PLANS to clean up Greater Manchester’s air have cleared the next hurdle in Trafford.

The plans, which are set to be implemented across the city region and were developed in partnership between the area’s 10 borough councils and Transport for Greater Manchester, will see the introduction of charges within certain boundaries.

The current GM Clean Air Plan sets out final proposals for:

  • The boundaries, hours of operation, daily charges, discounts and exemptions of a Clean Air Zone.
  • The amount of supporting funds for each vehicle type.
  • Other supporting measures.

The Clean Air Zone will cover the whole of Greater Manchester, excluding its motorways, and aims to save around 1,200 lives lost every year in the city region due to the impact of air pollution and associated respiratory illnesses.

The proposals will see the need for the ‘retrofitting’ of some older vehicles to reduce their emissions and ensure they comply with new standards.

There will be funding available for eligible vehicles to help with the cost.

Charges across the Clean Air Zone will be decided by a Greater Manchester-wide body.

The scheme will also see the introduction of more electric vehicle charging points across the city region.

It is anticipated that the Clean Air Zone will come into operation from May 30, 2022, and the charges will apply for non-compliant buses, HGVs and taxis licensed outside of Greater Manchester.

From June 1, 2023, non-compliant LGVs, minibuses, coaches, and GM-licensed taxis will be subject to the charges when a temporary exemption giving them time to retrofit their vehicles expires.

Funding has been set up already to ensure GM buses are made compliant before charges are introduced.

Cllr Stephen Adshead, executive member for the environment at Trafford Council, introduced the report to an executive meeting this week.

He said: “The Government was taken to court three times over the failure to comply with regulations on nitrogen dioxide exceedances.

"They passed this on to local governments to sort out, rather than work in collaboration with us.

“The health benefits of this will be enormous.”

He said it is the biggest piece of work he has seen the council produce during his time in office and staff have worked ‘incredibly hard’ on it.

He added the lack of a hardship fund within the current plan is something he and other members feel strongly about, as it would give residents greater financial support to upgrade their vehicles.

He urged opposition councillors to help the council lobby the Government for more funding for this.

A public consultation on the inclusion of motor homes in the congestion charge plans, as well as other details, is set to begin on September 1 and last for six weeks.

At the executive meeting, Trafford Council’s executive approved the contents of the plan, so it will now move on to be fully discussed at tonight's full council meeting, where all councillors will get the chance to debate the contents of the plan more thoroughly.