Agenda item

To consider a joint report of the Cabinet Members for Resources, Commissioning & Governance; Adult Care & Health and Sustainable Stockport.

The report sets out the proposed Greater Manchester (GM) Final Clean Air Plan (CAP) and policy following a review of all of the information gathered through the GM CAP consultation and wider data, evidence and modelling work which is to be agreed by the ten Greater Manchester local authorities.

The Cabinet is recommended to give approval to the package of 20 recommendations as detailed within the report.

Officer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning & Governance (Councillor Tom McGee) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the proposed Greater Manchester (GM) Final Clean Air Plan (CAP) and policy following a review of all of the information gathered through the GM CAP consultation and wider data, evidence and modelling work which is to be agreed by the ten Greater Manchester local authorities.

RESOLVED – That with regard to the Greater Manchester Final Clean Air Plan, the Cabinet has:-

(1) Noted the progress of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan;

(2) Noted the progress in the distribution of Bus Retrofit funding;

(3) Noted Ministers’ agreement to include the sections of the A628/A57 in Tameside which form part of the Strategic Road Network within the Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and their request for Tameside MBC, TfGM and Highways England to establish the most appropriate solution for the charging mechanism to be applied on this section of the Strategic Road Network (SRN);

(4) Approved the GM Clean Air Plan Policy, at Appendix 1 noting that the policy outlines the boundary, discounts, exemptions, daily charges of the Clean Air Zone as well as the financial support packages offered towards upgrading to a compliant vehicle, including the eligibility criteria to be applied.

(5) Agreed the Equalities Impact Assessment, as set out at Appendix 2;

(6) Agreed the AECOM Consultation Report, as set out at Appendix 3;

(7) Agreed the proposed Response to the Consultation at Appendix 4 which has been prepared by TfGM on behalf of the ten GM local authorities;

(8) Agreed the Impacts of COVID-19 Report, as set out at Appendix 5;

(9) Agreed the Modelling report of the final CAP package, as set out at Appendix 6, and in particular that the modelling outputs of the final plan scheme show the achievement of compliance with the legal limits for Nitrogen Dioxide in the shortest possible time and by 2024 at the latest as required by the Ministerial Direction;

(10) Agreed the economic implications of the CAP Report, as set out at Appendix 7;

(11) Noted the update on the GM Minimum Licensing Standards, set out in section 3.1, and in particular that licensing conditions will not be used to support delivery of the GM Clean Air Plan;

(12) Approved a 6-week public consultation on the inclusion of motorhomes classified as MSP1 in the GM Clean Air Zone and on the inclusion of the A575 and A580 at Worsley commencing on 1 September 2021 and delegate authority to the Corporate Director (Place) and Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member with portfolio responsibility for Clean Air and Director of Public Health to approve the consultation materials;

(13) Noted that the GM Clean Air Charging Authorities Committee has the authority to make the Charging Scheme Order which establishes the GM Charging Scheme in line with the agreed GM Clean Air Plan Policy;

(14) Noted that the GM Charging Authorities Committee has the authority to vary the Charging Scheme Order if this is established as the most appropriate charging mechanism to be applied on sections of the A628/A57 part of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in Tameside;

(15) Noted that the Air Quality Administration Committee has the authority to agree the final form of the Operational Agreement for the Central Clean Air Service, and to authorise the making of the Agreement, on behalf of the ten GM local authorities;

(16) Noted that the Air Quality Administration Committee has the authority to:

(a)       establish and distribute the funds set out in the agreed GM Clean Air Plan policy;

(b)       approve the assessment mechanism agreed with JAQU to ensure that Clean Air Funds can be adapted if necessary;

(c)        keep the use of the funds under review and to determine any changes in the amounts allocated to each and their use and

(d)       Monitor and evaluate the joint local charging scheme.

(17) Approved the reallocation of funding from the Try Before You Buy scheme to provide additional electric vehicle charging points dedicated for use by taxis;

(18) Delegated to the GM Charging Authorities Committee the authority to determine the outcome of the consultation on both the inclusion of motorhomes classified as MSP1 within the scope of Clean Air Zone charges and on the inclusion in the GM Clean Air Zone of the A575 and A580 at Worsley following the conclusion of that consultation;

(19) Agreed a delegation to Corporate Director (Place) and Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport and relevant Ward members the Clean Air Zone ANPR and signage locations, as set out at Appendix 10;

(20) Agreed a delegation to Corporate Director (Place) and Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member with portfolio responsibility for Clean Air and Director of Public Health to approve the submission of the Interim Full Business Case if required and Corporate Director (Place) and Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member with portfolio responsibility for Clean Air and Director of Public Health the Full Business Case (FBC) to the Government's Joint Air Quality Unit to support the GM Clean Air Plan and any supplementary information to that Unit .