Regional collaborative urban air quality management: Case studies across Great Britain

Almost a third of local authorities across Great Britain have declared air quality management areas (AQMAs), which are the focus of concerted actions to reduce unacceptably high concentrations of prescribed air pollutants by a date specified in regulations. Local government has been provided with guidance from central governments on the use of modelling and monitoring tools, as part of a local air quality review and assessment process. Use of the various tools and the interpretation of the findings have not been consistent across Great Britain. As a result, AQMAs are neither uniform in shape nor in the decision-making processes leading to their declaration. Local authorities have collaborated in many parts of the country, using working groups to share experiences and resources. This paper examines groupings from three regions of Great Britain; London, the West Midlands and the former-Avon area of Southwest England. An examination of the methods and tools used collaboratively has illustrated variation in local air quality management decision-making and AQMA designation. This has implications for delivering the necessary improvements to achieve the UK’s national air quality objectives.