Anger after Bradford Council cancels Clean Air Zone petition

Campaigner Amir Hussain, who wrote the petition, criticised the council for cancelling the petition, saying: "The manner in which this response has been conducted is outrageous, unlawful, unjustified and undemocratic.

"My petition went through a vetting process and then was approved as per email received from the council."

A campaigner speaks out against the Clean Air Zone in Bradford (Image: UGC)

Campaigner Matthew Betts said: "They told us it hadn't met their criteria.

Fellow campaigner Susan Radford added: "As soon as it hit that magic number of 1,500 signatures to be heard by the council, they pulled it."

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "We are aware that there was a petition to 'Review Clean Air Zone Charges in Bradford' listed on the e-Petition section of our website.

"However, the Director of Governance has advised that the petition cannot be accepted according to Council Standing Order 11.2.6 because the matter has already been debated in recent months.

"The petition to ‘Review Clean Air Zone Charges in Bradford’ could therefore not be accepted and was removed from the council’s website."

"The general public in Bradford doesn't want this," said Matthew. "The council doesn't realise how angry people are over this.

"Nobody is against clean air, they're against the charges of the Clean Air Zone."

Susan said: "If someone with a van has to pay £9 a day to go work in the CAZ, and they're on minimum wage at £9.52 an hour. This will cost them £45 a week, bringing down their wage to about £8.50 an hour. You've got to pay it because it's a tax or you'll get fined. It makes a mockery of the minimum wage."

Matthew said: "We could start another petition but by the time the CAZ is introduced on September 26 it will be too late.

The CAZ charges are the responsibility of the driver to pay online, and Matthew said: "Bradford people generally know about it but for people or businesses outside the area coming in, they won't know."

Campaigners have gone out on an open-top bus to speak out against the Clean Air Zone (Image: UGC)

Their group, the Campaign Against the CAZ Tax in Bradford, has 7,000 members who have been actively carrying out peaceful protests.

Many of their protests have taken place outside City Hall in Bradford city centre, but in the last few months they have been driving around the streets of Bradford in a 1950's style open-top bus.

Matthew explained: "An open-top bus is a perfect platform to get our voice heard. It's been successful and we've received immense support from residents."