Coun Cathy Martin clarified the council’s air quality action plan to tackle pollution on Kingshill Road.

She said: “Tackling the air quality along Kingshill Road is far from straightforward and there is no magic wand. We are finalising our Air Quality Action plan which takes into account the feedback we received from our recent consultation. Three quarters of respondents agreed with the proposed measures put forward by the council and we received a number of other ideas from local people so I would like to thank all those who shared their views.

“I will be proposing a number of measures at next month’s cabinet meeting which include seeking to make a traffic regulation order to stop HGVs using Kingshill, which could reduce the nitrogen dioxide levels there by more than 10 per cent. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but that would hit a third of the target we are aiming to reach. We’ll also be asking the bus companies how they can improve the emissions standards of their fleets and how they can encourage more people to use the bus and leave their cars behind.

“We’ll be talking to local employers about improving the emissions standards of their own fleets. With those companies who have employee car schemes, we’ll be asking how they can encourage or incentivise their staff to use lower emission vehicles. We are already looking at our own fleet at the council and how we can improve our own emissions standards. These are just some of the measures which will be going into the Plan. Our aim is to improve air quality on Kingshill for everyone, but particularly the residents who live there and those who cycle or walk on that hill.”