Leeds City Council Air Quality and Health Workshop

Leeds City Council Air Quality and Health Workshop

Breathing City investigators joined colleagues at Leeds City Council, UKHSA and the NHS on Tuesday 28th March 2023 for an Air Quality and Health Workshop. The workshop provided a space for everyone to get up to speed on the national and local policies and strategies for both indoor and outdoor air quality, learn about national and local air quality monitoring programmes, and discuss the next steps for improving indoor and outdoor air quality for the people of Leeds.

In particular, attendees looked into some of the key recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer’s 2022 annual report on air pollution, and discussed how Leeds City Council might be best placed to act on these recommendations. The findings from the 2023 Leeds Health Needs Assessment on Air Quality and Health were also discussed.

The Leeds’ Air Quality Strategy 2021 to 2030 report to Executive Board and action plan sets out how Leeds intends to eliminate the city’s remaining outdoor Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) and achieve the World Health Organisation targets for air quality by 2030. The plan includes actions to tackle air pollution from transport, home, industry and agriculture. Leeds City Council will also work with the health and care sector to ensure that the most vulnerable residents understand how best to protect themselves from pollutants. You can read more about the Leeds air quality strategy here.