Greater Manchester’s planned clean air zone (CAZ), which is set to launch on 30 May 2022, could be impacted following a lack of additional financial support from the UK government, mayor Andy Burnham and councillor Andrew Western, the city-region’s clean air lead, have warned.
In a statement issued today, Burnham and Western said that, while the government has provided £120m for the CAZ, they are concerned that it has yet to agree to a request for additional support for individuals and businesses who will find it hardest to make the change to a compliant vehicle in the face of growing global supply-chain issues in the automotive sector.
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“Over the past few months, Greater Manchester has continued to monitor these issues alongside the on-going impact of the pandemic and increases in the cost of living,” the statement said, “In addition, late last year we commissioned new work to understand the impact of the growing global supply chain issues in the automotive sector, which could affect the availability of some vehicles and people’s ability to upgrade.”
Greater Manchester leaders will now consider the outcome of this work next week before asking the Clean Air Joint Committee to consider the implications for the region’s Clean Air Plan later in the month.
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“We are committed to reducing air pollution in Greater Manchester but also to protecting the jobs and livelihoods of our residents,” said Burnham and Western. “We are listening carefully to concerns being expressed about the current situation and will make a decision shortly on our next steps.”
