Andy Burnham has hit back at the government's latest proposals for a city centre Clean Air Zone, which would see van drivers being charged along with buses, coaches, taxis and lorries.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester had recently put forward plans for a non-charging CAZ, focusing on upgrading the most polluting heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and buses, in order to meet NO2 limits by the revised deadline of 2026. Mr Burnham also wanted any CAZ to be Category B rather than Category C - so that van drivers would be excluded.
Earlier this week, Environment Secretary George Eustice wrote a letter to Mr Burnham, in which he claimed there is 'little robust evidence' that offering funding for vehicle upgrades alone without charges would bring pollution below legal limits. The Secretary of State also said that a Category C scheme would still be preferable.
