Dear Lambeth Borough Council,

My F.O.I. questions below, are related to Air Quality (AQ) monitoring and management by Lambeth Council, which is obviously a matter of public interest. As far as I am aware none of the information requested is in the public domain.
Qs 1-5 are re Lambeth Council’s 2023 AQ Action Plan, Q6 is re Lambeth’s overdue 2022 Annual Status Report, Q7 is re Lambeth’s 2021 Annual Status Report and Qs 8-10 are re other AQ related Qs.
Thank you in advance, for your time in answering these.

Qs1-5, re Lambeth Council's Air Quality Action Plan 2023-25 (henceforth AQ AP).
https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default...

QUESTION 1. Air quality monitoring infrastructure installed since Jan 2023.
P29 of the AP p1.2.2 states that Lambeth Council will - commit to increased monitoring of AQ impacts to inform the evidence based roll out of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood programme. That the method / measure of this will be the “Air quality monitoring infrastructure installed”.
Q: Please outline:
(a) What AQ monitoring infrastructure has been installed *since* the date of Lambeth Council Cabinet’s Approval of the AP in Jan 2023, and in which locations.
(b) What AQ monitoring infrastructure is planned/has yet to be been installed - and the schedule and locations for installation.

QUESTION 2. Air quality information service.
The Jan 2023 AP (Table 4.1.) p22 states that the council will prioritise seven actions. The first of these is (1) Develop an advanced air quality information service. Page 5 Para 6 of the AP states one of the “classified actions” of the action plan will be “Monitoring and modelling air quality: Developing an advanced air quality information service that provide (sic) accurate, up-to-date, accessible and useful information on air quality across the entire borough”.
Q: Please outline what AQ information service has been developed thus far, what stage provision of this service is at and if/when the service will be available to the public.

QUESTION 3. Monitoring Network.
The Council’s previous AQ AP actions, resulted in the installation and operation of a network of 115 diffusion tubes across the borough. The Jan 2023 AP states (P70) that - a new monitoring network of lightweight air quality monitors across Lambeth (will measure) NO2, PM2.5 and PM 10 for at least 30 locations. Sensors will be located to prioritise sensitive receptors and areas with poor air quality, while ensuring geographic spread across the borough.
Q: Please provide details &/or links to this monitoring network. These are perhaps the “Airly” monitors?

QUESTION 4. Air Quality Community Forum.
The Jan 2023 AQ AP p22 states (Table 4.1.) that the council will prioritise … seven actions. The seventh of these is “Recruit for and launch an Air Quality Community Forum, comprising residents and local stakeholders, to help shape the council’s approach to tackling air pollution, and hold the council to account for its progress towards its air quality targets”. See also p74 8.3 “Community forum to include residents and local stakeholders to help shape the council’s approach to tackling air pollution and to hold the council to account for its progress toward AQ targets”.
Q: Please provide details of this forum, or the actions/progress that has been taken towards its creation and what stage it is currently at.

QUESTION 5. AQ monitors in partnership with external organisations.
The Jan 2023 AQ AP 6.2 states that it will - Coordinate with and support the rollout of AQ monitors by partner organisations across Lambeth.
Q: Please provide details &/or links to the Partner organisation AQ monitoring projects.

QUESTION 6. 2022 Statutory AQ Annual Status Report
The Jan 23 AQ AP states that - Progress on these priority actions/ against this AQAP - will be reported on separately each year in an Annual Status Report produced by the council, “as part of our statutory London Local Air Quality Management duties”. Reporting on progress against a Local Authority action plan is mandatory.
The AQ Annual Status Report for Lambeth was due in May 2023 and has yet to be published. The data within it would cover up to end 2022. Its absence means that the public (and DEFRA) have no Lambeth Council AQ information for the entirety of 2022 and 2023. Nb: The 2023 data is due in the May 2024 Annual Status Report.
Q: Please could Lambeth Council urgently provide (and publish) their Statutory 2022 AQ Annual Status Report, or give a date when it will be doing so.

QUESTION 7.
Questions regarding Lambeth Council’s 2021 AQ Annual Status Report (published 17 October 2022) https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default...

7(a) The AQ Annual Status Report Progress Table (2.1 p32) provides a summary of progress against the Action Plan. The DEFRA report template for the report shows that included in the summary/ descriptions of actions/progress - should be “(i) Emissions/ Concentration data (ii) Benefits (iii) Negative impacts / Complaints” - and that the report should “Include emissions data and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) where possible”.
Of the 69 AQ “Actions” described in the report by Lambeth Council, only 1.3 and 41 mention any actual data or KIP’s - and no “negative impacts/ complaints” are mentioned, at all. Action point No.50 p47 briefly mentions Brixton Liveable Neighbourhood and Lambeth LTNs.

Q: Given that there had been very many objections - up to this point - of “negative impacts”, and many “complaints” to Lambeth Council regarding its LTNs (as there continues to be in the present day) - Please could you explain why no “negative impacts” or “complaints” regarding Lambeth’s implementation of LTN’s - were referred to, at all, in the report published in Oct 2022 - as they should be.

7(b) Please could you confirm - in the forthcoming AQ Annual Status Report “Progress” section, where there is mention of Lambeth LTNs, whether any “Negative impacts / Complaints” *will* be included - to properly represent any AQ progress made, but also - issues raised and complaints made, by very many of Lambeth’s residents, during this period.

7(c) Table H. Annual Mean PM2.5 Automatic Monitoring Results (μg m-3) is absent. Given that your Nov 2021 adoption of Lambeth’s AQ “Vision” - committed to “meet the World Health Organisation Interim Target 4 re annual mean PM2.5, ahead of 2030.
Q: Please explain why you were not able to provide the annual mean PM2.5 results in the 2021report.

7(d) AQ Contractors:
(i) Given it was 4 months before a fault was noticed “at data ratification stage” re the faulty monitor at Streatham Green.
Q: Please confirm if ERG at Imperial College are still responsible for data collection & processing - and whether there has there been any review of this process (beyond a 6 monthly check) to ensure system faults are identified sooner.
(i) From March 2021 - March 23 Matts Monitors Ltd were the contractor who delivered the fortnightly site audits and routine calibrations.
Q: Could you confirm if their contract was renewed and if Ricardo PLC is still contracted, or if there is any change.
(iii) Lambeth Council’s diffusion tubes were previously contracted (to be changed monthly) to a “third-party bike courier since 2020”. Given your report mentions “a number of issues with the courier service”
Q: Please confirm the company which is now contracted for this task and whether this is the same company from 1.1.2020 to date.

7(e) The graph at p21 Annual Mean NO2 2020 (I think it should be 2021?) shows Streatham Green NO2 readings to be below Vauxhall and Brixton auto’ monitoring stations. The graphs at appx C p70-74 show the NO2 data for Streatham Green LB6 monitoring station - alongside “North Kensington” and “Elephant and Castle” (K&C and Southwark Borough Councils respectively). The graphs on p72&73 have no annotation.
Q: Please supply the correct/full analysis - and annotation, and any further data which outlines the 4 month drop-out of data at the Streatham Green monitoring site and clarify the findings for the months where the monitor was working.

QUESTION 8. Monitoring and evidence-based decision-making in relation to LTN impact upon AQ.
Lambeth Councils previous Action Plan measures are quoted in the ASR. P40 states that its “Air Quality Vision” was formally adopted in Nov 2021. This includes a commitment to “integrating air quality considerations into everything we do, reviewing how each department can contribute to our air quality goals, and ensuring all work and decisions undertaken by the council are consistent with our air quality goals”. The Air Quality Vision committed the council to doing everything in its power to meet the World Health Organisation Interim Target 2 & 4 by 2030. Given this commitment, please could you answer the following questions regarding monitoring and decision-making in relation to AQ.

The 2021 ASR showed (from diffusion monitoring) that the following sites in Streatham had annual mean exceedences of the AQ objectives (of 40) in 2021. (a national max mean target since Dec 2005). That is: DT26 Str Hill/Wavertree Rd. DT27 Str Hill/ opp 10 Streatham High Rd (SHR). DT28 SHR/Leigham Ave. DT29 SHR/Becmead Ave. DT30 316 SHR opp Stanthorpe Rd. DT31 243A Str Hill (bus stop opp Str Stn) and LTN11 Leigham Crt Rd/Culverhouse Grdns.

In the entire Lambeth borough (Brixton included) in 2021, the two sites which had NO2 annual mean exceedences of 60ugm (indicating a potential excess of the NO2 hourly mean AQS objective) - were on Streatham High Rd. ie: The diffusion monitoring at DT27 Str Hill/ opp 10 SHR and at site DT31 243A Str Hill (bus stop opp Str Stn) - measured an annual mean of 64.5ugm and 61.3ugm respectively.
Nb: None of the Streatham Wells LTN area monitoring had AQ annual mean measurements above 27.8. (LTN10 Leigham Vale/Hitherfield Rd/ LTN12 LCR/Valley Rd/ LTN13 Top of Wellfield Rd/ LTN14 289 LCR/ LTN15 203/203 Valley Rd). The LTN16 monitoring for the “Streatham Wells LTN baseline monitoring corner of Hopton Rd” measured 26.0ugm annual mean in 2021.

8(a) Given the above facts - the very concerning levels of AQ in Streatham generally and Streatham High Rd being the location of the two highest NO2 levels in the entire borough (breaching the NO2 annual mean of 60ugm) in 2021. Please could you advise the “decisions undertaken by the council” since, and actions taken, specifically to address the high levels of AQ pollution in Streatham Hill, Leigham Court Road and especially Streatham High Rd, if any.

8(b) Related to this, please could you provide the AQ data available and considered by Lambeth Council at the time of the decision-making for and implementation of the Streatham Hill LTN (made permanent in June 2022) and the Streatham Wells LTN (trial commenced Oct 2023). Nb: Some information is provided in the Decision Reports, not all.

8(c) Please advise what AQ monitors/sensors exist to cover the Lambeth Borough section of the "South Circular Rd" and whether these are TFL or Lambeth Council monitors. Please provide, if know, the periods when these monitors/sensors were known to be non-functioning - from 1.1.2020 to date. Please advise of any new monitors that may be planned.

QUESTION 9. Lambeth Sponsored Airly AQ Sensors.
a) Please provide details of the range of Lambeth’s Airly sensors in the borough - the dates they were installed in the borough, the total number and the details of the ones that are presently “offline”/faulty - and the dates from which they have been non-functioning as far as the council are aware.
b) Is it correct to say that these monitors are prioritised for/placed near schools?
c) Please also provide copies of communication between Lambeth Council and Airly with regards to the non-functioning of these sensors, and an update on when we might expect them to be repaired and in working order, if known.

QUESTION 10. AQ Management Staffing at Lambeth Council
Please outline the Lambeth Council staff team who deal with monitoring and managing AQ for the borough. Who is the officer in charge of this team? Please confirm the date from which this person has been in post, their name, job title. Please also provide their contact details and/or the best way to contact Lambeth Council for AQ related enquiries.

Thank you very much for you time in answering these AQ monitoring and management F.O.I. questions.
Yours Faithfully,

Sheila OReilly

Dear Lambeth Council,

My f.o.i. request was confirmed as being received by you on 23 February 2024
and I expected a response by 22 March 2024. Please respond by 29 March 2024, thank you.

Sincerely,
Sheila OReilly

Dear Lambeth Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Lambeth Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Qs related to Lambeth Council's Air Quality (i) 2023 Action Plan (ii) Annual Status Report/s & (iii) monitoring & management.'.

Beyond an acknowledgement of receipt of the my original enquiry, I have had no response at all. I have sent a follow-up request and allowed further time for response. I have had none.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/q...

Yours faithfully,

Sheila OReilly

Dear Lambeth Council,

Thank you for your response to my enquiry, it's much appreciated.
Please may I have the email address you have included on page 7 of your response (it is just arrived as XXX@XXX etc). Thank you

Yours sincerely,

Sheila OReilly