TAMESIDE business owners who faced being charged to work under proposals for a Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan have welcomed new proposals that would place the borough outside a charging zone.
But they are still waiting for answers on whether they would have to pay to enter Manchester city centre – and where the city centre starts.
And one has branded attempts to secure government grants to upgrade vehicles a ‘waste of time.’
Original plans would have seen drivers charged up to £60 a day to come along any road other than motorways inside the 10 boroughs.
A huge public outcry placed those on hold, even though road signs saying it would start at the end of May had been erected.
Now mayor Andy Burnham and his authority instead want to use £120 million of government money will be used to help owners of the most polluting buses, lorries and taxis adapt or retrofit their vehicles under a Clean Air Plan (CAP).
However, those in power at Parliament responded by saying there is “little robust evidence” it would work and charges should still apply for Manchester city centre only.
Mark Atherton, of Ashton-based Levaggi’s ice cream, also believes the money for upgrades would hardly touch the sides.
He told The Correspondent: “I am so pleased they have abandoned the idea of charging the people of Manchester.
“But the scheme to help people update their vehicles is probably a waste of time.
“The amount the government would give you in a grant wouldn’t help at all. It would cost us £100,000 per van to upgrade.
“I think in the future if they plan to charge again it should be on the M60. That probably would also easy congestion on there too.”
Mayor Burnham said that the government “effectively” forced councils to introduce Clean Air Zone charges under a 2024 deadline.
But he admitted it did not explicitly require charges before the cut-off point was delayed by two years after sharp rises in prices of new vans, meaning motorists unable to upgrade vehicles would be stuck with a tax and the air would not be cleaner.
Since then, local leaders said the air can be cleaned up before the new deadline without the need for charging any vehicles at all.
Manchester Labour councillor Tracey Rawlins said: “I think it is fair to say that while we’ve been on this journey since around 2018, things have changed so much.
“We’ve got a completely different landscape now.”
And Mr Burnham added: “Unlike the previous charging Clean Air Zone scheme defined by government guidance, the investment-led, non-charging GM CAP seeks to attend to the cost-of-living crisis – through avoiding the use of charging – and actively consider the impacts of the pandemic, particularly on Manchester city centre, where Greater Manchester needs to support ongoing recovery due to changes in economic activity and the impact of wider global economic instability on supply chains.
“It’s a very detailed piece of work that shows how this can be done.”
Feelings remain high on the CAP issue, with Friends of the Earth saying it is a ‘do minimum’ approach that will see some areas fail to meet the legal air pollution limits until 2026 at best.
Co-ordinator Catherine Thomson said: “Air pollution is a public health emergency, and this watered-down plan is totally unacceptable.”
Not entirely correct statement that those in power in parliament have stated that the charging zone should be in the city centre.
The decision to implement any charging zones was left to each and every council within GM and under the guidance of Andy Burnham.