The seven south & east Lincolnshire Councils Partnership will work with the County Council to drive a new ‘Clean Air Lincolnshire’ project in collaboration with Lincolnshire County Council.
As part of the project, given a grant by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a public awareness campaign will be developed including a new website which will launch in autumn, providing useful information on the causes and impacts of air pollution and the actionable steps to take to improve local air quality and reduce health conditions related to air pollution.
Public Health England says poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK and can cause spikes in cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, particularly in the young or vulnerable. Clean Air Lincolnshire will raise awareness of these issues and encourage action for cleaner air across the county.
Efforts will be made to involve local schools across the county in the project, using data from air quality monitoring equipment to educate students, staff and parents on the effects of local air pollution and how to reduce exposure and emissions. Using the data and local knowledge, school students will run campaigns during the 2023/24 school year, promoting active travel and anti-idling, to improve air quality around their schools.
The councils are hailing this as a fantastic new initiative aimed at improving air quality through both education and action to ‘drive better health for residents’.
Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It is great news we have received funding from DEFRA to improve air quality in Lincolnshire. We are committed to tackling air pollution across the county and recognise cleaner air will be crucial to improve the health of our residents and young people”.
