Newcastle Clean Air Zone: £1 million has been spent on vehicle upgrades since start of scheme

Newcastle City Council have confirmed nearly £1 million has been spent to help vehicles become eligible for the city’s new Clean Air Zone which came into place at the start of the year.

As part of a NewcastleWorld freedom of information request, the city council confirmed it has paid out a total of “over £960,000” for Vehicle Upgrade Grants from when the scheme was introduced until the end of June 2023.

These grants are available to the general public and are used to replace or upgrade vehicles which do not meet the Clean Air Zone emissions requirements which are set by the Government.

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The information reveals a total of 2,362 Vehicle Upgrade Grants have been applied for with 939 basic eligibility letters issued as of Wednesday, August 2.

The grants remain available to any member of the public who’s vehicle does not meet the eligibility criteria and can be applied for through the Breathe Clean Air website.

Amounts have been agreed by the Government for each vehicle type. These are as follows:

• Taxis, including Hackney carriage and private hire vehicles – up to £3,500
• Wheelchair accessible taxis, including Hackney Carriage and private hire vehicles – up to £4,000
• Light goods vehicles – up to £4,500
• Heavy goods vehicles – up to £16,000
• Buses and coaches – up to £16,000

The funding can be used to purchase a compliant vehicle or to upgrade an existing vehicle.