Open Letter to Councillors - Royal College of Physicians 2025 Air Pollution Report, Traffic Plan, Council is Failing its Own Air Pollution Targets, Bus Only ULEZ Cancelled?

Written by Adrian Hill

Good Afternoon All Councillors

I write this letter as I cannot seem to get any questions approved in the cabinet system anymore; either there is too long a wait between opportunities or my emails are not responded to or are forgotten. It seems like there is some breakdown of the public question system.

Royal College of Physicians 2025 Air Pollution Report on Health

There is a new up to date report from the Royal College of Physicians on air quality that shows poor air quality costs the UK £27 billion pounds and 30,000 deaths (2025 figures). Some of you, especially the Labour councillors, I believe are pretending air quality is not an issue anymore; that is wrong and dangerously misleading people as I have repeatedly warned you; here is more proof.

Lewes Road is one of the most polluted spots in the UK and the RCP document is very relevant to it. When the report says "the gains that have been made have not been the same everywhere" and "people living in the 20% most deprived areas experienced 8% higher average PM2.5 concentrations than those in the 20% least deprived" they are talking about our city Brighton and especially locations such as Lewes Road.

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/media/0yia2peh/rcp-summary-for-policymakers-a-breath-of-fresh-air-responding-to-the-health-challenges-of-modern-air-pollution.pdf

Traffic Plan

I have recently read the proposed transport plan. I was surprised it doesn't sufficiently tackle air pollution on the very polluted roads such as Lewes Road, North Street and Preston Circus. Labour councillors, you are all responsible for providing a safe and healthy environment to your constituents and you are currently failing them; a ten year plan that fails to address this is very concerning.

  1. The plan needs to include a clean air zone as this is the most effective way to reduce the cost and health burden associated with Brighton's very polluted road traffic.
  2. The most polluted roads such as Lewes Road must be higher on the priority list for improvements; I couldn't see anything in the ten year plan.
  3. Reaffirm the promise to meet local air quality targets as set out in the 2022 air quality plan and voted on by all parties. Currently Labour councillors, you are failing badly to meet your targets.
  4. A comparison between electric buses and an urban tramway seems to be missing. Urban trams are more cost effective than electric buses over perhaps a ten year period, more popular, they would also require 3x less energy to run them (quicker to carbon neutral). It seems suspicious that there is no mention of urban trams in a ten year plan. All three hustings I attended for the last local elections I heard Labour councillors talking about how important trams were to them. An entire fleet of electric buses will leave a legacy of dirty tyre based particulates that will be impossible to meet WHO guideline levels.
  5. There is a lack of acknowledgement of the tyre and brake particulates from road traffic that now comprises 60% of road traffic toxic particulates.
  6. There is no acknowledgement that reducing road space will cause a worsening of air pollution and CO2 and more importantly there is no sufficient mitigating action. As demonstrated by the figures below, Cllr Trevor Muten's strategy of hoping that air pollution will go away with a couple of red routes is farcical; Lewes Road is still severely polluted many months (a year) after they were painted.
  7. There is no mention of a need to end polluting diesel. This was in the Brighton & Hove manifesto and is key to improving air quality and should be reaffirmed.
  8. The plan doesn't make make it clear enough that 50% of vehicles on the road will remain non-electric - cities like Oslo have reached that goal already. Nor does it suggest how the city themselves will use a carrot and a stick to encourage people.

My summary of the transport plan is that it completely lacks enough action on improving air quality in the city, doesn't propose any action on the most polluted sections of roads and adds a legacy of tyre particulates for us all to breathe.

The Council is Failing its Own 2022 Daily NO2 Air Pollution Targets

On Lewes Road the latest data shows that 25% of days violated local daily targets. More stringent World Health Organisation levels show safe levels violated on 82% of days. The poor environment of the city is a major factor in why your loved ones, children, relatives, yourselves and your constituents suffer disease. The targets were a promise to constituents and that promise is being broken.

Labour's manifesto promised an end to polluting diesel. A clean air zone is the only way to solve this. It should have been implemented five years ago so significant harm has already occurred. A clean air zone would be better late than never as it would still be relevant in ten years (the Labour plan suggests around 50% of vehicles would still be non-electric in 2035; it would be helpful if that 50% were not the most polluting diesels).

There are two bus routes I've been informed of that will be electrictrified in the next 12 months but these won't run on the most polluted road in the city with the highest levels of deprivation; Lewes Road. Why is the most polluted road not a priority for clean air in the city?

Generally Labour need to stop misleading their constituents that air pollution is safe.

Stats from the sensors and uploaded into google sheets. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15D4smWYWz7ij_OBD8gyZllbWD711EpdwBLXi6DmH00o/

You must demand interventions as a matter of urgency and you must demand a clean air zone if you are serious about looking after one another's health.

Has the Bus Only ULEZ on North Street Been Cancelled

My last survey suggested around 20% of the buses on this stretch were non compliant. Compared to London's ULEZ where only 3% were non compliant. Why such disparity? There are no ULEZ signs either and most of the literature seems to have been removed by the council. It certainly isn't working. Why is it not working? Why has it still not been extended to taxis? Labour you really need to do more!