Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

Climate · drafted 2026-07-01 · accepted · 2 finding(s)

← council-level findings on this theme

19 Aug 2025On 19 August 2025 Newcastle-under-Lyme's Licensing & Public Protection Committee revoked two Air Quality Management Areas (Kidsgrove; May Bank, Wolstanton & Porthill) after DEFRA advised the areas were now compliant, both revocation orders being approved with no recorded dissent. This is NOT a climate/air-quality rollback: the revocations followed statutory review after pollution levels fell below the legal threshold (attributed to increased uptake of lower-emission vehicles) and were made on DEFRA's own advice, not a political decision to reject, weaken or oppose air-quality action — no evidence of a Clean Air Zone, workplace parking levy or CAZ rejection was found in the council's published minutes. [1][2][3][4]

13 Jan 2026No abandonment or reduction found: Cabinet approved Phase 7 of the Borough Tree Planting Strategy for immediate implementation on 13 January 2026, continuing the programme (over 24,000 trees planted across the first 6 phases, 34,065 in total including community planting) and expanding its scope by designating new planting sites as Carbon Capture Areas in the Open Space Strategy — this is a continuation/expansion, not a rollback, so this council does NOT count toward the rollback figure. [5][6][7]

References (7)
  1. Minutes, 19 August 2025 “The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had evaluated the data and had advised that the Air Quality Management Area could be revoked.”
  2. Minutes, 19 August 2025 “Resolved: That the Air Quality Management Area Number 1 - Kidsgrove - Revocation Order 2025, to take effect from the 20th August 2025, be approved.”
  3. Minutes, 19 August 2025 “Resolved: That the Air Quality Management Area Number 3 – May Bank, Wolstanton and Porthill - Revocation Order 2025, to take effect from the 20th August 2025, be approved.”
  4. Minutes, 19 August 2025 “The figures had reduced year on year and was now below the legal requirement which was believed to be due to the increased uptake of lower emission vehicles.”
  5. Minutes, 13 January 2026 “The first 6 phases had been delivered over the last 5 years with over 24,000 having been planted over 37 sites.”
  6. Minutes, 13 January 2026 “That Phase 7 of the Borough Tree Planting Strategy be approved for immediate implementation, subject to the final consultation responses, and the Service Director – Neighbourhood Delivery is authorised to seek and accept quotations for the work.”
  7. Minutes, 13 January 2026 “That the new planting sites be designated as Carbon Capture Areas in the Open Space Strategy.”