Portsmouth City Council in Hampshire has released a new long-term plan to reduce pollution and improve health across the city by 2040. The document, called the Clean Air Strategy 2026-2040, was published on February 19, 2026, to set out specific steps to make the city’s air safer to breathe.
This new strategy aims to meet health targets set by the World Health Organisation by 2040. These targets are stricter than the current rules set by the UK government for air quality.
To make sure the city stays on track, the council has set smaller targets to hit every five years. This follows a public survey in late 2025 where 73 per cent of residents said they were concerned or very concerned about local air pollution.
The plan focuses on three main goals: stopping pollution before it starts, reducing how much pollution people breathe in, and protecting children and the elderly. The council says everyone in the city should be able to breathe air that does not damage their health.
This builds on the work of the Cleaner Air Portsmouth scheme. The city already has a clean air zone that charges some heavy goods vehicles, buses, coaches, and taxis, but private cars and vans currently do not have to pay to drive in the area.
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