BRADFORD Council says it has received an "enthusiastic" response from HGV companies applying for funding to replace or adapt their vehicles for the Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

HGV companies were invited to bid for funding of up to £16,000 per vehicle via the YORtender portal, when the procurement process went live last month.

So far, 92 companies have been successful in applying for funding to replace or adapt 284 eligible vehicles before the CAZ is introduced in January.

This represents £4.54m of the £6.4m Government funding the council has received to support HGV companies to comply with the CAZ.

The range of businesses includes skip and plant hire, haulier and removal firms. The majority of companies were based within the Bradford District, with a few elsewhere, including in Calderdale and Kirklees.

Any HGV companies who have not applied for this funding have a second chance, as there was £1.8m left over after the close of the application deadline earlier this month.

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Companies will be able to apply for grants of up to £16,000 per vehicle until 2pm on October 21 via the YORtender portal - https://www.yortender.co.uk/ , reference DN571724.

This also gives details of eligibility, which include vehicles frequently needing to travel through the CAZ and operators being no larger than an SME – a small or medium enterprise with less than 250 employees and a turnover below £45m or a total balance sheet less than £40m.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places, said: “It’s great to hear that so many HGV companies are keen to invest in cleaner vehicles to cut their emissions. Any who, for whatever reason, were unable to apply for this funding the first time around now have a second chance.”

Paul Swinburne, Director of PIPS Logistics Ltd in Keighley, said: “We are pleased to have been awarded grant funding from Bradford Council’s Clean Air Fund, which will now allow us, along with our own investment, to upgrade our old fleet of Euro 5 HGVs to newer, more Eco friendly Euro 6 vehicles.

“Without the award this would have proved difficult to achieve at the moment, but it now allows us to focus on continuing to grow and move our business forward, which in turn will hopefully enable us to create future employment opportunities within the area.“

Bradford Council has been directed by the Government to implement the CAZ to cut levels of air pollution from heavily congested roads. Vehicles that do not meet clean air standards will be charged for entering the zone. This will include vans, taxis, lorries, buses and coaches. There will be no charge for private cars.

The zone will include Bradford city centre, from and including the outer ring road, extending up the Canal Road corridor and Manningham Lane into Shipley and Saltaire.