Agenda item

Due to the size of the size of the appendices, Hard copies will be available in the Group Rooms, Access Oldham and the Civic Entrance.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Environmental Services which provided Members with details of the progress that had been made following the Government’s response to Greater Manchester’s Outline Business Case to tackle Nitrogen Dioxide Exceedances at the Roadside and the implications for the 10 Greater Manchester Local Authority in relation to the schedule of work and statutory consultation on the Clean Air Plan.

Following Ministerial feedback and the 2019 Ministerial Direction the Greater Manchester Authorities sought clarification on the 2019 Ministerial direction and the accompanying letter, questioning the Government’s lack of assurances around financial support for the broader Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan, outlined Greater Manchester’s approach to the requests for further option analysis and detailed the issues Greater Manchester faced in preparing to implement the scheme in terms of the timetable for the Full Business Case and statutory consultation.

In the interests of the ongoing working relationship between the 10 Greater Manchester Authorities and the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit, in developing the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan, a total of 29 draft technical reports and notes have been issued to the Joint Air Quality Unit and are subject to approval (Detailed in appendix 1 to the report).

The delay of over two months in receiving ministerial feedback on the Outline Business Case, compounded by the request for Greater Manchester to submit further options appraisal information had a material impact on the timetable for the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan and consultation would now take place later than originally planned and a date could not be confirmed for the commencement of the consultation.

Despite the delay in undertaking the consultation, in view of the Ministerial direction Greater Manchester must continue to proceed towards developing the implementation and contract arrangements of a charging Clean Air Zone in Greater Manchester utilising the initial tranche of funding.

The commencement of a charging Clean Air Zone scheme and other measures were subject to consultation and to the Greater Manchester Authorities receiving the required government funding to enable them to meet the legal limits fir nitrogen dioxide concentrations. 

Officers would continue to work with the Joint Air Quality Unit to clarify Ministerial direction and Greater Manchester’s legal obligations relating to the appraisal process, continue to secure a clear response form Government on the Council’s clean vehicle funding asks and continue stakeholder engagement and awareness with groups and the general public, the scope of the Clean Air Plan. 

Options/Alternatives considered:

Option 1 – Agree the recommendations as detailed within the report.

Option 2 – Not to agree the recommendations within the report.

RESOLVED – That:

1.     The progress to date be noted.

2.     The ministerial direction under the Environment Act 1995 (Greater Manchester) Air Quality Direction 2019 which requires all ten of the Greater Manchester local authorities to implement a charging Clean Air Zone Class C across the region be noted.

3.     Agree the need to continue to proceed towards developing the implementation and contract arrangements of a charging Clean Air Zone in Greater Manchester utilising the initial tranche of £36m of funding as required by the ministerial direction / feedback;

4.     Authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, to determine the preparatory implementation and contract arrangements that need to be undertaken utilising the initial tranche of £36m of funding to deliver the CAZ and other GM CAP measures, as set out at paragraph 4.11 of the report.

5.     The report to determine the timings for commencing the consultation will be received in the Spring of 2020.

6.     The outstanding need to secure a clear response from the Government on clean vehicles funding asks be noted.

7.     Highways England have not been directed to act in relation to tackling NO₂ exceedances in the same way as the Greater Manchester local authorities, and that this would leave some publicly accessible areas of GM adjacent to trunk roads managed by Highways England, with NO₂ exceedances that were not being addressed by the Highways England plan.

8.     Authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, to agree the final content and submission of the documents listed in Appendix One for formal submission to Joint Air Quality Unit and note their publication status.

9.     Authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, to determine any further technical reports for formal submission to Joint Air Quality Unit.

10.The Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services would co-sign a letter from the Greater Manchester Authorities to the Transport Secretary asking them to bring forward the launch of a statutory consultation to strengthen rules on vehicle idling.