Car tax: Manchester Clean Air Zone delayed after months of criticism – ‘welcome decision’

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Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone has officially been put on hold amid growing fears it could negatively impact thousands of businesses, drivers and jobs. The charging scheme was meant to begin charging on May 30, but after meetings between Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Government, this had been paused.

A joint statement from Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Cllr Andrew Western, GMCA portfolio lead for clean air was released on Friday.

It read: “We met last week and have had further robust and constructive discussions today to find a solution.

“Air quality is one of our biggest health challenges and we are all completely committed to tackling it.

“We have agreed to a short time-limited break.

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Robert Downes, development manager with the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “This is an 11th-hour decision but, that notwithstanding, it is a welcome one.

“We all want cleaner air but this scheme, as it stood, wasn’t right, wasn’t going to work and wasn’t practical. It was going to ruin people.

“The Government and Greater Manchester now need to go back to the drawing board and come back with proposals – and a time frame – that will give businesses time to better prepare to drive the change.”

Many other clean air zones are still set to launch this year, including Bristol, Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Oxford will be launching a new variation of charging zone, through their Zero Emission Zones (ZEZ) which will be up and running at the end of February.

All petrol and diesel vehicles will be charged £2 to drive into the area, with electric vehicles being able to enter the area without paying.

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