IMPACT SNAPSHOT: Bradford Clean Air Plan and BiB Breathes

Bradford Clean Air Plan used Born in Bradford data to demonstrate pollution-health links, securing £40 million for Clean Air Zone implementation that reduced GP visits by 700 per month.

#Sickness to Prevention

The Bradford Clean Air Plan and BiB Breathes project tackled critical air quality challenges in Bradford, where illegally high pollution levels threatened public health. Using the Born in Bradford cohort and Connected Bradford programme, researchers demonstrated direct links between air pollution and healthcare demand, revealing that disadvantaged communities faced disproportionate environmental health risks. This evidence-based approach, combined with extensive community co-development, secured significant funding for Bradford’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and ensured policies addressed health inequalities while maintaining public support.

Key impacts include:

• The evidence helped secured over £40 million for Bradford’s Clean Air Plan implementation.
• Demonstrated up to 33% of GP appointments and 50% of emergency department visits for lung health were caused by high pollution days.
• Achieved 700 fewer GP visits per month for heart and lung health after CAZ implementation.
• Engaged under-served communities in co-developing the Clean Air Plan, ensuring inclusive policy design.
• Maintained high levels of public support for CAZ both pre and post-implementation
• Influenced national policy – featured in Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report on Pollution (2022).
• Addressing air quality crisis contributing to 64,000 UK deaths annually.
• Contributing to potential NHS savings from £1.6 billion to projected £5.3 billion annual pollution-related costs.

The BiB-Breathes study continues evaluating health, air quality and economic impacts. The Bradford model has become an exemplar for other cities developing inclusive Clean Air Plans, demonstrating how research-informed policy can reduce health inequalities while improving population health outcomes.