Agenda item

The Board received an update on the development of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan (GM CAP), including details of a report and recommendations that had been considered by the Cabinet at a meeting held on 22^nd February 2021.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and the ten Greater Manchester local authorities (collectively “GM”) had worked together to develop a CAP to tackle NO2 exceedances at the roadside.  A linkage to the developing Minimum Licensing Standards (MLS) for taxi and private hire services was noted.  Key developments with regard to the CAP advised included information that there had been no confirmation or offer of government funding for light goods vehicle (LGVs) or hackney replacement, or for taxi and private hire electric vehicle charge points; and that GM had been awarded £14.7m of funding for the retrofitting of buses operating on registered bus services within Greater Manchester, this work commencing in December 2020.

Air quality is legally monitored, and GM (and other areas) were required by law to address exceedance of the Annual Average standard for NO2 which is set at 40 ug/m3.  As the GM CAP is required to take action to tackle nitrogen dioxide exceedances until compliance with legal limits has been demonstrated over a number of years, modelling indicated that the influence of Covid-19 on air quality was not expected to lead to sufficiently long term reductions in pollution and that legal NO2 limits would not be met without implementing a Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

Consultation responses regarding the GM CAP and MLS were being analysed and reported on by an independent research agency to enable GM authorities to fully consider all of the information and evidence gathered, including the consequences Covid-19 has had on vehicle owners and trades which will be directly affected by the GM CAP and MLS.  TfGM was undertaking preparatory implementation work and contract arrangements required to deliver the CAZ and other GM CAP measures, such work being required to maintain delivery momentum in line with the funding arrangements agreed with regard to, for example, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, back office systems and service providers.  The final GM CAP was to be brought to decision makers no later than summer 2021, alongside the MLS proposals.

Members sought further detail regarding engagement with taxi drivers over the proposed arrangements.  It was advised that difficulties had been encountered generally in getting responses from drivers and operators across GM to both the CAP and MLS consultations and it was a concern, for example, that electric taxi charging points might be determined on the basis of a very small response rate.  A Member noted that taxi drivers as a group could be vocal and queried whether the response rate might be led by uncertainty over costs.  This was acknowledged, with impacts on business and implications arising from the impacts of Covid being other possible considerations.

Members considered the implications of and for owner drivers who might be delivering parcels, takeaway food etc from private vehicles and how these could be checked.  It was acknowledged that registration numbers would be picked up by ANPR and charges would only be made if a number was registered to a business, not to private owners.  It was noted that, unfortunately, the biggest impact may fall on smaller operators as many larger operators already had compliant fleets.

With regard to clean air generally, it was noted that traffic levels were increasing due to people being less likely to use public transport and being discouraged from car sharing as a result of Covid.  The Committee was advised that promotion of these transport modes as well as cycling and walk to school initiatives would be re-introduced as Covid restrictions permitted. 

It was queried whether all the taxi drivers in the Borough would need to change their vehicles and what funding was available to assist those who needed to replace their vehicles.  The Committee was advised that current modelling indicated that less than 50% would need to change their vehicles and that figure was falling over time as vehicles came up for renewal naturally.  It was noted that non-compliance rates were higher for hackney taxis, possibly due to their specialist nature and being more expensive than saloons.  The funding support available for vehicle replacement would be determined as part of the decision making process, but drivers should have a 4-5 month window to buy a replacement vehicle.  Similarly, the charge to be applied for non-compliant vehicles was still to be determined.

The intention to bring a further report to the Board prior to decisions being taken in the summer was advised.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.