Life in Leeds City

Drivers of the most polluting vehicles could be charged up to £50 a day to enter Leeds under radical new air pollution reduction plans. The Clean Air Zone, which could be the first outside of London, will cover more than half of Leeds and will see drivers monitored through the January 2020 camera network. Lorries, buses and coaches would all be charged. The Council hopes that it will drastically reduce nitrogen dioxide levels, which contribute to approximately 29,000 UK deaths every year, according to Public Heath England. The proposal has drawn criticism from the hauliers who say it is likely to increase pollution and congestion because companies will dodge the charge by switching from lorries to vans which are not subject to the charge. In 2016, the government ordered the five local authorities to implement air quality charging schemes with Leeds on the list. Leeds Council requested £27 million from the Government's Clean Air Fund to support local companies to upg

The Green Belt Areas of Leeds for potential future housing development shall be fully protected following the initial view of government planning inspectors. The Site Allocation Plan for Leeds, which identifies new housing locations to meet the city's future needs, was considered in a public examination that took place earlier this summer. As part of the plan, Leeds City Council proposed development protection for 33 green belt sites previously identified as potential locations for 6,450 future homes. This proposal reflected the council 's desire to protect the green belt as much as possible as part of its commitment to reduce the overall urban housing targets based on the latest local evidence. The two independent government-appointed inspectors have today states interim views on the plan which support the council’s approach regarding green belt protection. The Site Allocations Plan establishes locations for up to 66,000 new homes in Leeds by 2028, as defined in the 2014 cor

In his conference of the his party on Wednesday, Jeremy Corbyn unveiled plans to kick-start a green 'Arbeitsplätze' Revolution. But one flaw in any low-carbon industry plan to ‘create jobs' is that many parts of it tend to be capital intensive and does not require people. In Labour's modelling, they pledge to spend £12.8 billion on the home insulation programme, which they say would create approximately 160,000 jobs. This would lead to a £80,000 grant per job created. Moreover, the creation of state-funded jobs can carry enormous costs, although it also has many opportunities. The money required for this programme would have to come from somewhere. If government borrowed to finance the programme, it would risk crowding out private investment. If it decided to fund the programme itself, an increase in taxation of industries and jobs would be required which, in turn, leaves less money for employers and consumers. The Spanish subsidy model, which many