Hounslow Council is asking for residents' views about its plans to improve air quality and cut pollution in our borough. Make sure you have your say.
Published: Wednesday, 26th July 2023
Hounslow Council wants your views on air quality in our borough and what we can all do to improve it.
The Council has launched a consultation exercise for its draft Air Quality Action Plan AQAP) 2023 - 2028.
The plan describes the state of air pollution in Hounslow at present and then outlines the actions that the Council is proposing to improve air quality over the next five years.
Exposure to poor air quality and pollution has been linked to chronic long-term health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, asthma and other lung diseases, including cancer.
The annual health cost of exposure to air pollution in the UK has been estimated at £15 billion. In Hounslow, it is estimated that in excess of 100 deaths, each year can be attributed to poor quality.
Between now and September, the Council and its partners want as many people as possible who live, work, study in or visit Hounslow to look at the draft plan and give their views.
The plan outlines 90 actions, and the Council has chosen to prioritise 12 of these. They include measures such as installing more air quality monitors, improving opportunities for people to walk and cycle in our borough, improving air quality in and around schools and introducing measures to further reduce harmful emissions.
Hounslow Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, Councillor Katherine Dunne, said:
“Poor air quality affects everyone. It impacts our environment and our physical and mental health and wellbeing and we know that more deprived communities are affected the most.
“No one in Hounslow wants to breathe dirty air. We have a duty to ourselves, our families and our community to take positive action over air pollution in our borough.
“The draft Air Quality Action Plan gives us the roadmap to how we can improve the air we all breathe and introduce cleaner, more sustainable behaviours that will safeguard our borough for generations to come.
“However, this is not a challenge the Council can resolve in isolation. If we are to truly have an impact on air quality in our borough, then everyone has a part to play.”
“I would urge everyone in our borough to take some time to read through the plans, give us their views and join in the conversation about one of the fundamental things we need to survive - the air we breathe.”
The easiest way to take part in the consultation for the Air Quality Action Plan is to complete the online survey at: www.hounslow.gov.uk/aqap
