Greater Manchester’s planned clean air zone (CAZ) has been put on hold after mayor Andy Burnham and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed a review on how best to improve air quality in the region was underway.
A Category C charging CAZ covering Greater Manchester was due to launch on 30 May 2022 that would operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. However, the scheme had faced growing opposition in recent weeks after Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) raised concerns that the CAZ was unfair to local businesses and residents.
Under the terms of the CAZ, non-compliant coaches and HGVs were due to be charged £60 to enter the zone, and taxis and private hire vehicles £7.50, with a temporary exemption for Greater Manchester-licensed vehicles until 31 May 2023.
Older vans and minibuses would also get an exemption until the same date but would be charged £10 thereafter. Charges were due to be based on vehicles meeting certain emission standards – Euro6/VI or better for diesel engines, and Euro4 or better for petrol.
A joint statement from UK environment minister Jo Churchill, the mayor of Greater Manchester and GMCA portfolio lead for clean air, councillor Andrew Western, said they had met and had further “robust and constructive” discussions to find a solution.
“Air quality is one of our biggest health challenges and we are all completely committed to tackling it,” the statement read.
“We have agreed to a short time-limited pause. We will work together to deliver, by the middle of the year, a plan for clean air for Greater Manchester, one that is fair to the businesses and residents of the city-region.
“We will deliver improved air quality as soon as possible, not losing ambition but ensuring we take into account the pandemic, global supply chain challenges, improvements already baked into retrofits and the scope as previously laid out.
“We will now work jointly to meet the Greater Manchester and government requirements on clean air, as soon as possible, and no later than 2026.”
The government has been calling on local authorities to introduce CAZs since the UK’s highest court, the Supreme Court, ordered ministers in 2015 to take immediate action to reduce air pollution.
Last month, Burnham called on the government to pause funding to upgrade vans, taxis, coaches and minibuses to cleaner models, with operators unable to access new vehicles and record prices in the used market.
He said that Greater Manchester’s leaders had “repeatedly raised concerns” about the level of funding being offered to help people upgrade vehicles.
The region had secured £120m in government funding to help fleets upgrade to cleaner, compliant vehicles, with applications for HGVs opening in November 2021.
It had earmarked £87.9m for its Clean Commercial Vehicle Fund to upgrade vans, HGVs, coaches and minibuses, and £21.4m through the Clean Taxi Fund for GM-licensed taxi and private hire vehicle owners, drivers and operators to switch to cleaner vehicles.
