13:45 Progress in LAQM in England (H Broomfield-Payne & H Venfield)

1. Progress in LAQM in England
Hannah Broomfield-Payne – Associate Director
Helen Venfield – Associate Director

2. WHO WE ARE
2
Bureau Veritas operate the Local Air Quality Management Support Contract (LAQM) on behalf of Defra
and the Devolved Administrations.
Our role is to provide:
• Technical and Policy Support – Advising Defra and Local Authorities on LAQM Policy, reporting
and assessment
• Guidance and Tools – maintaining LAQM guidance documents, templates and online resources
• Data and Reporting Systems – managing the LAQM Portal and annual report submissions
• Training and Support– delivering training, webinars and provision of the LAQM Helpdesk to
Support local authority officers
• Quality Assurance and Review – Appraising Annual reports and action plans
• Communication and Engagement – supporting national messaging and sharing good practice
Our purpose is to:
• Ensure consistent, evidence-based and effective delivery of LAQM across the UK

3. AQMAS IN ENGLAND
3
• Steady reduction in the number of AQMAs declared for NO2 across
England
• The decline reflects improvements in local and national air quality
• Also associated with policy changes encouraging revocation of
compliant AQMAs
• AQMAs declared for PM10 and SO2 do not follow this same trend
• Shift in focus from declaration to delivery of sustained improvements

4. AIR QUALITY ACTION PLANS
4
• Number of AQAPs submitted has increased
dramatically over the past 5 years.
• Driven by policy pressure and legislative changes
Policy Drivers
• Environment Act 2021
• UK Air Quality Strategy (latest update 2023)
• Greater emphasis on public health outcomes and
stronger accountability for action plan delivery
• Higher quality, evidence based AQAPs being
produced
• Improved transparency and accountability

5. STATUTORY REPORTING
5
• Annual Status Reports (ASRs) act as a key indicator of local authority engagement
• Timely submission rates have improved year on year
• Quality and consistency of reports continue to strengthen
• Remaining gaps largely reflect capacity pressures, staff turnover and competing priorities
Improvements driven by both
policy changes and enhanced
practical support
• Between 2021 – 2024 over 96% of ASRs were submitted (irrespective of deadline)

6. ENABLING PROGRESS: LAQM TOOLS &
RESOURCES
6
Enhanced support has strengthened local delivery of LAQM
Key developments:
• LAQM Portal – streamlined submissions and improved tracking of local authority progress through
dashboards and data analytics
• Templates, Tools and Guidance – Increased targeted guidance and tools for AQAP and ASR
delivery (Data Processing Tools, Quantification of Measures guidance, AQ Hub resources)
• Tailored Support for Local Authorities – Through webinars, online resources and the LAQM
Support Helpdesk

7. Ind
Kerbside
Oth
er
Roadside
Rural
Suburban
Urban
Background
Urban
Ctr
7
In 2024 there were >11,000 monitoring
locations in England
NO2 DIFFUSION TUBE
MONITORING

8. 8
CHANGE IN NO2 CONCENTRATION
2020 TO 2021

9. 9
CHANGE IN NO2 CONCENTRATION
2021 TO 2022

10. 10
CHANGE IN NO2 CONCENTRATION
2022 TO 2023

11. 11
CHANGE IN NO2 CONCENTRATION
2023 TO 2024

12. NUMBER OF EXCEEDANCES
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
No. of Exceedances
Kerbside Other Roadside Urban Background Urban Centre