FOI/EIR 26/27-278-Air Quality Monitoring

Details on our air quality monitoring equipment, protocol and results

Request received 24 August 2026

I. Current monitoring provision

1. Does the authority operate its own air quality monitoring stations or sensors, independent of Defra's national networks?
2. How many air quality monitoring stations or sensors are currently in operation across the authority's area?
3. What type of monitoring equipment is used (manufacturer, model, and parameters measured, for example PM2.5, PM10, NO2, or O3)?
4. Where is each monitoring unit located (addresses or geographic coordinates)?
5. Who operates the monitoring system (an in-house team or an external provider)?
6. What system is used to present and publish the monitoring data (web platform, mobile application, or public information display)? Please provide the URL if the data is published online.

II. Ownership and contracts

7. Is the monitoring equipment owned by the authority? If so, please state:

• the date of acquisition,
• the cost of acquisition,
• who services the equipment and under what agreement (provider name, type of contract, and contract term).

8. If the equipment is not owned by the authority, under what arrangement is it used (rental, lease, hire, loan, or other)? Please state:

• the start date of the current agreement,
• the end date of the agreement,
• the name of the provider.

III. Costs

9. What was the total cost of purchasing and commissioning the current monitoring system?
10. What is the annual cost of running the system, including servicing, calibration, data transmission, and hosting of the presentation platform?
11. What budget has been allocated to air quality monitoring for the 2026/27 financial year?

IV. Development plans

12. Are any modifications to, or expansion of, the current monitoring system planned? If so, please state:

• what changes are planned (for example additional sensors, a change of technology, or expansion of the data platform),
• the intended timescale,
• the estimated budget.

13. If the authority does not currently operate an air quality monitoring system, does it plan to implement one? If so, please state the intended timescale and the budget envisaged.

V. External funding

14. Does the authority plan to apply for any grants or external funding related to air quality monitoring?
15. Which funding programmes are being considered or have already been identified (for example Defra's Air Quality Grant, or other national, devolved, or regional schemes)?
16. Has the authority previously drawn on external funding for this purpose? If so, from which sources and in what amounts?

VI. Collaboration and data integration

17. Does the authority collaborate on air quality monitoring with any other organisations (for example universities, non-governmental organisations, Defra, or neighbouring authorities)?
18. Is the data from the authority's monitoring system integrated with any publicly accessible air quality platforms (for example UK-AIR)?
19. Does the authority use air quality monitoring data to inform operational decisions (for example issuing air quality alerts, managing traffic, or Local Air Quality Management action planning under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995)?
20. Does the authority use air quality monitoring data to inform or educate residents?

VII. Air quality in planning and environmental permitting

21. When determining major development proposals (for example large construction, infrastructure, industrial, or minerals and waste schemes), does the authority require air quality or dust assessment, and does it attach conditions requiring air quality monitoring, dust management, or a Construction Environmental Management Plan during the works?
22. For industrial installations that the authority regulates through environmental permitting, does it set air emission limits or air quality monitoring requirements as permit conditions?

23. Where such conditions or permit requirements are imposed, is the operator required to carry out the monitoring, and is the resulting data reported to the authority or made publicly available?

    Responded 17 September 2026

    1. No
    2-12. N/A
    13. No
    14. No
    15-16. N/A
    17. No
    18-20. N/A
    21. We request CEMPs for major (and some smaller) developments which address dust management.
    22. Depending on the installation being permitted there will be emission limits and air quality monitoring, but these are usually outlined in the individual process guidance note for that particular process.
    23. The operator is required to undertake the monitoring and then the data is reported to the local authority. This is usually required as a permit condition. We do not have a digital public register, but physical folders are available to be viewed at the Council offices.