Greater Manchester Abandons Clean Air Zone Charges

A campaigner has voiced his opinion Manchester’s mayor may be trying to gain political points with the move, as the decision aims to avoid financial hardship.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham speaks to the media outside the Central Library in Manchester on October 15, 2020. Photo by Martin Rickett-Pool/Getty Images

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has announced the scrapping of plans to implement Clean Air Zone charges in the region, which would have mimicked the controversial Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) in London. 

Instead, the authority unveiled an ambitious £51.2 million investment strategy on Wednesday, focusing on zero-emission electric buses for the area’s so-called Bee Network, alongside £30.5 million in grants for cleaner taxis and an additional £5 million to optimise traffic flows in the city centre.