The Air Quality Fund will help London boroughs fund projects to reduce air pollution for their residents

A chimney emits smoke — Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has encouraged London boroughs to apply for a share of £5.3 million in new funding made available to support 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.

Barnet Council has previously been successful in previous rounds of the Air Quality Fund as part of a joint bid with Harrow Council in securing funding from the scheme which helped deliver two projects: North London Cleaner Air and Air Quality Champion.

Boroughs can use the money on innovative schemes to improve air quality, such as promoting cleaner and greener public events and installing indoor air filtration systems.

This fourth round of funding aims to help boroughs to take action to reduce harmful particulate matter 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 vehicles, reduce emissions from construction machinery, and create more green space.

Projects expected to begin by April 2024.

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.”

With the mayor and Transport for London’s (TfL’s) support in previous rounds of the fund, London 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 and provided 17,000 London pupils with resources and materials around improving air quality

The fund forms part of the mayor’s commitment to improve air quality across the capital, which has included the London-wide expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in August 2023.

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