MANCHESTER SCRAPS
“MANCHESTER SCRAPS CHARGING CAZ PLANS” That is the recent headline, something which the NPHTA has been campaigning for since the announcement of the Manchester charging CAZ almost four years ago!
In recent years, many other organisations have joined the campaign, including the launch of a Facebook group, RETHINK the Clean Air Zone - Greater Manchester. The campaign was launched prior to the mayoral elections of 2021. There have also been notable contributions and support from MPs, including James Daly MP, and Jake Berry MP, and involvement last year by Laura Evans, Conservative Candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester prior to the Mayoral elections. There was also a taxi driver protest in central Manchester the previous year.
government agreed a short-term pause in the implemen- tation of the Greater Manchester CAZ in February 2022, after the original scheme was deemed unworkable due to global vehicle supply chain issues linked to the pandemic and the emerging cost of living crisis.”
Ok, so this verifies that the plans were devised by Labour, which were then proposed to Government for approval; not as suggested by the Mayor: “forced on us by the govern- ment” but Labour’s own plans, which were merely approved by the government.
This is the very point we were making throughout our campaigning; but let us be perfectly clear here, the pan- demic has not made the plans any less or indeed more workable, the plans were not workable when they were first drawn up by local council leaders. Those leaders should have been against any plans to impose such draconian charges on the workforce of Greater Manchester from the outset; blaming the change of heart on the RECENT cost of living crisis, is just offensive as it implies that the general public are naïve enough to believe this to be true.
OK, WHAT ARE THE NEW PLANS?
“The new plans would see a non-charging Category B Clean Air Zone introduced, designed to incentivise people to upgrade their vehicles using Clean Air fund- ing, already allocated by government, alongside additional financial support, without directly charging polluting vehicles.
The NPHTA has attended many meetings, held several protests and made determined efforts to raise awareness as to how this charging scheme, the largest in Europe at almost five hundred square miles; was simply not accept- able and would not work for the people or the businesses of Greater Manchester and beyond.
So let us look at the detail of the article below, which I will try to breakdown into sections with comments for clarity.
WHY THE CHANGES?
“Plans to charge polluting vehicles as part of the Greater Manchester CAZ will be scrapped if the government approves a new scheme announced by the Mayor.
Andy Burnham, Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, has written to the Environment Secretary outlining plans for an investment-led, non-charging Clean Air Plan for the region, with local leaders opposed to imposing charges following the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the 12
GMCA said the new plan would deliver compliance with legal air quality levels in all parts of the city region by 2026.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We know the original Clean Air Plan caused serious concern among many residents and businesses earlier this year. We listened to what people were telling us and urgently commissioned research into those areas of concern, namely the global vehicle supply chain issues and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Hmmm, earlier this year? So what exactly was the video all about, which you posted in April last year, where you said very clearly: “This is a video directly aimed at the taxi and PH drivers, please do NOT believe the lies that you are being told by the Conservative party” (See video here:
shorturl.at/aloLV) You have known that there were serious concerns since your plan was first announced, not just “this year”.
Having said that, as long as it did take for him to listen, at least he eventually did. At which point, despite the
JUNE 2022
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