A report published today confirms that the final plan – including proposals for a Greater Manchester-wide charging Clean Air Zone – will be put before Greater Manchester councils “as soon as possible,” and “certainly by summer 2021.“
Key points:
- Work under way to assess and understand public consultation responses and impacts of COVID-19 on Clean Air Zone proposals and funding support packages.
- Final Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan to be put forward to decision makers as soon as possible and by summer 2021 at latest.
- Securing right level of government funding “absolutely critical” to support local businesses and organisations before the government-mandated Clean Air Zone is introduced.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) will receive an update on the next steps to produce the final GM Clean Air Plan at its meeting on Friday 29 January.
The ten GM local authorities are under direction from government to introduce a category C charging Clean Air Zone – including commercial and passenger vehicles but not private vehicles – to secure compliance with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) standards on local roads in the shortest possible time, and by 2024 at the latest.
A Category C class Clean Air Zone includes non-compliant buses and coaches, Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) or vans, minibuses, taxis and private hire vehicles.
As government minister Rebecca Pow explained late last year, “only the most polluting older vehicles are charged in a Clean Air Zone, and it is not a congestion charge”.
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