Formal Council Questions and Responses

At this formal question session, Councillor Fouweather asked about anti-idling campaigns at schools, where vehicle engines are left running while parked, and whether council officers or the police would enforce the rule. Councillor D Davies said a research project is under way in the Bassaleg cluster of schools, and that the council does not yet have enforcement powers. No decision was recorded.

Some sentences of this summary are missing in English, because an older automatic check removed them from the English only. The Welsh version has them.

1. Anti-idling campaign at schools

   Decided

   The minutes record no decision on this item.

   Why

   Councillor Fouweather asked about anti-idling campaigns at schools, where vehicle engines are left running while parked, and whether council officers or the police would enforce the policy. Councillor D Davies replied that the council has secured Welsh Government grant funding for a community research project in the Bassaleg cluster of schools. The research phase was due to start in the last quarter of the current financial year. Further engagement, education or enforcement would depend on the findings and on later grant rounds. The council does not currently have enforcement powers, and the Welsh Government has consulted on them.

   Based on the minutes

Written by AI from the council's minutes and reports. Sentences with a number or name that can't be found in those papers are removed automatically, but mistakes are still possible. Councils publish no word-for-word record of meetings, so this says what was decided and why. Read the official papers to be sure.

1. 1

   Question to the Cabinet Member for Education and Early Years : 2025/41 - Anti-idling campaign at school

   Minute

   Councillor Fouweather asked: Can the cabinet member give me an update on anti-idling campaigns at schools and what action can be taken to enforce this policy. Can the cabinet member tell me if this policy will be enforced by council officers or is it a police function. Councillor D Davies responded: The Council has recently secured Welsh Government Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) grant funding towards a vehicle anti-idling community research project within the Bassaleg cluster of schools. This project is currently underway; with research phase due to start within Q4 of the current financial year. Subject to the outcome of this research project, the team will investigate further engagement, education and enforcement activities again through subsequent LAQM grant funding rounds. The Welsh Government has recently consulted on stationary vehicle engine idling enforcement & amendments to the proposed penalty range (Stationary Vehicle Engine Idling: Amendment to The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (Wales) Regulations 2003). Currently, the Council does not have these enforcement powers. I’m sure the councillor will be pleased that our latest Air Quality Action Plan shows such improvement that we have already started the process for revocation of 5 AQMAs across the city.

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