BRADFORD Council is among the cities that has signed up to what is billed as the world’s most ambitious clean air plan

City leaders representing 20 million people were at the National Clean Air Summit.

The event saw the cities network UK100 bring together leaders from across the country for talks with Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

During the summit, leaders called on the Government to do more to tackle air quality, including introducing a national upgrade fund to help phase out heavily polluting vehicles.

The establishment of a £1.5 billion Government-funded programme would remove the dirtiest diesel and petrol vehicles from Britain's streets and deliver a network of new low emission bus zones, they said.

Research published by UK100 suggests this could pay for nearly half a million (488,647) older polluting cars, vans and buses to be taken off the roads and incentivise people and businesses into using low-emission vehicles and public transport.

Funding could pay for £2,000 credit towards an ultra low emission vehicle for scrapping a diesel registered by 2015 or incentives for cheaper public transport, car clubs and bikes for adults and families ditching such diesels.

It could also pay for £3,500 credit towards an ultra low emission vehicle for anyone scrapping commercial diesel vans and minibuses registered before 2016 and helping cities roll out low emission bus zones by upgrading existing vehicles and making the shift towards electric buses.

Half the fund should be ring-fenced for private citizens, with those on low incomes prioritised, and should be paid for with the £1.7 billion year-on-year savings the Government expects to see from its clean air strategy, its backers said.