Government backs Manchester’s CAZ-free plan to improve air quality

Postponed plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Greater Manchester have now been ruled out after the Government promised an £86million investment to reduce the region's air pollution.

Clean Air Zones, where motorists are charged for driving into a city centre, have been introduced in several cities since 2021. Greater Manchester originally planned to introduce a Clean Air Zone in 2022 but the controversial scheme was delayed and Greater Manchester made the case that it could achieve compliance with legal limits faster by investing in sustainable public transport.

Defra and the Department for Transport, having assessed proposals and concluding they will meet legal obligations to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution, have now committed to invest £51.1m to introduce low and zero-emission buses in Manchester, provide £8m towards a grant scheme to help taxi firms and drivers switch to electrified vehicles and £5m to adopt a raft of traffic measures to slash vehicle emissions. A further £21.9m has been made available for administration, delivery, monitoring and other associated costs.

Air Quality Minister Emma Hardy said, “Local authorities know their communities well and so they need to develop plans that are most effective for their local area, and I am pleased that Greater Manchester has found a clear way to reduce emissions without the need to charge motorists.

“I look forward to working with the teams across Greater Manchester as they put this important plan in place. Government will continue to take the action needed to ensure everyone has safe air to breathe across the nation,” she adds.

Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads, added, “Having completed the groundbreaking Bee Network buses, Greater Manchester is making fantastic progress in building a modern, sustainable and truly integrated transport network.

“Manchester will be able to reduce pollution from transport without having to charge motorists, and new, cleaner buses will help Mancunians get around easily while still bringing down emissions across the city. We will continue to work with local leaders to create better connected communities, meet our climate targets and make Britain a clean energy superpower as part of our Plan for Change.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said, “The Bee Network is cleaning up our air and keeping the cost of travel as low as possible. Its success is allowing us to remove a big weight of worry off the shoulders of people who need to drive as part of their job.”

“We are grateful to Steve Reed and Heidi Alexander for backing us with funding to take our approach further and faster. We will now continue to work towards an all-electric bus fleet whilst investing in local traffic measures and supporting our GM-licensed taxi drivers to upgrade to cleaner vehicles,” he adds.

The UK has legally-binding targets to reduce the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the air to an annual average of no more than 40 micrograms per cubic metre. It is the role of local councils to determine the quickest and most effective way to do that.