MD2744 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities ULEZ and Air Qual improvements

3.1. Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2. The GLA has published an analysis on exposure to air pollution undertaken by Aether which shows that not only are there huge health impacts of pollution but the way these fall on the most vulnerable means that improving air quality is fundamentally about tackling social injustice.

3.3. The report considers pollution exposure in London in 2013 and considers how exposure varies by age, indicators of relative deprivation and ethnic groups in London. It also looks at total exposure (broken down by borough) and exposure at schools. Through the research described in this report, City Hall is seeking to understand inequalities in access to clean air in London and to consider how this will be improved by planned air pollution controls.

3.4. The research shows on average that the most deprived tenth of the population are exposed to concentrations of NO2 which are 25 per cent higher than the least deprived tenth of the population. It is important to note that hidden within this you also have pockets of extreme wealth with very high levels of exposure, e.g. those living in Westminster or in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

3.5. In terms of ethnicity, whereas there is a normal distribution of exposure for white people, the pattern shows increasing exposure in areas that have higher percentage of non-white ethnic groups, with a particularly skewed distribution for the Black/African/Caribbean/Black British population. A greater proportion of mixed, black and other ethnic groups are exposed to levels of pollution that exceed the NO2 limit value than their proportion of the total population.

3.6. The money received from the WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities will be spent in a way that complements the Mayor’s existing air quality programme, which will benefit all Londoners but particularly Londoners with the protected characteristics set out above.

4.1. The money received from the WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities will be spent on new innovative project(s) that will complement the Mayor’s existing air quality programme. The money will be spent in way to reflect the objectives of the WRI Ross Center Prize, demonstrating innovation and addressing air quality, climate change and inequalities.

4.2. The money will be spent to support the delivery of:

Mayor’s Transport Strategy Policy 4.2.4 – The Mayor will work with the government, the London boroughs and other partners to accelerate the achievement of legal limits in Greater London and improve air quality.

London Environment Strategy Policy 4.2 – Achieve legal compliance with UK and EU limits as soon as possible, including by mobilising action from London boroughs, government and other partners.

The Green New Deal - The Green New Deal aims to tackle some of London’s defining environmental challenges, including the climate emergency and air quality, whilst creating jobs, developing skills and supporting a just transition to a low carbon circular economy.

London Environment Strategy: The 2017 London Environment Strategy commits to achieve the WHO recommended guideline limit for PM2.5 by 2030.

4.3. As this Mayoral Decision is seeking to accept prize money there are no new impacts to assess.

4.4. Delays in undertaking activities funded by prize money could have a negative reputational risk on the Mayor. The timeline and expected cost of the project will be reviewed before it commences. In addition, a risk register will be drawn up for the project to identify and monitor risks.

4.5. Accepting the Prize money from the World Resources Institution carries the risk associated with accepting money from a third party. The competition entry, and terms of the prize has been reviewed and signed by TfL Legal and no conflicts of interest were identified.

4.6. The officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this form do not have an interest to declare in accordance with the GLA’s policy on registering interests which might, or might be seen to, conflict with this Mayoral Decision.

4.7. The Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues is on the WRI Ross Center of Sustainable Cities Advisory Board. This position has been declared within the Register of Interests. Shirley Rodrigues has no role in the decision making of the WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities.

5.1. Approval is being sought for the receipt of income from the WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities – prize monies as noted above. As detailed within the main body of the report, the GLA has secured US $25,000 (approximately £18,500) as finalist and if selected as winner would receive US $250,000 (approximately £185,000). This prize money would be received in the 2020/21 financial year and accounted for within the environment programme budget, specifically the air quality budget.

5.2. Officers propose utilising the funds on an innovative fund tackling air pollution and depending on the final prize money awarded, the proposed expenditure will take place in the 2021/22 financial year. As a result, this income will be carried forward into 2021/22 as part of the Authority’s closing of accounts process.

5.3. The projects that will make the proposed innovative funds tackling air pollution are still being developed and as a result project approval that will utilise this income are to be delegated to the Executive Director of Good Growth (for which approval is also being sought via this approval).

6.1. The proposal to receive the prize money for the purposes set out above is consistent with the Mayor’s powers relating to social development and environmental improvement under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999.