Andy Burnham responds after Clean Air Zone uproar - but admits it will be a 'major challenge' for businesses
Businesses and people across the region have hit out at the upcoming Clean Air Zone
Mayor Andy Burnham has responded to critics of the Clean Air Zone who say the plan to charge high-polluting vehicles will 'cripple' businesses across the region.
Set to be launched in May, the largest scheme of its kind in the country will cover all ten boroughs and an area of around 493 miles.
Cameras will be installed to enforce non-payment of the CAZ charge, which is £60 a day for HGVs, buses and coaches, with vans paying £10 and taxi and private hire vehicles paying £7.50.
Failure to pay the charge will also result in a £120 fine plus the daily charge.
In 2017, Mr Burnham vowed never to charge individual car drivers - and said any charging scheme would be introduced only as a 'last resort'.
At the time, he told the Manchester Evening News : “My commitment is I will try everything else first.
"If it ever is to happen here, you are talking a long way down the line and even if it did I would go to restricting buses and HGVs.
"I’m not going to implement that charge on car users. I want to make this really clear - there will never be any charge on individual motorists.”
However since then, Greater Manchester has been ordered to implement the CAZ as a Government directive following a Supreme Court ruling that they had failed to protect people from polluted air, and that it must be in place by 2024.
It’s aimed at saving the lives of an estimated 1,200 people each year whose deaths are at least partially caused by pollution.
The resulting uproar, including a petition calling for a stop to the CAZ, has attracted nearly 20,000 signatures, and a Facebook group called 'Rethink the Clean Air Zone' has more than 27,000 members.
Among those protesting the scheme are cabbies, who say the cost will drive their businesses into the ground.
Greater Manchester has been awarded £120m government funding to help eligible businesses, organisations and individuals move to cleaner, compliant vehicles. But objectors say they will still end up fitting much of the bill for compliance and retrofits themselves.
In response, Mr Burnham and Councillor Andrew Western, the city-region’s Clean Air lead, have described the CAZ as a ‘major challenge’ for individuals and businesses, and said they had ‘always been clear’ with ministers about the need for a fair package of financial support.
They added: “While the Government has provided £120m, we are concerned that they have so far failed to agree to our request for additional support for those who will find it hardest to make the change.
What do you think of the Clean Air Zone? Have your say in our comments below
“We also warned them of our ongoing concerns about the vehicle supply chain and the operation of National Highways.”
They said they had been monitoring these issues alongside the impact of the pandemic and increases in cost of living and had commissioned new work to understand the impact of ‘growing global supply issues in the automotive sector’
These, they said, could impact the availability of some vehicles and people’s ability to upgrade.
They said they would consider the outcome of this work before asking the Clean Air Joint Committee to ‘consider the implications’ for the Clean Air Plan later in the month.
They added: “We are committed to reducing air pollution in Greater Manchester but also to protecting the jobs and livelihoods of our residents.
"We are listening carefully to concerns being expressed about the current situation and will make a decision shortly on our next steps."
READ MORE: 'So what if it's a bit loud?' Residents divided over claims popular Manchester suburb is changing - for the worseREAD MORE: "This is the end of the black cab in Manchester": The taxi drivers who could be left earning 'less than £4 a trip' after Clean Air Zone charges