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Sheffield Council has said any further delays to the Clean Air Zone would mean losing at least £705,240 per month, on top of nearly £2.5 million up to June next year.

The figures were revealed at the latest full council meeting, where taxi drivers presented a petition calling for the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to be cancelled due to the cost of living crisis.

Leading councillors reiterated their commitment to introducing the zone – which will charge drivers of the most polluting vehicles every day they drive in the city centre – and said it is still on track to start in spring 2023.

Delays to Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone

Sheffield Council has said any further delays to the Clean Air Zone would mean losing at least £705,240 per month, on top of nearly £2.5 million up to June next year.

The CAZ was first announced in 2018. It was delayed in 2020 due to Covid-19 and a new date of 2022 was given. Then it was delayed again until 2023 – two years after the Government’s deadline.

Officers said delays posed a ‘serious risk’ of legal challenges and clawback of funding.

Councillor Julie Grocutt, co-chair of the transport, regeneration and climate change committee, added: “A failure to implement would result in a breach of a legal duty giving rise to risk of judicial review proceedings, complaints of maladministration, and enforcement action by the office for environmental protection.”

The authority is expecting to miss £2,485,249 in income up to June 1, 2023, and £705,240 on average for each month thereafter if it is delayed further. This would also incur additional time-based costs such as staff fees.

The council does not have authority to delay, pause or take an alternative course of action, and any delay or change must be agreed by the secretary of state.

Petition to cancel Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone

Ibrar Hussain, long-standing cab driver, presented a petition with 275 signatures calling to cancel the CAZ at the most recent full council meeting.

He said: “We only have one manufacturer of Hackney carriages in the UK and that vehicle costs £75,000. I don’t think in this climate anyone can afford a £75,000 vehicle.

“We are struggling like anyone else and I ask that – I know you are not going to cancel this because of the government – but you can delay and postpone it to give us time to breathe and work together."

Further delay to Clean Air Zone would cost Sheffield at least £705,240 a month