Government sees the relationship with local authorities as a partnership, and told us that it believes the programme will fail if it is seen to be a top-down programme done by national Government.29 However, local authorities are expected to follow a fairly centralised, prescriptive approach to achieving compliance with air quality targets, albeit with some discretion about the mix of exemptions to be applied in any charging Clean Air Zone.30 Some local authorities told the National Audit Off...

Government sees the relationship with local authorities as a partnership, and told us that it believes the programme will fail if it is seen to be a top-down programme done by national Government.29 However, local authorities are expected to follow a fairly centralised, prescriptive approach to achieving compliance with air quality targets, albeit with some discretion about the mix of exemptions to be applied in any charging Clean Air Zone.30 Some local authorities told the National Audit Office that there was still too much emphasis placed on CAZs as the default option, instead of other measures that may be more suited to the area.31 Similar Type: conclusion | Number: 21 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 3.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 3.2 Local authorities are important partners in delivering better air quality for local communities. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport alre