• OF late Camden Council has been puffing up its chest with pie-in-the sky intentions on air quality to achieve World Health Organisation (WHO) thresholds for the borough by 2030.

But that’s four administrations hence! With local elections coming in May we need to hear about short-term commitments on increased funding and new measures beyond an idling engines initiative.

Here’s something practical the council could do swiftly to have a direct effect on lowering the pollution in Camden and it’s not about our roads.
King’s College estimates that of the order of 30 per cent of London’s particulate pollution arises from wood burning.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change reported last year that 70 per cent of wood-burning in London, a Smoke Control Area, is illegally happening in open fireplaces (including the Beckhams).

There is clearly ignorance of the law and a lack of awareness that burning wood results in black carbon particulate matter that enters the bloodstream and can cause cancer and / or another big cause of death, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Two things Camden could do to improve our air quality. Make a concerted effort to raise awareness and to start a pro-active community engagement initiative.

And set up a hot-line for concerned residents to ring Camden’s environmental health team to alert to the likelihood that a neighbour seems to be burning wood, judging by smoke or smell emissions and thus prompt a “friendly” home visit.

This would need extra funding to be allocated to the environment team. Wood burning is compounding damage to Camden residents’ health but, given the will, our council could address the issue tomorrow.

Camden already has a helpful, informative page on its website titled “Guidance on wood burning stoves” at: https://tinyurl.com/y87t64zf. Time to put our money where your mouths are, aspirant councillors!

PAUL BRAITHWAITE
NW5