Draft Clean Air Zones Central Services (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Parliament voted on 16 June 2026 to approve regulations doubling the fee that local authorities in England pay per transaction to use the national clean air zone digital infrastructure, from £2 to £4, and extending the scheme's licensing period from March 2027 to March 2031. The vote passed by 262 ayes to 86 noes. The regulations are set to take effect from 1 September 2026. This was Division 27. The change moves the fee arrangement closer to full cost recovery for running the central digital services that underpin clean air zones, which charge older and more polluting vehicles to enter designated areas in cities. Seven English local authorities currently operate such zones, including Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Bradford, and areas of Tyneside. Ministers framed the increase as necessary to reduce the gap between what local authorities pay and what the scheme actually costs to run. Labour MPs voted unanimously in favour, with 251 voting aye and none against. All 80 Conservative MPs who voted opposed the regulations. The Green Party's five MPs voted with the government. The Liberal Democrats and the Democratic Unionist Party also voted against. Reform UK's two voting members opposed it. The vote did not produce significant cross-party alliances or notable rebellions within any party.