A NEW report looking at Bradford’s Clean Air Zone further highlights the opposition to the plans from many of the city’s taxi drivers.

At a meeting of Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee on Thursday, members will hear the results of a recent survey into to the Clean Air Zone carried out with Hackney Carriage and Private Hire drivers.

The survey came after a heated meeting of the Committee in March, when some Councillors claimed the taxi industry had been "ignored" when Bradford Council drew up its Clean Air Zone plan.

The CAZ is due to be introduced in Bradford city centre, the Canal Road corridor and parts of Shipley early next year - and has already been approved.

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It will see some of the most polluting commercial vehicles charged a daily fee to enter the zone. This fee will be as high as £50 for HGVs.

Taxis and private hire vehicles that have engines that do not meet Clean Air Zone requirements will be charged £12.50 a day to enter the zone.

The Government will provide £10m worth of grants to taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles - private hire drivers could get grants of up to £3,200 and Hackney Carriage drivers would get up to £4,000.

The Zone is an attempt to bring down Bradford's illegal air pollution levels.

March's meeting was due to discuss changes that would allow drivers to keep their cars longer if they are compliant. CAZ compliant vehicles could be used for up to 15 years, rather than the current 10 year limit.

But members voted for the decision to be deferred so drivers could be better consulted.

A "snap survey" was then carried out by the Licensing Service with drivers.

Councillors claim taxi industry ignored in Clean Air Zone plans

One question says that taxi drivers who keep non-compliant vehicles can keep them for 10 years if they pass annual vehicles inspections. However, they would have to pay £12.50 a day to enter the Clean Air Zone. Asked if they support these proposals, 201 drivers or operators said they did. However, 1,459 said they did not.

When asked if they support the idea of extending the amount of time a CAZ compliant vehicle can be licensed for to 15 years, 885 said they supported this, and 775 said they did not.

The report claims the opposition to extending these time limits may be down to a general opposition to the Clean Air Zone - rather than issues with the time limits themselves.

It adds: "The proposals in this report relate only to the changes to be made to the vehicle specification and not in regards to the introduction of the CAZ or the charges that non-compliant vehicles will face for entering the CAZ."

The changes will also mean that any taxi being licensed after Thursday will have to meet CAZ standards.

In recent weeks there have been protests by taxi drivers against the Clean Air Zone plans. Some drivers say the daily charges could price them out of the industry.

The committee meets in Bradford City Hall on Thursday at 10am.