According to research carried out on the eve of the CV show by Eminox, roughly three-quarters of those questioned believed that the cost of fitting emission control equipment to trucks and buses should be provided by a grant from Central Government.
Out of the 2,210 respondents across the UK, there is an overriding message for local authorities – 97% of those asked said that councils should insist that trucks and buses entering their areas should have emission control equipment fitted. And 75.1% said that grants should be available for emission control equipment on trucks and buses, with 73% saying the Government should pay for it.
The company, which is the UK market leader in emission control equipment, commissioned online survey company Tickbox.net to find out how much ordinary members of the public across the UK knew about the emission debate, what they thought about their own air quality and their views on Central Government funding.
Eminox senior managers will be writing to Ministers and Civil Servants, as well as Opposition politicians, to make them aware of the outcome.
“The clear message for Central Government is that people want clean air, and achieving this should be a major priority,” said Paul Priestley, General Manager of Eminox.
The survey comes as grants to UK operators dry up, and now all grants have been halted until a new system has been approved; a process which could take until the end of the year. Ministers and civil servants need to take some responsibility for the ensuing delay. The proposed revisions should have been issued almost two years ago to ensure that this delay did not happen.
“I sincerely hope that politicians at all levels take note of this. The cost of the grants to the UK is roughly £7m – and that represents extremely good value for money.
“We are astounded that Ministers and Civil Servants have let the grant system come to an end. Even if they are re-started in the future, there will be a delay of many months while the proposals go through the approval process,” continued Paul Priestley.