An annual report looking at Bristol’s Clean Air Zone was marred with errors as 'bizarre' percentages were given which don’t add up to 100. The report highlighted two major problems last year, with pollution in the city centre increasing and many drivers not paying CAZ fines.
Last year saw a small increase in levels of nitrogen dioxide within the Clean Air Zone, which experts at Bristol City Council have blamed on particular weather conditions, given a similar national picture. And millions of pounds of fines for not paying the charge were written off.
But understanding the extent of the problem with penalty charge notices was made difficult due to erroneous tables about how many were paid, cancelled or written off. On one table, the percentages from 2024 added up to 84, and on a separate table, percentages added up to 128.
The fines for people not paying the charge are a critical way to hit the aims of the Clean Air Zone, which is why understanding the latest figures is so important. An update on the Clean Air Zone was given to councillors on the environment policy committee.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim Kent said: “We’ve got a PCN table with percentages going down it. But they add up to about 125 per cent, give or take a couple of per cent, not 100 per cent, which seems a bit bizarre.”
Drivers of non-compliant vehicles who enter the zone without paying the fee are hit with a penalty charge notice of £129. This is halved for people who pay within a fortnight, but increased for those who don’t pay and then receive a charge certificate.
If someone doesn’t pay, the council asks the DVLA to find out who owns the vehicle and where they live, so a fine can be sent.
However last year the council wrote off 79,483 fines, where the DVLA was unable to provide who owned the vehicles, and where bailiffs couldn’t find the owner or recover the debt. About a quarter of fines were written off, with only 43 per cent actually paid.
Regardless of the confusion, councillors raised questions about how fairly the Clean Air Zone is working. Less than five per cent of vehicles driving inside the zone are liable to pay a charge or fine, and then many of these drivers don’t actually end up paying anything at all anyway.
Cllr Kent added: “There’s an issue here of fairness. If someone does drive a non-compliant vehicle into the CAZ, and doesn’t pay their nine quid, then they don’t have to pay anything. Because in fact about half the PCNs aren’t being paid. Some people appear to be rigging the system. I’m surprised it’s so many that we can’t track down.”
Over the last financial year, £27.8 million of CAZ fines were written off, according to a separate report. Many of the debts belong to repeat offenders. Enforcement agents are currently chasing around 45,000 fines, which were racked up by around only 11,000 drivers.
