Local authorities manage air quality through a formal process called “Local Air Quality Management” (LAQM), which is administered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). LAQM requires local authorities to assess and report on air quality to ensure that action is taken to improve local air quality where it is not meeting relevant standards and objectives.

Phlorum’s air quality consultants have supported a number of local authorities, particularly in London and the south-east of England, in various LAQM review and assessment activities, including detailed modelling of road traffic emissions, air quality monitoring, and the production of Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs) and Annual Status Reports (ASRs).

Why Local Air Quality Management is Important

The LAQM framework encourages and facilitates the development of policy initiatives and mitigation proposals at the local authority level, such as the designation of Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and supporting AQAPs, to improve air quality locally, and often specifically in areas where air quality has been identified as poor (i.e. close to, or in exceedance of, the UK’s air quality standards).

Through the implementation of carefully considered air pollution mitigation measures, developed through the LAQM review and assessment process, local authorities can make substantial and long-lasting improvements to air quality, which can have significant health benefits to local communities and the natural environment.

In August 2022, DEFRA made key updates to England’s LAQM framework. A major component of the updates was the strengthening of AQAP criteria. All AQAPs are now expected to clearly demonstrate, using suitable quantitative evidence, precisely what is causing local air quality issues and how specific mitigation measures can lead to air quality improvements.

Phlorum’s Local Air Quality Management Services

Phlorum has provided the following LAQM services to local authorities:

• Detailed pollutant dispersion modelling, using ADMS-Roads, to predict current and future nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations across strategic road networks.
• Detailed pollutant dispersion modelling to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed Clean Air Zone (CAZ) options, with the results later used in Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) reviews.
• Detailed analysis of how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced a local authority’s local air quality, using sophisticated computer programming software, such as RStudio, alongside other available data sources.
• Analysis of monitoring data and source apportionment exercises, to determine which sources of pollution were contributing most to local air quality problems.
• Quantitative estimations of how certain proposed air quality mitigation measures could improve local air quality.
• The production of DEFRA-compliant AQAPs and ASRs, to assist local authorities in demonstrating how they are managing and reviewing air quality locally.
• Installation and management of nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube monitoring networks.

Why Choose Phlorum for Local Air Quality Management

The Phlorum Air Quality Team is experienced in LAQM assessment and reporting and has worked for a number of local authorities to help them better understand their local air quality issues, target mitigation measures accordingly, and communicate their plans to DEFRA through, and in compliance with, the LAQM framework.

We have supported the following local authorities with their LAQM activities:

• Brighton and Hove City Council
• Lewes District Council
• Adur District Council
• Chichester District Council
• Reading Borough Council
• Hastings Borough Council
• Swale Borough Council
• West Northamptonshire Council
• London Borough of Kingston
• London Borough of Sutton
• City of London Corporation