Calling on Mayoral Candidates to stand up for clean air

On 2 May, communities across England will head to the ballot box to vote for their new Metro Mayor. Here in the clean air team at Asthma + Lung UK, we’re campaigning for mayoral candidates to protect everyone’s lungs from toxic air pollution.

What will it take to make clean air a priority in the Mayoral elections?

We are campaigning to clean up toxic air in Greater London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. We’re determined to make sure that all candidates running to be elected are talking about their plans to protect lung health from the dangers of air pollution. We’re doing this in three ways: last month we asked our supporters what they wanted their next Mayor to do to reduce air pollution. We want to make sure we’re representing your views when we meet with candidates, and we were so pleased that so many of you responded. Through April we’ll be organising meetings with candidates, called hustings, where we’ll ask them to lay out their case to be elected.

And before we speak to Mayoral candidates directly, we’re hosting an online event called What will it take to make clean air a priority in the Mayoral elections? We’ll tell you more about why campaigning ahead of elections is so crucial, and how you can get involved in your area.

Read on to learn more about our plans for your area.

Demanding change at the London mayoral election

While we welcome the ULEZ in London, toxic air remains a real issue. What’s worse, the issue of air pollution has been treated like a political football. We’re fighting to make clean air a priority at the mayoral election – and to make sure the voice of people with lung conditions is no longer overlooked. Public health must be at the forefront of the debate.

Our recent survey revealed that Asthma + Lung UK supporters living in Greater London want the next Mayor to prioritise making walking and cycling easier and safer, and for more affordable and frequent public transport options to be available.

In April we’re organising a London hustings event for candidates to talk about air pollution. Before that, we hope you’ll join us to hear more about what you can do to make them stand up and listen to people with lung conditions. Join our online event on 14 March to find out more.

Campaigning to tackle toxic air in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester has the most polluted air in the UK. In December, Greater Manchester council submitted its latest plans to tackle its toxic air to government – but months later, we’re still waiting to find out whether these plans will be approved or rejected.

In our survey, around 90% of people living in Greater Manchester said tackling air pollution is important at the upcoming elections on 2 May.

We too want to see bold, evidence-based action to cut toxic air as soon as possible. During our campaign we’ll be working with other community organisations based in Greater Manchester to ensure candidates stop wasting time and focus on solutions to toxic air.

At the end of March, we’ll be organising a hustings event with candidates focused on how plans to improve public transport can be combined with plans to protect lung health. It will be an opportunity for Mayoral candidates to get serious about taking action. We’ll share more details about it during our upcoming on online event in March - make sure to sign up to find out more.

Fighting for breath in West Yorkshire

Despite being mandated by government to tackle unsafe and illegal levels of air pollution, toxic air remains a huge issue in West Yorkshire. Air pollution is a serious risk to over 200,000 people with lung conditions in the region, and 56,000 children under the age of six. Something has to change.

In addition to our survey with Asthma + Lung UK supporters, we also produced a new report in November 2023, Breathing Life into West Yorkshire, where we shared the results of polling across the region and what people really want to see to reduce air pollution. We know that communities are concerned about their lung health and want to see action. Now we’ll be making sure that all mayoral candidates recognise air pollution as a public health emergency and commit to taking our recommendations forward if elected.

We’re planning a hustings event with candidates in West Yorkshire in mid-April, where we’ll hear from candidates about plans to prioritise clean air. We’ll be sharing more information at our online event on 14 March, so if you want to know more about the campaign, be sure to sign up.

Making clean air a priority for the West Midlands

In recent years, some progress has been made to tackle toxic air in the region, from the introduction of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone to the launch of the West Midlands Air Quality Plan. However, air pollution levels are still almost 5x World Health Organization guidelines. We need to keep the pressure on mayoral candidates to urgently deliver existing plans to clean the air and commit to more ambitious action to protect our lungs.

You told us you wanted to see mayoral candidates to be bold and willing to speak out for cleaner air. At our online event, we’ll be laying out our plans for making sure they do just that – so make sure to sign up today.

How the mayoral elections can lead to commitments to tackle toxic air

We hope you’re keen to campaign with us across Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and London. Join us at our online event on 14 March 6-7:30pm and hear from an excellent line up of campaigners who are passionate about fighting for clean air. You’ll have the chance to hear more about each campaign and to ask questions.