LEZ penalty fines to fund environment-enhancing projects

Our 'Greening the City' programme and a new fund that will support organisations deliver local climate action initiatives will benefit from an equal share of £500,000, as directed by the council budget.

Citywide tree planting and greening projects will see £250,000 invested in city centre tree planters as well as a tree sponsorship scheme. These projects will help improve air quality and local biodiversity as well as contributing towards Glasgow's aspiration to achieve Tree City of the World status.

And £250,000 has been allocated to a new LEZ Community Climate Project Support Fund which will support organisations progress their own initiatives to improve air quality, reduce climate change emissions, or improve Glasgow's amenity.

Grants of between £20,000 and £50,000 per project will be available from the new climate fund - with an online application portal due to go live on 5 November 2024.

Cllr Angus Millar Convener for Transport and Climate said: "Our plans for tree planting and greening as well as the imminent launch of the Community Climate Project Support Fund extends the positive reach of Glasgow's LEZ.

"When the fund is launched in November, I'll be encouraging groups and organisations keen to deliver their own environmental projects to apply for funding - with information packs and assistance to be made available to all applicants.

"With £250,000 available to support a broad range of local projects, the new fund will make a real difference to those looking to get an initiative up and running. And, with the LEZ also resulting in an identical investment in tree planting and greening activities, we can deliver both cleaner air and greener streets in the city centre and beyond."

The Greening the City programme also includes other initiatives such as greening bus stop roofs and making then attractive to pollinators, as well as working with partner organisations to introduce innovative green walls in the city. These workstreams may potentially further benefit from future LEZ funding, should this be available.

Revenue from LEZ penalty charges must first support scheme operating costs, with any residual income allocated to funding projects which provide benefits that tie in with LEZ objectives.

The LEZ Annual Performance Report reported to the Net Zero Committee in August 2024, identified residual revenue of £747,511 for the financial year 2023/2024, of which £500,000 will be used to fund community climate action projects, and citywide tree planting and greening projects.

As funding for back office and enforcement costs will not be grant funded by Transport Scotland in future years, the remaining £247,511 will be retained for future operational costs, with any surplus allocated to city greening and tree planting activities.

On 24 September 2024, our Net Zero and Climate Progress Monitoring Committee was provided with an update on the utilisation of LEZ revenues allocated in the 2024-2027 council budget to environmental projects. You can read the full committee paper by clicking on this link.

Glasgow's Low Emission Zone

Glasgow's Low Emission Zone came into force on 1 June 2023.

Non-compliant vehicles entering LEZs in Scotland are subject to penalty charges. Penalty charges are set to discourage non-compliant vehicle entry through an escalating scale of penalty charge for repeated entry to the zone.

Any income received through enforcement of an LEZ is firstly allocated to the costs of operating the scheme. Any residual revenue is allocated to the potential funding of projects which otherwise provide benefits in respect of LEZ objectives.

The Low Emission Zone Community Climate Project Support Fund will support groups that will deliver projects in relation to these objectives. Support will be available for projects across three broad themes in line with these objectives:

• Contribute towards improvements in air quality and reductions in prescribed pollutant levels.
• Contribute towards climate change emissions reduction or adaptation.
• Improve the amenity of Glasgow or defined areas within the city, with an emphasis on the Strategic Themes - A Vibrant City, A Healthier City and a Sustainable and Low Carbon City

The minimum funding allocation of £20,000 has been set to ensure that the application, monitoring and compliance requirements are proportionate for the successful applicants and to provide projects with sufficient beneficial impact. The maximum funding allocation of £50,000 has been set to ensure that an appropriate range and scope of projects may be considered within the total fund value.