Issue - meetings

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration will attend the meeting and make a presentation about the consultation on the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan proposals that the Cabinet signed up to in March 2019.

More information can be found at www.cleanairgm.com  

Sue Stevenson, Head of Highways, Stockport Council attended submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) and attended the meeting to make a presentation in respect to proposals to improve air quality in Greater Manchester.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Concerns were expressed about the impact of the penalties on sole traders and small businesses that underpinned the economy as the cost and disruption of changing vehicles, some of which would not be very old, were significant. It was important to engage this group of road users.

·         It was important to ensure that the costs associated with replacing large parts of the bus fleet was not passed onto public transport users as this was likely to have the consequence of pushing people back into using cars. There needed to be national coordination to ensure the supply of vehicles and to prevent large companies from ‘shunting’ the poor emission vehicles to other parts of the country.

·         Concerns were expressed about the implications of widespread deployment of Automated Number Plate Recognition across Greater Manchester.

·         It was important to ensure that measures were in place to tackle those areas of most poor air quality, rather than simply take a blanket approach to the problem across Greater Manchester.

·         Concern was expressed that the revenue generated from penalty charges would be diverted from Greater Manchester to the Treasury.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

The Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration will make a presentation at the meeting.

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) and attended the meeting to make a presentation in respect to proposals to improve air quality in Greater Manchester.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Concern was expressed that the piecemeal approach to addressing air quality was contributing to the development of a series of uncoordinated schemes throughout the country.

·         Highways within the remit of Highways England were not within the scope of schemes to address air quality which was a significant omission.

·         Scrappage schemes only served to incentivise those who were looking to acquire a new vehicle and not those who could otherwise be encouraged to give up their car.

·         There needed to be a comprehensive communications scheme to ensure that those that might be affected by the proposals had the opportunity to contribute to the consultation, and in particular sole traders.

·         The completion of the A6 to M60 relief road would have a significant positive impact on air quality in the Werneth area.

·         The pressure to build more new homes would invariably contribute to declining air quality standards as congestion on the existing highway network increased.

·         Funding raised through levying of charges needed to be reinvested in the areas from which they were generated.

·         The installation of ANPR cameras to police the new charging regime needed to be carefully planned to avoid creating ‘rat-runs’.

·         There needed to be a simultaneous programme of improvements to public transport to encourage residents to give up car usage altogether.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.