Sheffield could soon become a ‘beacon’ city and model of best practice for improving air quality, after Sheffield City Council successfully reached the final stage of a Government funding scheme.

The city is in the running to be awarded ‘Beacon’ status, which would see it promote successful air quality innovations and thinking to other local authorities in the UK. The Beacon Scheme, which was introduced in 1999, is intended to recognise excellence amongst local authorities to help spread best practice and improve performance.

Award-winning design and communications agency, diva creative, has been working with Sheffield City Council to produce an air quality video to help show why the city is at the forefront in delivering solutions to air pollution.

The video, a key part of the city’s bid, is called ‘Delivering Cleaner Air’ and focuses on work underway in the city to effectively identify, monitor and reduce the impact of air pollutants.

Cllr Mary Lea, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Environment at Sheffield City Council, said: “Sheffield has a strong tradition in using innovate methods and technologies to help monitor and tackle problems around air quality.  Through the Beacon scheme we aim to preserve the city’s status as the UK’s ‘greenest’ city and build on our own policy of Environmental Excellence.  

“Sheffield City Council continues to work in partnership with other local authorities, local communities, businesses and other agencies to help communicate and deliver positive messages around air quality that can lead to environmental, economic and health and well-being benefits for people across the city.”

Sheffield City Council, one of five local authorities through to the final stage, has been working in partnership with a number of local organisations including:

• Sheffield Community Transport on a ‘mobility management’ scheme to effectively distribute mini-bus usage across the city
• Handsworth Community Forum to help monitor air quality in the area through a diffusion tube scheme
• Care4Air – a South Yorkshire-wide air quality awareness campaign

Mark Daly, spokesperson for Care4Air, said: “Care4Air has been a highly-successful and innovate campaign, and is seen by those in the city, and outside, as an effective way of promoting small changes to local businesses and residents that can have a significant effect on air quality.“

The Beacon panel recently visited Sheffield and awarded Sheffield City Council a maximum ‘six’ or ‘Outstanding’ for their overall contribution to improving air quality in the city.  A city council delegation party has also presented to the panel in London, where the Delivering Cleaner Air video was shown.  A final decision will be made on March 20th as to which local authority will receive Beacon Status and funding.

Shortlisted local authorities will have to show evidence that they go beyond the call of duty to promote air quality and work in partnership to minimise impacts of air pollution whilst delivering improvements to local air quality.