436 children under five admitted to Northwick Park and Barnet Hospitals with breathing difficulties according to latest (2023) figures

 From Mums for Lungs

A Freedom of Information request sent to London Northwest University Healthcare Trust and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust reveals the scale of respiratory problems amongst the youngest children in Brent and Barnet. 

In 2023, the latest figures available, 436 children under five were dmitted to hospital with respiratory difficulties. Across 22  London hospitals surveyed, more than 15,000 children were admitted with serious breathing difficulties. 

 

 Baby grows Brent: credit Jonathan Goldberg. 

L-R: Amandine Alexandre, Sally Toure, Tony Burch, Frances Holloway, Gourav Gourav, Ilaria Esposito, Agnieszka Szewera in Roundwood Park near Northwick Park Hospital. Pic credit: Jonathan Goldberg / Mums for Lungs.

 

The figures, obtained by air pollution campaigners, Mums for Lungs, have prompted calls to speed up the removal of all diesel vehicles by at least 2030, with some limited exceptions. 

Parents have been hanging baby grows that spell out ‘Clean Air Now’ near areas affected by high levels of pollution, all in breach of World Health Organization standards.

Across England as a whole, 15,328 children aged 19 or under were admitted into hospital for serious asthma attacks alone, according to Public Health England figures from 2022/23. For London, the figure is 2,705.

 

Amandine Alexandre, a parent who lives in Brent and trustee of Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum said,

 

Although air quality in Brent has improved since 2016, Harlesden High Street is bucking this trend. Thanks to our Breathe London monitoring station, we know that, most days, nitrogen dioxide levels still far exceed the air quality standards set by the World Health Organization in 2021. This is very worrying considering that NO2 irritates our lungs and weakens our immune system. Harlesden residents deserve cleaner air now.”

 

Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum, a charity responsible for implementing the local neighbourhood plan, was successful in bidding for a Breathe London community node in 2021. The solar powered pollution monitoring station was installed by Imperial College London in March 2022. (It was taken down by Brent council by mistake in the autumn of 2022 and was re-installed on March 30th 2023.) The data can be accessed live on Breathe London. It can also be easily visualised on Air Aware. 

 

The Breathe London Network was established in 2021 as a partnership between the Mayor of London, Imperial College London, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. It is making reliable air quality monitoring data more accessible to local communities by building a network of accurate and reliable air quality sensors across the capital.

 

Air pollution monitors in Brent and Barnet continue to show high levels of some of the most dangerous forms of pollution - including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM 2.5). 

Due to the small size of many of the particles some of these toxins may enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body, lodging in the heart, brain and other organs. Exposure to PM 2.5 can result in serious impacts to health, especially in vulnerable groups of people such as the young and elderly. 

Short-term exposure to concentrations of NO2 can cause inflammation of the airways and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and to allergens. NO2 can exacerbate the symptoms of those already suffering from lung or heart conditions.

Monitors in Brent  show levels of air pollution  in some cases close to the legal limits (23 - 33 μg/m3 NO2) and well for  PM2.5 above WHO guidelines for 2024 so far as well. 

 

Brent – Ark Franklin

Brent – IKEA

Brent – John Keble Primary School

Brent – Neasden Lane

 

NB. UK legal annual limit values:

NO2 = 40μg/m3, PM2.5 = 20μg/m3.  

WHO guidelines:

NO2 = 10μg/m3, PM2.5 = 5μg/m3

 Editor's note: The new North Brent Secondary School is due to open in Neasden Lane

 

Dr Anna Moore, a respiratory doctor who works in a London NHS Hospital, added: 

All the evidence shows that there is a clear connection between high levels of air pollution and respiratory conditions. These figures also demonstrate that there are hundreds of children who are in hospital with conditions that could be prevented. At a time when NHS resources are stretched thin, we need to urgently clean up our air, including completely phasing out the most heavily polluting diesel cars, trucks and vans and focus on infrastructure which enables safe walking and cycling as this is vital for long term health.

Jemima Hartshorn, Mums for Lungs, said:

Thousands of children are unable to breathe because of preventable air pollution, this must change. So many children are being admitted to hospitals with serious cases of asthma, and all the evidence shows that damaging lungs at an early age can cause lifelong health conditions. The next national Government, Mayors and local authorities must all use their powers to phase out diesel vehicles and protect children from painful and debilitating health conditions.

Road transport is the largest contributor to air pollution in London and it’s thought that air pollution contributes to around 4,000 early deaths each year in London. 

Mums for Lungs have written to the main political party leaders Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer calling for them to discourage people from buying diesel vehicles and to set a target for England to be diesel-free by 2030, with limited exemptions, alongside action on wood burning and creating more School Streets, which restrict car use at drop off and pick up. 

 

 

Brent Council says air quality is not a problem for new school in Neasden Lane

Mayor of London on Clean Air

In a previous posting LINK I raised concerns about the siting of a new school in Neasden Lane because of its history of poor air quality which in the past have been raised in Parliamemt by then MP Sarah Teather and with the GLA through Mayor's Question Time. At one stage pollution levels were in clear breach of EU regulations. The monitoring site was one of those which Boris Johnson, when London Mayor, was accused of 'fixing' by the installation of dust suppressants at the monitoring station.

Brent Council has taken action to 'clean up' the pollution  LINK but has admitted that more needs to be done.

I should make it clear that I am not against a new secondary school in the Harlesden area, there has long been a campaign for a community secondary school there, but I am raising questions about the specific site chosen.  This is particularly important when Brent Council through Brent Breathes is setting out to improve air quality near existing schools and cites particular issues when existing schools are on busy roads. Full Brent Breathes Report HERE see section on schools.

Planners have reacted to the Wembley Matters article with the following statement in a supplementary report presented to tonight's Planning Committee.  There are also supplementary reports for the Sudbury Town and Ujima House planning appplications.

Air Quality

The site falls within an AQMA a recent publication by Wembley Matters raised concern with allowing a new school in an area with poor air quality, particularly an open roof MUGA. As discussed in the main body of the report, the application site has been identified as being one of the ones in the borough suitable to accommodate a school. 

The London Plan places great emphasis on the importance of tackling air pollution and improving air quality. It therefore states that development proposals should minimise exposure to existing poor air quality and make provision to address local problems of air quality such as by design solutions, buffer zones or steps to promote greater use of sustainable transport modes. 

The development makes a particular contribution through promoting greater use of sustainable transport modes. The existing Chancel House site currently benefits from a large car parking area with 189 car parking spaces. Under the proposed scheme only 11 spaces are to be retained. To further discourage car use to the site a travel plan is to be secured via the s106 agreement to promote walking and cycling to the site. Sustainable transport modes are also promoted through on site cycle parking provision and the contribution to TfL for local bus services. 

As required by the London Plan, the application has been accompanied by an Air Quality Assessment and an Air Quality Neutral Assessment. The submitted Air Quality Assessment concludes that air quality levels would not exceed air quality objectives when the site is operational, with the Air Quality Neutral Assessment confirming that the development is better than air quality neutral in terms of both transport and building emissions. 

The submission therefore demonstrates that air quality in the area will not have an adverse impact on the proposed school, and that the proposed development will not worsen air quality.

Brent Council calls for 'properly funded' diesel scrappage scheme & expanded ULEZ transitional arrangements

Press release from Brent Council (unedited)

The Government should bring forward a properly funded diesel scrappage scheme to help residents when the Ultra Low Emission Zone expands in 2021, Brent Council said today. The ULEZ and expanded ULEZ will replace the recently introduced T-Charge but the Congestion charge will remain.

The council has been a big supporter of the Mayor of London's campaign to bring cleaner air to the capital, but wants solid measures in place to ease the transition for residents and businesses - in some of the poorest parts of London.

The expanded zone will stretch to cover the south east of the borough, including Stonebridge, Willesden, Harlesden and Dollis Hill. Areas above the North Circular, such as Neasden, Wembley and Kingsbury, are not part of the scheme and neither is the North Circular Road itself.

Residents inside the expanded zone and vehicles with a disabled or a disabled passenger tax class will have a three year sunset period, with a 100 per cent discount ending on 6 September 2023, to give them an additional chance to meet with the standards. Also, minibuses operated by charities will have a two-year sunset period until October 2023 to replace their vehicles.

Although welcoming these concessions the Council wants protection for people who live on the edge of the zone, in addition to a discounted rate within a buffer zone along the new boundary for those residents who need to travel across it regularly to get between work and home if no cost effective travel alternative is available.

With 33% of households in Brent living in poverty, the Council wants to be sure that the expanded zone will not place an extra burden on residents.

It comes as the Council marked National Clean Air Day with stalls and activities at the Civic Centre.

A number of leading clean air groups including; Vehicle Idling Action and Friends of the Earth hosted stalls outside in the Market Square, with local MP's Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler joining Brent Councillors and others to sign a clean air pledge.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

We fully support the Mayor's commitment to getting London's air cleaner, but we need the Government to do more to encourage us all to adopt more sustainable forms of transport. The expansion of the new zone will help, but as it cuts our borough in half we want to make sure that residents won't be unfairly penalised. Hardworking Brent residents and businesses, many of who struggle to make ends meet, should not be adversely impacted.

'A major mistake on public health grounds' but Empire Way primary school approved

Clean Air for Brent sent the following submission to the Planning Committee today but there was little evidence at the meeting that members had taken it into account.[ UPDATE 17.00 June 7th Joe Kwateng has written to CAfB today to say that the document arrived while he was in the pre-meeting with the Committee which was immediately followed by the Planning Committee meeting itself. He could not access his computer and therefore could not bring it to the attention of the committee. He apologised.]

The Committee decided by 7 votes to 1 to approve the application for a 630 pupil primary school on the York House car park on Empire Way. Well done to Cllr Abdi for taking the concerns seriously and voting against. I was surprised that Cllr Colacicco who has fought so hard against the Cricklewood Aggregate Hub on grounds of air and traffic pollution, not only voted for the application but praised it for meeting BREAM standards. A 'green' building in a heavily polluted area is a contradiction.

The Committee were told by officers that as outline permission have already been granted for a much wider area, but one that included the school site, and it had been found 'suitable for a school' that the hearing was really only about planning matters related to design, school travel plans etc.  Design features to mitigate exposure to air pollution included the positioning of classrooms towards the back of the plot with a school hall and non teaching rooms on the ground floor facing Empire Way and the installation of a mechanical ventilation system. Planning Officer told the committee that the Council had Victorian schools in far worse locations- so that's all right then!

The is CAfB's submission:

Objection by Clean Air for Brent

We apologise for the lateness of this objection, but we only became aware of the application on 1 June and have been in dialogue with planning officers since yesterday about the material considered in connection with the outline application 15/5550.

Summary: Clean Air for Brent considers that it would be a major mistake on public health grounds to proceed with the proposal to site the planned Ark Somerville School and associated Day Nursery on the York House site next to the heavily-trafficked Wembley Hill Road. We urge the Council, Quintain and the Ark Academy Chain to consider an alternative site within the development away from the main road.

Outline permission: We appreciate that outline permission was granted in respect of application 15/5550 and that this includes the siting of the school. The implication of the Head of Planning’s email to us of 4^th June is that the question of siting is done and dusted. We agree that this might normally be the case but with respect we regard this as a technicality compared with the risks of damaging the health and development of future nursery and primary school children. So far no development of the critical site has taken place.

Considerations: The UK and London in particular is in serious breach of legal air pollution requirements derived from EU legislation to which the UK is a party. The main pollutant concerned in the legal breach is nitrogen dioxide, NO2. Most of Brent is declared as an Air Quality Management Area because it is in breach of the legal limit for NO2. This includes the site in question.

The legislation is based on World Health Organisation findings on the impact of various air pollutants on human health. In the UK the official Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP) and the Royal College of Physicians among others have published extensive studies on the various adverse health impacts which include respiratory diseases, cancer, stroke, cardiovascular conditions and possibly neurological morbidities. Children are especially vulnerable, possibly because they breathe more rapidly than adults. It is considered that children badly affected by air pollution can have their lung development restricted by up to 10%.

Since road traffic, particularly diesel-powered vehicles, is a major contributor to NO2 pollution The London Mayor, with wide support, has taken a number of initiatives to address the problem of the hundreds of London schools sited for historical reasons on heavily-trafficked roads. An example is the recently published results of a professional air quality audit of 50 of the most-polluted schools, including two in Brent. It is clear that mitigation measures as so far proposed will have no more than a marginal effect on pollution levels affecting children in these schools.

In this situation CAfB believes that it is seriously irresponsible to site any new school on a heavily trafficked road, such as Wembley Hill Road in the present case.

In the short time available CAfB has investigated whether the issue of air quality in relation to the siting of the school was discussed in the papers submitted with the application 15/5550, eventually decided in December 2016. Although the Planning Officer advises that it was we have not found evidence for this in the 77-page Air Quality chapter of the Environmental Statement sent to us yesterday by the Head of Planning. We note that among the documents listed as relevant is the London Plan, but the salient point in the London Plan in relation to the school is in 7.14. This is not discussed but relegated to Appendix 3.3.1. For reference it reads:

“B  Development proposals should:

a  minimise increased exposure to existing poor air quality and make provision to address local problems of air quality (particularly within Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and where development is likely to be used by large numbers of those particularly vulnerable to poor air quality, such as children or older people) such as by design solutions, buffer zones or steps to promote greater use of sustainable transport modes through travel plans (see Policy 6.3)”

The relevant supporting paragraph 7.51 begins:

“Increased exposure to existing poor air quality should be minimised by avoiding introduction of potentially new sensitive receptors in locations where they will be affected by existing sources of air pollution (such as road traffic and industrial processes). Particular attention should be paid to development proposals such as housing, homes for elderly people, schools and nurseries.”

Unfortunately the whole emphasis of the Air Quality chapter is on the effect of the development on the environment and not on the effect of subjecting the school and nursery pupils to the pollution effects of traffic on Wembley Hill Road.

We also note from the Master Plan documents associated with 15/5550, section 5.8 about the school site, that during the early stages three alternative locations for the school were considered but not favoured by Ark Academy or Brent officials. In this section there is no mention of air quality issues arising from siting the school on Wembley Hill Road.

Conclusion: While it would be desirable to install air quality monitoring arrangements close to the site in question and other possible sites before a final decision, this is not really necessary since if the choice is between a busy road and a more local or feeder road within the site the answer is obvious. We therefore urge that this aspect of the overall plan be put on hold for further consideration by the parties in the light of the latest understanding of the effect of air pollution on children’s health and development.

-->

Campaign group will ensure Clean Air pledges are not just hot air

From Left to Right

Victoria Secretan - CAfB steering group member

Prof Martin Williams, Kings College London, speaker

Fiona Mulaisho, CAfB Chair

Robin Sharp, CAfB Treasurer

Jennifer Barrett, Brent Council, speaker

From Clean Air for Brent

The campaign group Clean Air for Brent (CAfB) recently challenged all party leaders to pledge to clean up the borough’s dirty air in the May 2018 local elections, and has now received clean air policy statements from the four main parties. 

At a borough-wide public meeting held in Harlesden on Wednesday 18^th April, all the party statements were made available, and chair Fiona Mulaisho urged residents to think about air quality when they go to the ballot box on 3 May.  She says:

“We as residents all need to do our part, but the Council must lead us with meaningful action to reduce air pollution and enforcement to back it up. We will hold all those elected on 3 May to their promises on clean air.  Securing clean air for Brent should be the defining issue of the next 4 years.”

The party statements can all be read in full on the CAfB website HERE

Keynote speaker at the public meeting, Professor Martin Williams of Kings College London told attendees that air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of diseases and health conditions. These include respiratory infections, heart disease, COPD, stroke and lung cancer.

The most common sources of air pollution include particulates, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide from road traffic. 

In Brent, it is estimated that at least 160 premature deaths per annum are directly attributable to air pollution, with a further unquantifiable number linked to dirty air. 

Editor's note: One rather surprising and welcome pledge is that from the Conservatives backing what has been Green Party policy for some time to divest the  Brent Pension Fund of its fossil fuel investments and ensuring that Brent makes not further investments in fossil fuels.

Local Action on Clean Air - Wednesday 18th April

The air we breathe - Local Action April 18th Harlesden Methodist Church

Clean Air for Brent invites you to a public meeting

‘THE AIR WE BREATHE: LOCAL ACTION'

Speakers include Professor Martin Williams (Air Quality Scientist at Kings College) and Jennifer Barrett (Air Quality lead at Brent Council)

Wednesday April 18th 7-9pm
Harlesden Methodist Church 25 High Street London NW10 4NE entrance from side passage in High St next to Church

Please use public transport. 8 min walk from Willesden Junction station, 12 min walk from Harlesden, buses 18, 187, 206, 220, 226 and 266

FREE EVENT – ALL ARE WELCOME
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-air-we-breathe-local-action-tickets-44325338280
or email us at cafbrent@gmail.com

Clean air pledge demanded from Brent parties ahead of May election

The campaign group Clean Air for Brent (CAfB) has written to party leaders in Brent, challenging them to place cleaning up the borough’s dirty air at the top of their manifestos for the May 2018 local elections.

Fiona Mulaisho, Chair of CAfB said:

“The next four years will be absolutely crucial if Brent’s residents are to get the clean air they so desperately need.  Brent Council estimates that at least 200 people in our borough die prematurely from air pollution each year, and too many of our children are being exposed to levels of emissions that far exceed the legal limit.  Indeed, two Brent schools are currently part of the Mayor of London’s Schools Air Quality Audit, because they have the dubious honour of being among the 50 primary schools worst affected by air pollution in the capital.  We urge all parties and candidates to put combating air pollution front and centre in their manifestos and, if elected, to hit the ground running on this all-important issue.”

As well as building on and extending Brent Council’s revised Air Quality Action Plan, CAfB has asked for the following 5 key pledges from local politicians:

1. To support the Mayor’s proposals to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (currently under consultation). CAfB is strongly in favour of including the North Circular, as large numbers of people reside on its heavily polluted borders. 
2. To propose specific measures for schools next to busy roads – with reference to the Mayor’s recent audits of Ark Franklin and John Keble Primary Schools. 
3. To press the Mayor of London to deliver a clean bus fleet much sooner than is envisaged in TfL plans, as London buses are a major contributor to emissions. Currently, 72% of TfL bus routes in Brent are diesel.
4. To secure greater public involvement in activities to reduce air pollution, such as a Brent-wide anti-idling campaign with schools and elsewhere.
5. To increase public awareness of the public health impact of air pollution.

Clean Air for Brent is ready to work with all parties to deliver these aims.

Clean air for Brent - residents' questions answered

Clean Air for Brent LINK have published the first batch of answers to questions asked by the public at its meeting held at the Civic Centre in July.

The answers are below. Click on the bottom right side square to enlarge.

Reminder: Clean Air in Brent Public Meeting July 6th

Air pollution campaign group, Clean Air for Brent, and Brent Council are holding a public meeting, “The Air We Breathe: how pollution is affecting us and what we can do about it”, on Thursday 6th July at 7-9pm at Brent Civic Centre in Wembley.

Speakers include world-renowned health expert Prof. Sir Michael Marmot (UCL & Harvard) , Simon Birkett, Director of Clean Air in London, Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Brent Council, and Elliot Treharne, Air Quality Manager, GLA. Hywel Lloyd of think tank IPPR will be chairing an interactive panel discussion.

Air pollution contributes to poor health and is responsible for premature death. In 2016 there were 1,810 deaths on Great Britain's roads, yet nearly 9,500 people die early each year in London due to long-term exposure to air pollution, with 112 early deaths in Brent in 2010. It is linked with cancer, strokes, heart disease and respiratory problems. The main pollutants are nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, particularly from diesel vehicles, being most harmful. The principal source of air pollution in Brent is road traffic, though emissions from heating systems also contribute.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Brent Council said:

This event will raise the profile of air pollution across Brent and the serious impact it has on all of our lives. It's great to see residents and community groups coming together to improve things, in partnership with the Council. We can all make small changes by choosing to walk, cycle, turn our engines off and choose not to buy diesel vehicles; and by working together I believe we can make a real difference to the quality of air we breathe in Brent.

Fiona Mulaisho from Clean Air for Brent added:

Air pollution knows no boundaries, and it is not halted by tawdry promises. No one is safe from it, regardless of where you live, work and play. With thousands of unnecessary deaths and life threatening illnesses caused every year, that's why it's important for people to get involved in the fight against air pollution, - today's deadly public health crisis. This meeting will be a chance to question the experts, learn what our authorities are doing locally about air pollution, and find out what we can all do.

Clean Air for Brent is a coalition of residents' associations and community groups focused on raising awareness and changing behaviours to improve air quality in Brent for all our health.

The event is taking place on Thursday 6th July, at 7-9pm at the Conference Hall, Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9 0FJ. The Civic Centre is five minutes walk from Wembley Park tube station. Please use public transport.

This is a free event – all are welcome to attend. Doors open from 6.30pm for light refreshments and stalls. The meeting starts at 7pm.

Register for free tickets at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-air-we-breathe-tickets-35136212357 , at www.cleanairforbrent.wordpress.com or email cafbrent@gmail.com.

How schools can take part in clear air action week June 23rd-July 2nd

The NUT nationally has just agreed to endorse the clean air schools pack produced by Friends of the Earth and Muslim Aid  LINK  (or read embedded version below)  that provides lessons plans, assemblies and much more.

Just about every school in London is near enough to a main road to be in breach of EU clean air regulations. This has a significant impact on health. 

The government was taken to court to force it to publish its plans to cut air pollution during the election. Their response was so weak (devolving the responsibility to local authorities with no significant national initiatives) that they are being taken to court again.

Information on the GLA plan to clean up London's air can be see HERE.

What you can do for Clean Air for Brent

From Transition Willesden

Clean Air for Brent is a coalition of local residents' groups, Transition Towns, Friends of the Earth and the Council to improve air quality in the borough.  We met earlier this week, and are keen to involve people in having their say on air quality in Brent and also on diesel vehicles, especially in view of the results from our pollution monitoring in October.

Last October we carried out air pollution monitoring in Willesden, Dollis Hill and Cricklewood, and found 7 out of 10 sites were above the EU legal limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), with Cricklewood Broadway being well over twice the limit (see maps here and here).  For more about the project see our online group.

Brent Council is consulting residents and businesses on its Air Quality Action Plan for the next 5 years.  You have until Thursday 30th March to add your comments. Please take a little time to read the plan and respond to the survey online here.  You can also email feedback to ens.monitoring@brent.gov.uk

If you have less time, please sign one or more of these petitions against diesel.  It is largely the increase in diesel vehicles that is having such an impact on the air we breathe:

-Ditch diesel in the UK by Friends of the Earth

-One directed at car companies from Greenpeace.

-You can also write to MEPs asking them to clean up vehicle testing.  They will be voting on this issue on 5th April.