Local Air Quality Management

What is Local Air Quality Management?

 

Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) provides the framework under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 within which air quality is managed by England’s local authorities (district, borough, and city councils). LAQM requires local authorities to review and assess a range of air pollutants against the objectives set by the Air Quality Strategy using a range of monitoring, modelling, and other methods. 

 

These are reported annually to DEFRA. If an exceedance of any objectives are likely the Local Authority is required to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and then prepare an Action Plan which outlines what must be done to meet the objectives in future. This area could be just one or two streets, or it could be much bigger.

South Tyneside’s Local Air Strategy can be found here - South Tyneside Council | Air Quality Strategy

South Tyneside Annual Status Reports

 

The annual publication of an Air Quality Annual Status Report is a statutory requirement under the Local Air Quality Management. This is a document where local authorities present on the latest status of air quality in their local areas, based on the results obtained from their annual monitoring activities. It is also a document that is expected to provide a latest update on the delivery status of all the measures that the local authority and its partners have committed to deliver, under their specific AQAP, to improve air quality in their local areas.

 

If you wish to review previous South Tyneside ASR reports, they can be found in the LAQM Archive tab.