Payments to upgrade to cleaner vehicles will end

A scheme to help drivers buy less polluting vehicles in order to reduce emissions in Sheffield city centre is to close.

The city council has revealed that the Clean Air Financial Assistance Support Scheme will stop accepting new applications on 31 May.

It was introduced to help drivers of lorries, taxis, coaches and buses upgrade their vehicles ahead of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) taking effect in 2023.

The council said it had paid out £6.9m in grant support and helped to replace 1,754 vehicles.

The introduction of the CAZ in Sheffield proved controversial.

Under the scheme, commercial drivers of the most polluting vehicles were charged £10 a day and larger vehicles £50. Drivers of private vehicles were exempt from the charges.

Many business opposed the change, fearing it could keep customers away and increase costs.

There were also worries that roads in other parts of the city could become rat-runs as drivers tried to avoid routes inside the inner ring road which are subject to charges.

However, since the introduction of the scheme air quality in the city centre has improved.

In July 2024 the council revealed that harmful nitrogen dioxide levels had fallen by 16% since the launch of the CAZ. Outside the boundaries of the zone, there was a greater reduction in pollution levels of 21%.

The authority said the financial assistance was never intended to be available permanently.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee at Sheffield City Council, said he wanted to "thank those who have taken the time to apply and upgrade or replace their polluting vehicles to cleaner ones".

He said future funding would focus on air quality improvements such as electrifying buses.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North