Hammersmith and Fulham Council is increasing its focus on indoor air pollution as a key area for improvement, alongside ongoing efforts to tackle outdoor pollution. At the Climate Change and Ecology Policy and Accountability Committee meeting on Tuesday, councillors discussed the council's workstreams for improving air quality across the borough, with a particular emphasis on this emerging priority. The council is currently establishing guidance for indoor air quality through planning regulations.
Air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, and the council has statutory duties related to air quality. The council's work in this area also has strong synergies with its wider work on the climate and ecological emergency. According to a report presented at the meeting, air pollution in Hammersmith & Fulham is improving, but there are no safe levels for pollutants, so reducing pollution as far as possible remains a council priority. Air pollution disproportionately affects socio-economically deprived communities and Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations, and the council is targeting interventions towards those who will benefit most.
The council's approach is outlined in its Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2025-30, which contains 40 key themed actions across 7 priority areas, including monitoring, localised solutions, emissions from developments and buildings, public health awareness, delivery servicing and freight, borough fleet actions, and cleaner transport. The current version was signed off by Cabinet at the end of 2024, and contains 40 key themed actions across 7 priority areas, which are designated to the council by the GLA. The council is currently monitoring the impact of the trials through Breathe London AQ monitoring, as well as assessing parking/traffic stress and road safety issues. School streets have a measurable track record of success elsewhere, and can reduce NO2 levels by up to 23%, with quantifiable road safety benefits.
One of the key new areas of focus for the council is addressing indoor pollution. This includes pollution that originates outside and from indoor sources, such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and carbon monoxide. The council is working with other central boroughs on working groups on commercial cooking. They are also supporting projects like Wellhome and other indoor monitoring initiatives.
To address the disproportionate impact of air pollution on socio-economically deprived communities and Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations, the council is implementing targeted measures. These include programs such as School Streets Plus, which focuses on reducing the impact of pollution on children. The council is also supporting the rollout of the awareness raising project Awair at GP surgeries and at H&F hospital sites, and much of the behaviour change pillar of our work is informed by using the right messages (and the right messengers) to communicate to our most at risk groups.
The council is also working to reduce emissions from outdoor burning. A Cabinet report notes that in 2019, 14.3% of the borough's particulate emissions for PM2.5 could be attributed to domestic wood burning. The council is considering a new byelaw to prohibit outdoor waste burning, which would reduce harmful PM emissions, as well as increasing community resilience to risks of fires in hotter, dryer summers. The council's existing powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are reactive and do not prohibit burning.
The committee also noted the dates of future meetings: 24th September 2025, 2nd February 2025, and 21st April 2025.