In the run-up to tomorrow’s (Thursday 17 June) Clean Air Day, Ipswich Borough Council has been taking the message about countering air pollution out across the town.
Our Environmental Health team has been addressing schools, community centres and the NHS through education workshops as well as ‘anti-idling’ events, where stationary motorists with engines running are encouraged to switch them off.
At St Pancras Primary School on Tuesday 15 June, pupils and teachers took a ‘Clean Air Pledge’. At a ‘Lunch and Learn’ event held on Wednesday 16 June for the Ipswich and East Suffolk NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS staff learnt about the causes of air pollution and how they can help improve air quality.
Ipswich Borough Council is also working daily to improve air quality. We are monitoring air pollution in areas that have been found to have the worst air pollution. These have been designated Air Quality Management Areas and in these areas we have devised an Air Quality Action Plans that work to reduce pollution.
We are also encouraging the provision of electric vehicle charging points; investing in a reduced-emissions council fleet and making air quality improvement part of our Local Plan - which addresses how the town develops – as well as other initiatives.
Says Cllr Alasdair Ross, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Community Protection:
“Sixty-three deaths a year in Ipswich and about thirty-six thousand in the UK are linked to air pollution. The biggest cause of poor air quality in our town is traffic-pollution.
“That’s just two good reasons why it’s vital the council do the work we have done in the community this week to get more people understanding the issue and acting. It’s also why we are working every day in not just the areas with the worst air quality, but across Ipswich, to improve air quality.
Says Andrew Urquhart, sustainability lead for the West Suffolk CCG, Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG, North East Essex CCG clinical commissioning groups:
‘’Our physical and mental wellbeing is intrinsically linked to the state of the environment, and Clean Air Day is a valuable opportunity to highlight how a clean environment positively impacts our health and happiness.’’
