Statement by Cllr James Lewis regarding the Clean Van Commitment

Commenting on the recent announcement that Leeds City Council are one of 16 organisations to sign a new 'Clean Van Commitment'-- led by charity Global Action Plan in partnership with Engie and backed by the Department for Transport -- to collectively invest £40 million in electric vans over the next two years and kickstart the replacement of the UK's four million diesel vans, Cllr James Lewis, executive member with responsibility for sustainability and resources, said:

“Leeds City Council is proud to be a signatory of the Clean Van Commitment recently announced. This is just another great example of action the council is taking to tackle air pollution and protect the health of everyone in our city.

“The council already operate more electric vehicles than any other local authority in England and we will be continuously moving our fleet to cleaner vehicles. In fact, we have a bold ambition to fully transition our fleet to zero or ultra-low emission vehicles by 2025. Across the council, many zero and ultra-low emission vehicles are already being used across a wide range of council services including property maintenance, sweeping roads, civil enforcement and collecting refuse.

“All of us that live and work in Leeds share a responsibility for improving the quality of the air we breathe.

“In addition to greening our own fleet, the council is working hard to reduce its own contribution to air pollution in other important ways. For example, we have rolled out flexible and remote working in order to minimise travel; encourage our staff to use public transport where travel is necessary; provide an annual cycle-to-work scheme and, in some offices, cycle lockers and showers to make it easier for staff to bike to work.

"We are working with a number of employers and businesses in the city to help them recognise the benefits of taking these simple steps, and others, to help improve pollution in the city.”

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Chad Newton

Communications and Marketing Officer

Email: chad.newton@leeds.gov.uk

Tel: 01133 789849

Notes to editors:

A full press release about the Clean Van Commitment can be found at the following link:

• https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=5c8d76ea-15f8-46dd-9f80-62a5c2c183c6

More information on the Clean Van Commitment can be found at the following links:

• https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/clean-van-commitment
• https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=4fa1da96-9827-4d9e-b0bf-26c7ab9fee94