Westminster City Council is taking ambitious action to become a net zero council by 2030 and a net zero city by 2040. Our Fairer Environment Strategy has ambitious standards for air quality, aiming to match the more stringent World Health Organisation guidelines to limit residents’ and visitors' exposure to air pollution. In July 2023 we launched the Air Quality Data Platform, bringing together multiple air quality data sets into one freely accessible location.

The platform is pivotal in shaping our policies and interventions to reduce air pollution, fostering informed decision-making and enabling communities to understand their local air quality. The data serves as a catalyst for residents and visitors to take proactive measures to minimise exposure to poor air quality. Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Cabinet Member for Air Quality and City Management emphasised that the council hopes “the data from these sensors will make everyone consider their personal actions.”

The AQ data platform goes beyond the technological advancements and emphasises the significant social value of open and accessible data. Internally, the platform has been the launchpad of initiatives that foster ownership and sharing of monitoring data. The platform drives innovation enabling the creation of impactful products.

For example, The Clean Air Walking Routes is a navigation tool that utilises the platform data to help users minimise air pollution exposure when they are walking in Westminster. Additionally, the Schools Healthy Commutes Project responds to the spike in air pollution during peak school hours. The project provides schools with air quality sensors and allows pupils and parents to access their school’s air quality data via the platform and successfully inform behaviour change.

Externally, the Council hopes to be an exemplar and encourage other local authorities to develop similar products. We are collaborating with our neighbouring local authority, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on a proposed shared Air Quality Data Platform. This will be a huge support to our public health team which offers a bi-borough service.

The council has presented and received positive feedback on the AQ data platform from Central London Air Quality Cluster Group and the LOTI Data Practioner’s network. We have also successfully lobbied for improved sharing of air quality data, aligned with Fairer Westminster’s dedication to openness and transparency. We hope this would lead to positive development as economies of scale will enable the council’s ability to invest in a more accessible, less costly future product.