No date set for clean air verdict
THE government will not say when the future of Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone will be decided.
The controversial scheme that initially would have charged some motorists whose vehicles exceed emissions standards could be cancelled if the government approves a new plan.
Local leaders, who were instructed by the government to bring air pollution down below legal limits, have said they want all charges to be scrapped since 2022, soon after the scheme was put on hold following a public backlash.
Last month, they revealed a revised proposal which involves more electric buses, funding for cleaner taxis and upgrading roads in and around Manchester city centre.
They claim that this will clean the air quicker than charging motorists.
The government will now have to decide whether it agrees.
The Observer asked the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) when the government is expected to respond to Greater Manchester’s revised proposal.
A Defra spokesperson said: “We will review Greater Manchester’s proposals to determine whether the proposed approach will achieve compliance with NO2 limits in the shortest possible time, and respond in due course.”
When pushed for a more specific timeline, the government department said it would not comment further.
It comes after Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham urged the government not to delay its decision when presenting the new proposal last month.
Speaking on December 13, he said: “We want to get on with things. Let’s start 2024 with clarity.”
All 10 councils in Greater Manchester were instructed by the government to prepare a plans for a Clean Air Zone in 2019. The ministerial direction required the city-region to reduce nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) levels to meet legal limits by no later than 2024.
Local leaders agreed a plan with the government which involved charging owners of lorries, vans, taxis, buses and coaches a daily penalty for driving almost anywhere in Greater Manchester if their vehicles did not meet emissions standards. The charges, which were due to start coming into effect from May 2022, would have applied to almost every road across the city-region except for motorways.
However, the deadline was pushed back to 2026 following a political battle over who was to blame for the unpopular plan. The latest ministerial direction issued in February 2022 requires compliance with NO2 limits in the shortest
time possible and no later than 2026.
Since then, local leaders have argued for an ‘investment-led’ approach.
However, progress on the new proposal was delayed by the chaos that unfolded in Westminster in summer 2022 and a government review into whether retrofitting buses has reduced emissions.
But in April 2023, the government paused funding for the clean-up scheme, revealing that some retrofitted buses were not cutting nitrogen dioxide emissions as much as expected.
As of March 2023, £15m had been spent on retrofitting buses in Greater Manchester. In total, nearly £100m has spent on Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone so far – all funded by the government.