Sadiq Khan helps boroughs tackle toxic air with £5.3 million in new funding

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today encouraged boroughs to apply for a share of £5.3 million in new funding made available to support ambitious projects that reduce air pollution, protect public health, and make London a cleaner and healthier city  for everyone.

The funding is part of the Mayor’s £27 million Air Quality Fund, which has been matched by more than £20 million in funding and resources from the boroughs and their partners.

The Fund has already helped boroughs to cut pollution by introducing 25 new clean air routes in some of London’s busiest and most polluted neighbourhoods—helping pedestrians reduce their exposure to pollution by up to 60 per cent.

With the Mayor and Transport for London’s (TfL’s) support, boroughs have already:

• installed and upgraded over 400 electric vehicle chargers
• supported 5,300 businesses to reduce their emissions
• created over 3,000 square meters of new green spaces
• planted more than 250 trees
• installed over 1,300 cycle parking spaces
• repaired more than 750 bikes
• provided 17,000 pupils with resources and materials around improving air quality

This fourth round of funding aims to help boroughs to take action to reduce harmful particulate matter (PM_2.5) emissions, run more sustainable events, deliver projects to protect the most vulnerable Londoners from pollution exposure in locations such as schools and hospitals, and improve indoor air quality.

The Mayor is encouraging boroughs to partner together to propose joint projects, building on the success of previous pan-London projects to tackle idling, reduce emissions from construction machinery, and create more green space. Boroughs are invited to apply by 5pm on 19 January 2024, with the projects expected to start by April 2024.

Projects supported by the first three funding rounds of the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund have already demonstrated measurable benefits in improving air quality across London.

The Camden Low Emission Neighbourhood delivered an estimated 28 per cent reduction in NO_x emissions through interventions that included installing 19 electric vehicle charge points, improving pedestrian crossings, implementing three cycle lane schemes, and introducing dockless cycle hire bays and cycle hangars.

Projects elsewhere have delivered measures such as timed road closures outside schools to improve safety and reduce students’ exposure to air pollution, and cargo bike loan and hire schemes to help businesses make the switch from polluting vehicles.

This complements the Mayor’s other ambitious air quality achievements, including the London-wide expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in August 2023.

Just one month later, the number of older, more polluting vehicles in London has already dropped by nearly half, with 95 per cent of vehicles now compliant with the stringent ULEZ emissions standards.

The Mayor and TfL are also working together to convert London’s bus fleet to be entirely emissions-free, having already delivered the largest zero-emission bus fleet in Western Europe*, as well as facilitating the transition to zero emissions for cars and vans with London having more than one third of all the UK’s electric vehicle charge points.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Air pollution in our city is damaging Londoners’ health and I am determined to do all I can to tackle it.

“We’re looking for the next generation of ambitious, local, innovative projects to improve London’s air quality – so I encourage boroughs to get their thinking caps on, consider partnering up, and apply for this financial support by 19 January 2024.”