Agenda item

To consider Cabinet Member for Health

The report is to summarise the key features of Greater Manchester’s feasibility study and its Outline Business Case (OBC) to reduce nitrogen dioxide exceedances in Stockport and across Greater Manchester in the shortest possible time. This OBC has been developed by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council collectively with all Greater Manchester local authorities and the GMCA, and co-ordinated by TfGM in line with Government direction and guidance.

The Cabinet is recommended to:

a)    note that the Council is legally obliged to produce a feasibility study to identify the option which will deliver compliance with the requirement to meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide following the Secretary of State issuing a direction under the Environment Act 1995;

b)   adopt the feasibility study undertaken to date;

c)    note that further stakeholder engagement and public consultation is an essential part of the process to help inform and refine ongoing work to produce a Full Business Case by the end of the calendar year;

d)   approve the Outline Business Case (for submission to the government's Joint Air Quality Unit);

e)    require government to provide the financial support necessary to enable the Council to meet its legal limits for nitrogen dioxide;

f)     note that despite this council being required to address nitrogen oxide exceedances the government has not yet addressed this issue for its own assets, including Highways England and the motorway network;

g)   approve the commencement of the public conversation and engagement activity from 15 May 2019;

h)   note that further reports will be submitted to Cabinet on:

-      the proposals for statutory consultation, informed by the outcome of the public conversation and engagement; and

-      formal approval of the Full Business Case.

i)     agree that TfGM continue with the activity to produce the Full Business Case on their behalf under the direction of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Steering Group; and

j)     delegate to the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Health the approval of submission of supplementary information.

Officer contact: Vicki Bates, Mark Glynn, Sue Stevenson, 0161-474-3181 / 3700 / 4351, vicki.bates@stockport.gov.uk / mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk / sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Health submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Cabinet to consider an Outline Business Case (OBC) and a suite of supporting documents forming the Council’s proposals to reduce nitrogen dioxide exceedances in Stockport and across Greater Manchester in the shortest possible time. The OBC has been developed by the Council in collaboration with all Greater Manchester local authorities and the GMCA, and co-ordinated by TfGM in line with Government direction and guidance.

The Cabinet Member reported that the matter had been considered by the Adult Social Care & Health Scrutiny Committee and the Council Meeting, where members had recognised the importance addressing nitrogen dioxide levels, but had expressed disappointment that there was no plan to address particulate matter. The Cabinet Member emphasised that these proposals were a coherent and thoroughly prepared response to the particular demand from the Government in relation to nitrogen dioxide. It was also emphasised, as raised at the Council Meeting, that this was a challenge that transcended local authority boundaries and needed to be addressed with a range of partners.

The Leader of the Council highlighted that the responsibility for preparing the OBC was for each local authority, but that the most effective means to address the issue was through a collective approach with Greater Manchester partners. The Leader echoed comments made by councillors in relation to particulate matter but emphasised that Greater Manchester bodies were seeking to address these through other activity and that actions to address nitrogen dioxide would also go some way to addressing particulate matter.

The Leader further emphasised that the delay in considering the OBC had been in part due to complexity and depth of the proposals and the thoroughness of the analysis undertaken. The social-economic assessments had indicated the potential negative impact of charging measures for private vehicles given that these were increasingly becoming compliant with emissions requirements and were stationary for much of the time. Given the time constraints the Council and other local authorities would have to address exceedances, that limited the ability to invest in longer term initiatives around transport investment for example, the proposal in relation to charges on non-compliant commercial vehicles was deemed to be the most effective at ensure compliance with nitrogen oxide targets.

The Leader further clarified that the submission of the OBC to Government was the beginning of a ‘conversation’ with the Government, and a process that would include public consultation and further refinement to proposals. The deliverability of any plan was conditional on funding from the Government, particularly to support businesses to make changes to commercial vehicle fleets.

Cabinet members emphasised the need to ensure all public agencies and stakeholders were involved in addressing the public health emergency that poor air quality had given rise to. Cabinet members identified the Highways Agency as a key stakeholder, particularly because of the M56 and M60 passing through the borough and this impacted disproportionately on deprived communities.

Cabinet members also pointed to a range of other initiatives from the Council and across Greater Manchester that were designed to change patterns of travel and activity that would also impact on emissions and air quality. The importance of cultural and behavioural shift was emphasised as people learnt to use vehicles less for avoidable journeys, such as journeys to schools, and the work the Council was doing to influence this.

RESOLVED – That in relation to the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan

a)    it be noted that the Council was legally obliged to produce a feasibility study to identify the option that would deliver compliance with the requirement to meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide following the Secretary of State issuing a direction under the Environment Act 1995;

b)    the feasibility study undertaken to date be adopted;

c)    the further stakeholder engagement and public consultation being an essential part of the process to help inform and refine ongoing work to produce a Full Business Case by the end of the calendar year be noted;

d)    the Outline Business Case (for submission to the government's Joint Air Quality Unit) be adopted;

e)    Government be required to provide the financial support necessary to enable the Council to meet its legal limits for nitrogen dioxide;

f)     despite the Council being required to address nitrogen oxide exceedances, it be noted that the Government has not yet addressed this issue for its own assets, including Highways England and the motorway network;

g)    the commencement of the public conversation and engagement activity from 15 May 2019 be approved;

h)   it be noted that further reports would be submitted to Cabinet on:

-      the proposals for statutory consultation, informed by the outcome of the public conversation and engagement; and

-      formal approval of the Full Business Case;

i)     agree that Transport for Greater Manchester continue with the activity to produce the Full Business Case on the Council’s behalf under the direction of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Steering Group; and

j)     delegate to the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Health, the approval of submission of supplementary information to Government.