Agenda item

To receive a report and presentation.

Paul Newman, Team Leader - Environmental Protection Team delivered a tabled presentation to cover the Air Quality Annual Status Report 2019. The presentation slides were as follows:

  i.  Air quality trends

  ii.  Air quality framework

  iii.  2019 Actions

  iv.  Obstacles encountered

  v.  Next Steps (1), (2)

  vi.  Improving partnership working

Kate Langford, Programme Director for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, Health Effects of Air Pollution delivered a verbal update in response to Appendix 5 of the report.

In response to a question and answer session, the Board noted the following points:

·  Ella Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old girl, had severe asthma and had tragically  died due to air pollution in 2013. This emphasised the need to take more action towards improving air quality in the borough.

·  The air quality school’s audits were offered to any school that were reported to be above the objected limit for air pollution. Southwark School audits were paid for by the Council and all non-Southwark schools received their audits via a framework agreement.

·  Schools that were maintained and non-maintained in the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area received funding under the Old Kent Road regeneration fund programme.

·  There was a need to make a real step-change in tackling air pollution as it was everyone’s business and a continuation of the one-year public health campaign linked with effective engagement could still help to try, and get people to change their behaviours like stop using cars where feasible and lead by example.

·  Building a combined evidence base case would be more effective to make a change. By looking at health inequalities caused by air pollution and those that benefit from it to how to improve air quality (reducing air pollution) to help address the health inequalities.

·  London was considered probably the best monitored city in the world when it came to air quality, as the London Network can give data detail resolution from approximately 500 meters.

·  The council’s improved air quality monitoring capabilities were detailed in Appendix 1, page 51 of the report. Although, there was still a demand to obtain granular data from various traffic schemes and the impact this had on air quality.

·  Need to improve engagement with the residents when imposing low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) by supporting the schemes with an evidence-based approach to achieve the support from the neighbourhoods involved and the residents of the borough as a whole.

·  Working with the schools would also be an effective way forward in trying to raise awareness.

·  Air travel did not affect ground level pollution although the main burden of air pollutants from aviation were during take-off and testing of the engines. Evidence had shown that the particulate burden at ground level in the borough was when the wind blows in from the direction of Heathrow.

The Chair thanked the presenters and the opportunity to work collaboratively with Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity in transforming the borough through the ten-year commitment to deliver health benefits and a safer environment.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the Health and Wellbeing Board noted the contents of the Southwark Annual Status Report 2019 (ASR 2019), presented as Appendix 1.

2.  That the Health and Wellbeing Board share their views on establishing a Air Quality steering group which reports into the emerging Climate Emergency Strategy oversight arrangements.

3.  That the Health and Wellbeing Board noted paragraphs 42 to 46 of the report and considered how Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity can best support the work of the board through their Health Effects of Air Pollution programme, and identified opportunities for partnership working and collaboration.