Greater Manchester will not accept the government’s proposal for a clean air zone in the city center to carry taxis, vans, buses and lorries, Andy Burnham said. The mayor was told in a letter from Secretary of State George Eustice today (June 1) to reduce the area affected by the controversial scheme by 95 pc or more, effectively containing the clean air zone in the center of the city of Manchester.
However, the letter said there was “little solid evidence” that dismissing the charges and offering funding to upgrade the vehicle, on the other hand, would clean the air enough. It comes after the controversial scheme that was to take effect across Greater Manchester this week was paused and delayed the deadline by which the region must meet air quality targets.
Since then, Burnham has said the region can achieve air quality compliance before the new 2026 date without loading any vehicles. Talking to him Local Democracy Reporting Service today, he said Greater Manchester will no longer accept any charges as part of the clean air zone.
READ MORE: Greater Manchester Clean Air Area Should Be Cut Only in Downtown, Government Says
He said: “We have said that this can be done with incentives and that is the policy of Greater Manchester. We have said that if they want charges, they will have to impose it. That is the position of Greater Manchester.”
Greater Manchester presented plans for a clean air zone, which would cover the entire region and charge some vehicles up to £ 60 a day following a ministerial order to reduce NO2 levels below legal limits by 2024. however, the plan was halted. after the government agreed to delay the deadline for achieving air quality compliance by two years.
It came after an investigation commissioned by the mayor found that supply chain problems caused by Covid increased the cost of some new vans by up to 60 pc. Burnham says this delay makes a clean air zone in the city center possible, but believes all charges should be ruled out now that the deadline is 2026.
He claims the Conservatives also campaigned to rule out all CAZ charges during local elections and accused them of making “false promises”. However, local conservatives and anti-CAZ activists are demanding a victory.
Leigh Conservative MP James Grundy said the news would be “great relief” for many small businesses and working families in Greater Manchester. Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Bolton council, the only Conservative-led local authority in the region, one councilor proclaimed the CAZ “dead”.
RethinkGM, the campaign group set up to oppose the original scheme, also said the government’s latest intervention was a “substantial gain”. But Burnham says there are companies across the region that use Manchester’s inner ring road and would therefore be affected by the charges.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (Image: Joel Goodman)
In his letter to the mayor of Labor, the secretary of state said that a smaller clean air area “would achieve most of the public health benefits of the original plan while greatly reducing the impact.” potential for local businesses “. Eustice also said the £ 132 million not spent, which the government has given to Greater Manchester, would help companies upgrade to cleaner vehicles.
However, it is unclear whether taxis, vans, buses and trucks based outside the city center would be eligible for funding if the size of the clean air zone is reduced. Burnham suspects the measure is an attempt to reduce access to finance.
He said: “What he seems to be saying in this letter is that the area would be reduced and therefore only the people in the area would receive the funds. That is why we proposed the construction of an unloaded area in an area. and therefore companies outside of it have access to funds because there is a good chance that they will have to spend as part of their business. “
How have politicians reacted …
Manchester Council leader Bev Craig gave her reaction to the latest news on the clean air zone during a council meeting on Wednesday (June 1st). The Labor politician supported Burnham’s position on the removal of all charges.
She said: “It is Manchester’s position and Greater Manchester’s position that we will move forward with plans to present our proposal for a clean air zone plan without load before July 1 and the ball is We will continue to work on the plan to deal with the crisis of air pollution in a way that does not affect those who are already suffering. the cost of living crisis right now. “
However, Leigh Conservative MP Grundy welcomed the news, saying the government was “forcing” its parliamentary predecessor, Burnham, to “eliminate its controversial congestion tax scheme. GM CASE “. The Secretary of State described the proposal for a Clean Air Zone in the city center as “early thoughts” of his Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Leigh MP James Grundy (Image: James Grundy)
However, the Tory MP has interpreted it as an “instruction” to the mayor. He said: “Andy Burnham’s 500-square-mile CAZ congestion loading area covering the whole of Greater Manchester was an inevitable job of destroying the tax on going to work.
“The fact that the mayor wanted to keep the 500-square-mile area with all the cargo infrastructure in place, with the promise that the area would not be loaded, raised great suspicion among Conservative MPs in Greater Manchester. mayor could later simply have moved to a cargo area across Greater Manchester at a later date.
“I am delighted that the government has ordered the mayor to restrict any CAZ in central Manchester. This will be a great relief for many small businesses and working families across Greater Manchester, including my constituency of Leigh, which never should have done. has been included in the area first “.
Bolton councilor Nadim Muslim, the only Conservative on the Greater Manchester Clean Air Committee, also welcomed the latest development. He said: “The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone is dead.
“As I and my fellow Bolton Conservatives have argued all along, the Burnham cargo area was unnecessarily large with unnecessary cargoes. Looking to the future, any future proposal should only consider the center of the city of Manchester, with Bolton residents unaffected to drive through our borough.
“We will always explore options that mean no load, no cameras and no clean air zone for Bolton, something other cities have shown is possible.”
What did the campaign groups say …
A protest in the clean air zone in central Manchester (Image: Adam Vaughan)
A spokesman for RethinkGM, the campaign group set up to oppose the original CAZ scheme, said: “The government’s letter has made it clear that a region-wide scheme is not required and that joint councils should reduce more than 95%, freeing up funding, which GMCA has suspended for non – compliant vehicles and providing evidence to support any future scheme. “
Oliver Lord, head of the UK-based Clean Cities campaign, said: “The government’s position is not surprising given that a clean air zone without charges would do little to improve the quality of “Air. It is absolutely right to prioritize the city center and if that unblocks inertia and I see it as a reluctant compromise. Of course, action must be taken throughout the region so that no one loses cleaner air.”
Greater Manchester has until July 1 to agree on a new plan with the government. Leaders have promised that a public consultation will be held, but transport chiefs have suggested that this would happen after a path is agreed.
What the government has said …
George Eustice is Secretary of State for the Environment (Image: Copyright unknown)
The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was asked why the Secretary of State no longer supports a clean air zone covering the whole of Greater Manchester, which was signed by the government in the summer. past. It was also asked whether companies based outside the Clean Air Zone would be eligible for funding to upgrade their vehicles to cleaner versions.
However, instead of answering these questions, the department sent notes of “general information” and more information from its website. A Defra spokesman said local authorities are responsible for developing clean air zone schemes in consultation with local residents and businesses before submitting them to the government for consideration and approval.
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