Net Zero pledge doesn’t commit councils to implementing ‘15 minute cities’

A post shared to Facebook makes a number of claims about “15 minute cities”, including that  “over 100 council's [sic] have signed up to the premise”, and that the concept would involve residents only being able to leave their “zone” on a specific number of days before being fined.

The “15 minute city” is an urban planning concept which aims to create areas where residents can reach basic essentials within 15 minutes, either on foot or by bike.

We’ve seen a lot of social media posts about 15 minute cities in recent weeks, in particular related to a new traffic scheme set to be introduced in Oxford, including false claims that residents will be confined to specific neighbourhoods or will be fined for using their car to leave.

While some people have expressed concerns about what the Oxford traffic filter plans could mean for local businesses, there is also a lot of inaccurate information circulating about the 15 minute cities concept—in particular claims that the plans would involve restricting the ability of residents to leave specific areas without permission. Misleading claims about what the plans involve can cause unnecessary alarm and distress and harm public debate. 

Pledge signed by over 100 councils doesn’t include commitment to 15 minute cities

The claim that “over 100” councils have signed up to the premise of 15 minute cities may be based on the UK100 organisation—a network of more than 100 councils in the UK which have signed a pledge to make “substantial progress within the next decade to deliver Net Zero.”

In 2019, the UK Government passed a legally binding requirement for the country to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

The UK100 pledge commits members, among other things, to “set ambitious Net Zero targets for greenhouse emissions of 2030 for council operations and 2045 for areawide emissions at the latest”, although these target dates don’t apply to the larger counties and combined authorities.

It does not mandate members to sign up to taking any specific measures or adopting any specific policies in order to achieve these targets.

UK100’s interim Chief Executive Jason Torrance told Full Fact: “UK100 does not mandate its members to introduce specific measures; there are no policies that are a condition of membership. We believe local leaders know their area best, and we work to empower them to make the right decisions for their community."

"While UK100 is supportive of local authority action to increase travel choices and make our streets healthier and more breathable for all residents in communities across the country, including those who don't own a car, the organisation has not advocated or called for the widespread adoption of 15-minute cities.”

Some councils which have signed up to the UK100 pledge do appear to be independently considering 15 minute cities or references similar proposals in their plans, including Sheffield City Council, Newham Council and Oxford City Council.

Oxford proposals won’t prevent residents from leaving their neighbourhoods

The post also claims that under the 15 minute cities premise “should you need to go out of this zone in your car you have to apply for a pass -your household gets 100 a year - and one [sic] you've used them all you get fined.”

This appears to be based on a misinterpretation of a new traffic scheme set to be introduced in Oxford.

The traffic scheme being trialled will restrict when many drivers including local residents can use six major roads across the city, by installing cameras known as “traffic filters”. 

It is true that local residents will be able to apply for permits allowing them to drive on the affected roads for up to 100 days a year without receiving a fine. But the scheme won’t block residents from leaving their local neighbourhoods by car on other roads, or place any restrictions on where they can go via other forms of transport.

In a joint statement, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have said: “Under the traffic filters, residents will still be able to drive to every part of the city at any time – but in the future, at the times when the filters are operating, you may need to take a different route (e.g. using the ring road) if you want to travel by car.”

The traffic filter scheme is separate to the “15-minute neighbourhoods” proposal being considered as part of Oxford City Council’s Local Plan 2040, which won’t confine residents to their local area.

The council says: “The 15-minute neighbourhoods proposal aims to ensure that every resident has all the essentials (shops, healthcare, parks) within a 15-minute walk of their home. They aim to support and add services, not restrict them.”

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