CAMPAIGNERS will continue to press for Aireborough to be included in a Leeds Clean Air Zone despite a blow to the city council’s £40 million funding bid.

The council’s plans have been sent back to the drawing board after Environment Minister, Therese Coffey told it to resubmit its bid and ask for less money.

But despite the knock-back to the scheme Aireborough Civic Society will continue to lobby for it to be extended to its congested roads.

Civic society chairman Clive Woods said: “Although the current proposals will do little to help the situation in Aireborough as we are outside the charging zone we are keen that the zone goes ahead as soon as possible.There has been too much delay already.

“We shall then be urging Leeds CC to extend it to cover our area - given that the A65 and A658 are two of the most congested roads in Leeds especially at weekends when local people are out and traffic is bad all day.”

He said he did not know the full details of the bid but added: “Although £40 million seems a lot of money it is nothing compared to the £15.4 billion that Crossrail in London is costing. So it looks to me that it is yet another example of money for the South, but not for the North - despite the fact that this is all about people’s health.”

Councillor James Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for Resources and Sustainability, told a meeting of Leeds City Council the Clean Air Zone had unprecedented significance for the city.

He said: “The letter asks us to re-submit our bid not using our knowledge to best meet the needs of the city but to a pre-determined and lower level of funding by the end of November.

“We are disappointed by this letter as the department have received drafts of the business case we submitted yet with less than 14 months to go before the date of implementation set down in the Ministerial Direction an unknown cap on the money available from government to support businesses and drivers has emerged.”

He said despite the setback the council would continue to work with the government to agree an acceptable package.