Clean Air Day marks launch of consultation on Birmingham’s smoke control order
Published: 17th Jun 2025
We’re marking Clean Air Day (19 June) by launching a new consultation into a renewal and expansion of the city’s Smoke Control Order (SCO).
The new SCO, which will replace existing orders made in 1987 and 1995, is set to be delivered in line with the Environment Act 2021. As part of this, a new order would enable the Council to issue civil penalties for emitting smoke within a Smoke Control Area.
The SCO would also allow for enforcement action to be taken against the sale of wood and manufactured solid fuels which are being inadequately stored, and products that are not certified in line with the ‘Ready to Burn’ certification scheme.
Among the key changes proposed within the new SCO is to bring vessels (for example, canal barges) under scope, which will require specific consultation.
Delivered in line with DEFRA guidelines, this part of the consultation will ensure that all boat owners and occupiers, as well as residents adjacent to where boats are moored, will have an opportunity to respond.
As part of this, we are working with partners to ensure it takes in the views of boat owners and occupiers who may not spend a long time in a particular local authority area and may not have regular access to a postal address the internet. It will also focus on boat occupiers on low incomes, and those with mental health issues or physical disabilities, who may be disproportionately affected by the changes.
Councillor Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, welcomed the new proposals, saying: “An effective Smoke Control Order is a vital part of our mission to improve the quality of the air that we breathe, and this update brings our policy in line with the Environment Act of 2021, enabling us greater powers of enforcement for those who breach the guidelines.
“While Birmingham is rightly proud of its waterways, we must also consider the environmental impact of vessels that are moored in our city. Therefore, it’s important that we bring owners and occupiers of boats into scope, and we look forward to consulting with them to agree a way forward on this.”
Residents are invited to take part in the consultation now, via our ‘BeHeard’ website.