent lower in 2024 than would be expected without the expansion to outer London.
A daily charge of £12.50 is applied to the vehicle that doesn’t meet the ULEZ emission standards and is driven inside the zone.
The council has a statutory duty to monitor, report on and contribute to improving air quality in the borough. This includes the preparation of an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) every five years.
In responding to the Harrow council consultation on the draft AQAP, residents shared a concern for air quality and its impacts on human health and wellbeing.
The Harrow Air Quality Action Plan 2025-2029 before the council cabinet meeting on 10 April, informs that road transport emissions in Harrow are a significant source of pollution and commercial heavy and light duty vehicles make up almost 20% of all NOx, PM10 and PM2.5 transport emissions.
[air pollutants NOx (nitrogen oxides) are gases, while PM10 and PM2.5 are particulate matters]
The council priorities identified in the plan are to tackle air quality issues within its control and how it will collaboratively work with the community, the Mayor of London and other London boroughs to support and influence wider improvements.
It is good for the Harrow council to now work with the London mayor to improve the air quality in the borough, contrary to its previous hostility towards the mayor’s initiatives like Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion programme (ULEZ impact still ignored).
Out of 32 London boroughs, Harrow was one of the four Conservative held London councils – Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon – that along with Surrey County Council had gone for a judicial review challenging the London mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion programme across all London boroughs.
The revolt was apparently instigated by the Harrow councillor Susan Hall, who at the time led the GLA Conservatives group. Later, she stepped down from the post to stand against sitting London mayor Sadiq Khan (now Sir) but was badly rejected by the Londoners.
The legal challenge was dismissed but the Harrow council administration never apologised to the residents for wasting their £150,000 on the court action which was apparently staged for the political gain at the London mayor election.
The report fails to credit that the boroughs which have seen the biggest reductions in NOx emissions due to the ULEZ expansion are Sutton, Merton, Croydon, Harrow and Bromley, where harmful emissions are estimated to be around 15 per cent lower in 2024 than would be expected without the expansion to outer London.
A daily charge of £12.50 is applied to the vehicle that doesn’t meet the ULEZ emission standards and is driven inside the zone.
Harrow Monitoring Group 