The Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality is a Limited by Guarantee Social Enterprise. The Commission supports the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
The APPG consists of MPs and peers who work together to promote measures to tackle poor air quality.
WCRAQ consists of working parties that discuss, debate and agree on policy recommendations. These working parties provide quarterly reports for the APPG to help shape Government policies.
Barry Sheerman, former MP for Huddersfield and Social Entrepreneur and Sustainability Advocate; Jason Airey, MD of CMS SupaTrak; Ash Sharma, Author and founder of SKIPS Educational; and Sally Cumner, Sales and Marketing Director for CMS SupaTrak, set the Commission up in 2020. The idea originated from Barry at an Optimised Waste and Logistics (OWL) partnership AGM in Dublin in April 2018.
Jason and Sally then embarked on a journey to conduct more research about air pollution created by road transport.
‘We created the Commission after almost two years of investigations when we realised our Government wasn’t addressing air quality issues,’ commented Sally.
‘According to the World Health Organisation, air pollution kills an estimated of about seven million people per year around the world. This number is shocking, but, more importantly, it’s also preventable. By taking a deep look into one of the biggest sources of air pollution – road transport – this Commission will take an important step in solving one of the biggest health and environmental issues of our time,’ explained Barry Sheerman.
The Commission consists of five working parties:
Air Monitoring Chair
Chair: Ralph Wilce, Owner, Wijs-Air
Ralph has a passion for understanding cleaner air and ways of achieving it. With a background in vehicle, industrial emission testing and air quality monitoring, Ralph understands the urgency of finding and eliminating high polluting diesel and petrol vehicles as a key to fast and low-cost Road Air Quality improvement.
As an active member of the international NPTI working group and at EGEA in Brussels, Ralph has contributed to the process of increasing awareness and providing justifications for stricter MOT (PTI) emission testing. This policy is now being implemented in Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium based on new sensing technologies to control the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).
Born British in The Netherlands, Ralph was educated in the UK from the age of 10. After graduating with a first-class honours degree and fluency in Dutch, German and English, Ralph has spent many years in international business development based in the UK and overseas.
Air Health Chair
Chair: Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, Southampton University
Stephen has a research focus on the mechanisms of asthma and allergy. He is interested in air pollution’s health effects, serves as a UKRI Clean Air Champion and is Special Advisor for the Royal College of Physicians on Air Quality.
Stephen chaired the government Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, the Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards and the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee.
He was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, has held leadership roles in the UK Research Councils and is a member of the Natural Environment Research Council.
Education Chair
Chair: Larissa Lockwood, Clean Air Director, Global Action Plan
Larissa is an air pollution and behaviour change expert with 20 years of experience in sustainability. Larissa leads Global Action’s clean air portfolio, working in collaboration to mobilise action to tackle air pollution. Larissa organises Clean Air Day – the UK’s most extensive air pollution campaign that helps millions learn more about air pollution and take action. Global Action Plan also launched the Clean Air Hub – the UK’s go-to public information source on air pollution.
The Clean Air for Schools programme is helping schools to develop and implement clean air action plans. She also set up the Clean Air Hospital Framework – to help the health sector act on air pollution.
Lastly, Larissa set up Business for Clean Air – a voluntary initiative that companies can join to signal their commitment to addressing air pollution.
Energy, Fuels and Vehicles
Chair: Jason Airey, MD, CMS SupaTrak
ason aims to help customers reduce costs, comply, and increase operational efficiency. As a connected fleet specialist, Jason is proud to lead a team of world-leading engineers designing and manufacturing vehicle telematics systems in the UK.
Jason specialises in making a difference and has been instrumental in setting up the Optimised Waste & Logistics (OWL) and Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality initiatives. These innovation partnerships are helping shape best practices and increase road safety in the waste, transport, and logistics sectors.
Jason has pioneered telematics systems for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), assisting them in increasing first-time fix rates and aiding their customers in managing their fleets more efficiently.
Planning & Infrastructure Chair
Professor Peter Roberts,
Emeritus, Leeds University
Peter is a Professor Emeritus of Sustainable Spatial Development at the University Of Leeds, and Group Chair of the First Ark Group, which includes a housing association and social enterprises.
Nationally and internationally, Peter is involved in a range of regional and urban planning, regeneration, housing and health, economic development and environmental management. Peter has acted as an advisor to the House of Commons Children’s, Schools and Families Select Committee and to Local Government. He has been involved in community regeneration projects in Tyneside, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and elsewhere. He was awarded the OBE in 2004 for services to regeneration and planning. Peter is the chair of the trust’s Audit and risk committee.
The Commission invites scientists, charities, air quality professionals, transport operations and consultancies and other qualified individuals to become part of this new initiative.
To join the Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality, please contact Membership Manager.