2025 Action Scorecards

Question · Action Scorecards 2025

Do the NO2 levels in a significant proportion of neighbourhoods within the council’s area exceed the safe World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution guidelines?

Question code
2.12a
Section
Transport
Topic
Air Quality - NO2
Source
National Data
Question weight
Unweighted

Criteria

Negatively Scored Question - Two-tier

A council will be negatively scored if they have 25% or more LSOAs (Lower-layer Super Output Areas) above the World Health Organisations (WHO) NO2 guidelines.

Negative marks applied for the first tier: -2% of the maximum possible section score

A council will be further negatively scored if they have 75% or more LSOAs (Lower-layer Super Output Areas) above the World Health Organisations (WHO) NO2 guidelines.

Negative marks applied for the second tier: -6% of the maximum possible section score.

Clarifications

NO2 - Nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, is a gaseous air pollutant composed of nitrogen and oxygen and is one of a group of related gases called nitrogen oxides, or NOx. NO2 forms when fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gas or diesel are burned at high temperatures. NO2 in the UK is mostly a result of fossil fuel cars. Data for NO2 in the UK is strong due to a good network of national sensors therefore we have used a stronger criteria.

LSOAs (Lower-layer Super Output Areas) are small areas designed to be of a similar population size, with an average of approximately 1,500 residents or 650 households. They are used to form the basis of the census.

WHO NO2 guidelines: Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations of 10 µg/m3 annual average.

Question performance

Or show scores by type of council

Councils with penalty marks

10 county councils

Councils without penalty marks

11 county councils

Legends for difference column

-- No change
NA New question (not in previous scorecards)
CouncilScoreDifference2023Evidence
Cambridgeshire County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Devon County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
East Sussex County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Gloucestershire County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Lancashire County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Lincolnshire County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Norfolk County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Oxfordshire County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Suffolk County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
West Sussex County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Worcestershire County Council
Score 2025
0/0
2023 Difference
0/0NANo Penalty Mark
Derbyshire County Council
Score 2025
-0.46/0
2023 Difference

Evidence

    -0.46/0NA
      Essex County Council
      Score 2025
      -0.46/0
      2023 Difference

      Evidence

        -0.46/0NA
          Hampshire County Council
          Score 2025
          -0.46/0
          2023 Difference

          Evidence

            -0.46/0NA
              Hertfordshire County Council
              Score 2025
              -0.46/0
              2023 Difference

              Evidence

                -0.46/0NA
                  Kent County Council
                  Score 2025
                  -0.46/0
                  2023 Difference

                  Evidence

                    -0.46/0NA
                      Leicestershire County Council
                      Score 2025
                      -0.46/0
                      2023 Difference

                      Evidence

                        -0.46/0NA
                          Nottinghamshire County Council
                          Score 2025
                          -0.46/0
                          2023 Difference

                          Evidence

                            -0.46/0NA
                              Staffordshire County Council
                              Score 2025
                              -0.46/0
                              2023 Difference

                              Evidence

                                -0.46/0NA
                                  Warwickshire County Council
                                  Score 2025
                                  -0.46/0
                                  2023 Difference

                                  Evidence

                                    -0.46/0NA
                                      Surrey County Council
                                      Score 2025
                                      -1.38/0
                                      2023 Difference

                                      Evidence

                                        -1.38/0NA