To consider a report of the Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report which set out the proposed Greater Manchester Final Clean Air Plan and policy following a review of all of the information gathered through the GM CAP consultation and wider data, evidence and modelling work which was to be agreed by the ten Greater Manchester local authorities. The report recommended approval of the proposed plan as set out below, which was also to be considered by Council on 28 July 2021.

In discussion, queries were raised on the content of the report, including in relation to eligibility for retrofit funding, the nature of exceedances targets, deployment of funding derived from associated charges and future projections of that funding, and the potential for future changes to the scheme. It was noted that some of these issues had been covered in a recent TFGM briefing for Members, and that there would be further opportunities for discussion when the report was considered by Council on 28^th July 2021. Members’ attention was also drawn to the significant health impacts of air pollution which the proposed scheme was intended to alleviate.

            RESOLVED -

(1)       That the progress of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan be noted.

(2)       That the progress in the distribution of Bus Retrofit funding be noted.

(3)       That Ministers’ agreement be noted 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)       That it be recommended to Council that it approves the GM Clean Air Plan Policy, at Appendix 1 to the report, 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)       That the Equalities Impact Assessment, as set out at Appendix 2 to the report, be agreed.

(6)       That the AECOM Consultation Report, as set out at Appendix 3 to the report, be agreed.

(7)       That agreement be given to the proposed Response to the Consultation at Appendix 4 to the report which has been prepared by TfGM on behalf of the ten GM local authorities.

(8)       That the Impacts of COVID-19 Report, as set out at Appendix 5 to the report, be agreed.

(9)       That the Modelling report of the final CAP package be agreed, as set out at Appendix 6 to the report, 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)     That the economic implications of the CAP Report, as set out at Appendix 7 to the report,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18