Barnet has been awarded Cleaner Air Borough (CAB) status, for effectively monitoring and reducing air pollution.
The Cleaner Air Borough accreditation, awarded to boroughs which effectively monitor and reduce air pollution, is part of the Mayor of London’s Local Air Quality Management (LLAQM) framework.
Managed by the environmental health team in Re*, the framework is used by local authorities to review and improve air quality within their areas, designed to specifically meet London’s needs.
The accreditation relates only to the performance of the borough in terms of working to address local pollution.
Barnet was commended for its work involving schools and the local public through the Air Quality Champion scheme which it runs jointly with Harrow.
The accreditation also acknowledged Barnet’s progress on a number of measures as part of the North Finchley Clean Air project, as well as developing a new action plan for the period 2016-2021.
The council, together with Re*, have planted 114 trees on streets close to busy junctions to help reduce pollution. The trees such as Magnolia and London Plane are nitrogen-loving and each tree removes 2kg of carbon dioxide per year.
Councillor Dean Cohen, Chairman of the Environment Committee said: “We are very pleased that our hard work to keep Barnet’s air clean has paid off.”
“Air pollution obviously affects the health of everyone who lives, works or visits our borough. This is why our work in this area is vital and we will continue to do our best to keep the air as clean as possible.”