Case study: Clean Air
In contrast, for the Clean Air goal area, there are four current Defra-led strategies or plans that combine to cover air pollution emissions and ambient concentrations.110 111 112 113 They reference each other, as well as wider strategies in Defra (for example, the Agricultural Transition Plan114) and in other government departments (for example, the Department for Transport’s Decarbonisation Plan115) that are critical to their success. This is important for designing and communicating coherence. An additional step would be to provide a more detailed explanation of the synergies and trade-offs among these strategies and their constituent policies. This is something that future iterations of EIPs and APRs could provide.
The Clean Air Strategy states that its constituent policies will combine to achieve its targets on time. However, it does not give a breakdown of which policies are more or less important, how much they contribute, or why they are the right mix of policies. This is also true of the UK Air Quality Strategy. The National Air Pollution Control Plan gets closer, by including current and projected impacts for all of its various policies and measures (see highlight box for more details).
A coherent policy: The National Air Pollution Control Programme
The current National Air Pollution Control Programme, and its proposed update, 116 provides a breakdown of what each policy will contribute towards reaching specific air pollution targets. It defines the types of policies and considers their coherence as a mix of activities. It sets out which sectors are most affected and who has key delivery responsibilities. It then links this to the achievement of targets. It creates an evidence-based delivery pathway.
Transparency is supported by using a standard format for including certain information in plans, strategies and policies. This would enable the Office for Environmental Protection and other stakeholders to more readily understand how policies align, what their relative contributions are, and how their delivery is managed.
The delivery details for policies often reside in technical documentation or in local delivery institutions. However, this information can be collated and explained. The Air Quality Plan for nitrogen dioxide117 lists policy leads, partners and timescales. It also delves into the details of which sectors, technologies and behaviours are involved. It provides this detail for a range of policies, such as investment in active travel, retrofitting public transport services and introducing Clean Air Zones, all of which can then be reflected in the local authorities’ own context-sensitive delivery plans.118
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Clean Air Strategy, 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-air-strategy-2019.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: Volume 1, 2011, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-air-quality-strategy-for-england-scotland-wales-and-northern-ireland-volume-1.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK National Air Pollution Control Programme, 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-quality-uk-national-air-pollution-control-programme.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Department for Transport, Air Quality Plan for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in UK.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024, 2020, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-transition-plan-2021-to-2024.
- Department for Transport, Transport Decarbonisation Plan, 2021, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-decarbonisation-plan.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Draft UK National Air Pollution Control Programme.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Department for Transport, Air Quality Plan for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in UK.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, “Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) Support Website,” accessed December 2, 2022, https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/.