Manchester launches consultation on revised clean air zone plan

A public consultation on Greater Manchester’s revised clean air zone (CAZ) plan is to be launched in early 2023.

The Manchester CAZ was originally due to be introduced on May 30, 2022, and would have resulted in non-compliant private hire vehicles being charged £7.50 and vans drivers paying £10 to enter the zone. Drivers of coaches and HGVs would have also paid £60 if their vehicles didn’t meet the clean air rules.

But in February, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham put the CAZ on hold amid concerns about financial hardship for local people and the availability of compliant vehicles.

A new Government direction now requires Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities to bring NOx levels on local roads to within legal limits as soon as possible and by no later than 2026. The 10 local authorities were given until July 2022 to submit a case for a new Greater Manchester clean air plan to Government.

This plan calls for an investment-led clean air plan with no charging CAZ, although environment secretary George Eustice has suggested a smaller charging CAZ covering Manchester city centre. A decision could be made to proceed with the new Greater Manchester clean air plan in summer 2023.

Meanwhile Greater Manchester private hire drivers have welcomed a cut in the cost of using the dedicated waiting area at Manchester Airport.

Parking fees at the dedicated waiting zone for taxis at JetParks on Thorley Lane are being cut to just £1 for three hours. Previously drivers were charged £1 for an hour, £1.50 for two and £2 for three hours, after the prices were raised in 2020.

Bolton Council shadow cabinet member for regulation and licencing Cllr Sue Haworth said: “I’ve been calling for fairness on airport charges for taxi drivers since way back to November 2020 amid a situation where, out of the blue, taxi drivers were being faced with massive hikes in charges at the parking area of the airport. It doesn’t work to just say well taxi drivers can pass increased costs on to customers in fares.”

“There is a well-known notable amount of cancellation or lack of turn up by customers for private hire taxis and it is nearly impossible for taxi drivers to build this into their overall fares.”

The fees help to pay for the upkeep of the drivers’ facility which includes toilets, a hot drinks machine and flight information boards.