Publishing the total number of Clean Air Zone fines issued so far could be too confusing, according to Bristol City Council. Almost six months after the scheme was first introduced, the number of drivers who have been hit with fines remains a mystery.
The council refused to answer a recent freedom of information (FoI) request asking for the number of penalty charge notices issued for the Clean Air Zone, from December to March. This is because making these figures available to the public could “result in confusion”.
Details of the number of fines, as well as any effect on air pollution, are expected to be published at the end of the year in an update report on the Clean Air Zone. The controversial scheme was introduced last November, covering a wide area around the city centre.
Read more: Number of Clean Air Zone fines a mystery as council boss refuses to confirm figures
Responding to the FoI request, a council officer said: “There is a firm intention to publish the requested information at a future date. Accelerating publication would unnecessarily divert scarce council resources in dealing with premature scrutiny of the success or otherwise of the CAZ scheme, and would represent an inefficient use of public money.
“Council officers would have to take time away from their normal duties to locate and collate the information. While we recognise that you have an interest in the detailed information, this has to be balanced with the council’s use of resources in dealing with other tasks and duties required of them as a public authority.
“To accurately assess the performance of the Clean Air Zone against the stated objective for introducing the zone requires accurate air quality data to be available. The full data set required to accurately assess this performance will not be available until the zone has been in place for a minimum of 12 months. Disclosure of partial or incomplete information would be likely to mislead and result in confusion, inaccuracy or misunderstanding.”
Data on air quality can be difficult to compare month by month, due to changing factors like the weather and seasons. However Birmingham City Council, which launched its own Clean Air Zone in June 2021, published a comprehensive six-month update in March last year. This report included detailed figures on pollution levels recorded over many sites across the city.
Bristol City Council previously said that a comprehensive update — covering air quality and operational information — will be published as a cabinet report in December, so that all data about the Clean Air Zone is revealed to the public at the same time.
The Clean Air Zone launched on November 28 last year. People driving older and more polluting vehicles are charged a fee to drive into a zone around the city centre, either £9 or £100 depending on the vehicle size, and drivers who fail to pay this charge are issued a fine.
