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Environment Secretary and Mayor clash over charging for Greater Manchester CAZ
Following proposals from Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester (pictured left), to drop plans to charge motorists to enter the city’s Clean Air Zone, the government has said it wants to retain charges for entering Manchester’s city centre.
Environment Secretary George Eustice MP (pictured right) said that high-polluting vehicles should only be charged in the city centre, the most polluted part of Manchester. Burnham, however, said he would “continue to argue” to have a “non-charging” scheme.
In an interview on the BBC’s Today programme this week (29 June 2022), Burnham maintained that all ten leaders of the councils in Greater Manchester, who variously represent the Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour parties, were all in agreement that now was not the right time to impose charges on vans and HGVs entering Manchester city centre.
Natalie Chapman, Head of Policy, Logistics UK, said: “Escalating fuel costs are placing an ever-greater burden on operators of commercial vehicles, which need to access our city centres. Plus, there is an acute shortage of suitable commercial vehicles available in the marketplace. Given these two factors, Logistics UK continues to campaign for an approach that balances the need to improve air quality in our cities with the need to ensure they remain stocked with essential goods and services.”
To discover more on the latest plans for Clean Air Zones across the country, read Logistics UK’s members-only briefing note for June 2022.
*www.logistics.org.uk/urban
Published On: 30/06/2022 16:00:33
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In brief
DfT RESPONDS TO END OF TEMPORARY EXEMPTIONS TO ROAD HAULAGE CABOTAGE CONSULTATION
The Department for Transport (DfT) has published its response to a consultation, undertaken from 9 to 23 March 2022, when it decided not to extend exemptions from road haulage cabotage beyond the expiry date of 30 April 2022. DfT has reserved the right to reintroduce temporary exemptions if needed due to future supply chain pressures.
*Read the DfT’s response here.
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