Within the House of Commons, I have been advocating for more vigorous measures to address atmospheric contamination, and grassroots clean air activists are informing me that considerably more effort is required in Brighton to transform breathable air into an actual human entitlement within our urban area.
The local authority operates an impressive real-time air quality observation portal, which proves valuable for residents wishing to identify where air quality standards are highest and lowest. I experienced considerable surprise recently when assessing the nitrogen dioxide concentrations in my parliamentary constituency alongside those recorded on London’s Oxford Street.
At 14:30 on Friday, 20 March, the nitrogen dioxide concentration adjacent to St Paul’s Primary School within my constituency measured 56 micrograms per cubic metre, whilst simultaneously the figure recorded on Oxford Street stood at merely 39 micrograms.
Both measurements exceed the existing threshold of 25 micrograms for mean nitrogen dioxide concentrations across a 24-hour timeframe advised by the World Health Organisation, though my drive to reduce Brighton’s contamination has been intensified as never before by witnessing this significant public health data directly.
One factor contributing to these results is that the capital has made substantial progress in recent times in decreasing this particular pollutant, which predominantly originates from diesel and petrol-powered vehicles.
During 2023, I offered robust backing for the capital-wide extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone, supporting the Mayor whilst Labour leader Keir Starmer was becoming increasingly lukewarm about this initiative after suffering defeat in a parliamentary by-election in suburban London, for justifications that were not actually connected to its implementation. Meaningful advancements in public health can only be achieved through leaders possessing the political fortitude to uphold significant policies such as this, even when subjected to external pressure.
The capital has now been identified as one of 19 metropolitan areas globally, encompassing Paris and San Francisco, that have accomplished notable decreases in air contamination. Through the Ultra Low Emission Zone combined with financial commitments assisting individuals and enterprises in transitioning to electric automobiles, light goods vehicles, buses and taxis, alongside an extensive development of its cycling infrastructure and sustainable transportation network, has proven transformative.
Where the capital leads, other urban areas struggle to maintain pace – not because they lack motivation in numerous instances, including here in Brighton and Hove – but owing to shortcomings in central government strategy, resources and encouragement for courageous initiatives.
The severely congested Lewes Road bordering my constituency contains five infant schools, three early years settings and numerous residential properties, and continues to rank highest among roads monitored by the council for contamination levels. A petition organised by local residents requesting a low emission zone and public transport priority arrangements along this road has accumulated almost 2,000 signatories.
Spearheaded by Dr Sara Leddy, a neurology specialist at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the community campaign group last year submitted documentation to elected members regarding the connection between exposure to contaminated air and heightened probability of developing dementia.
Sara informed the council members that this illness inflicts devastation upon those affected and their relatives, and any interventions capable of preventing this condition are justified from economic, medical and personal standpoints.
Last week in the Commons, I pressed government ministers once more to adopt my Clean Air (Human Rights) legislation.
I initially proposed this measure during the previous year with backing from numerous parliamentarians across party lines, and have this month released in full the fresh targets, strategies and interventions it would establish legally.
The legislation carries the designation Ella’s Law, in honour of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, whose passing represented the inaugural case in England officially ascribed to air contamination. I have been collaborating extensively with Ella’s remarkable mother Rosamund to broaden cross-party endorsement and refine the specifics of measures that would finally establish breathing clean air as an authentic human entitlement.
Holding a physical copy of this work and commemorating alongside the numerous campaigners responsible for its existence proved immensely satisfying.
Through a comprehensive strategy of this nature, atmospheric quality could be enhanced for residents throughout the entire United Kingdom, meaning Ella’s Law warrants adoption by the government in the forthcoming State Opening of Parliament. However, Environment Minister Emma Hardy, to whom I put this proposition during last week’s parliamentary session, declined to endorse this direction – at least not yet.
I shall persist in maintaining that she must act. The consequences for our lives and our children’s wellbeing of allowing Ella’s Law to remain unaddressed are simply prohibitive.