In a dramatic u-turn, the controversial Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone is to be delayed following a government announcement.
The scheme was intended to come into force in May, but Greater Manchester leaders have now been given until July to submit a revised plan.
The announcement comes a day after hundreds of taxi drivers protested against the proposals, which Boris Johnson labelled this week as 'completely unworkable'.
READ MORE: Tell us your thoughts on the latest Clean Air Zone updates
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had also urged the government to 'take the politics out' of the situation and work together on a solution.
Here's what you need to know about the Clean Air Zone following today's dramatic development, and where it's up to.
What were the initial proposals?
Under the initial Clean Air Zone (CAZ) plans, drivers of ‘non-compliant’ vans and taxis would have been charged when driving into or within Greater Manchester from May.
The charges include a £60 fee for buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles, £10 for vans and minibuses and £7.50 for Hackney cabs and private hire vehicles.
The plans are aimed at slashing high levels of air pollution in the area, with it estimated to cause 1,000 deaths a year here and with the region having 152 separate stretches of road on which nitrogen dioxide is at illegally high levels.
Why is there opposition to the Clean Air Zone?
The plans come at an uncertain time while the world continues to struggle to respond to the pandemic.
Despite being in the pipeline since 2017, it was only when road signs started appearing at the end of December that a real revolt was sparked.
Yesterday, some 100 taxi drivers assembled at the Etihad Stadium before making their way into Manchester city centre, blowing their horns as they looped past the mayor's offices in Oxford Road.
At least 40 drivers also took part in a convoy from Salford.
Drivers said they feared the proposed regulations in the 500 square mile CAZ would force many of them off the road because of the increased cost of buying compliant vehicles.
What do you make of today's decision? Have your say in our comments
What has the government said?
During a visit to Greater Manchester yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the plan needed to be put on hold to 'avoid stuffing up businesses'.
The Prime Minister had previously branded the plan, which would see the most polluting vehicles having to pay £60 a day, 'completely unworkable'.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "The government has carefully considered the Mayor’s proposal and following meetings last week and further discussions today, the Environment Secretary has agreed to allow a short delay to the implementation of the Clean Air Zone.
"This will allow Greater Manchester to provide further evidence and a revised plan by July setting out how it will deliver legal levels of NO2 as soon as possible, and no later than 2026."
What have Greater Manchester's leaders said:
In a press conference today, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham addressed the delay.
He said that "we all appreciate how stressful this has been for people" and that he always listens to people, adding that "it was clear to me that a CAZ designed pre-pandemic would not work post-pandemic."
Ultimately, the 2024 end date of government direction made the scheme unworkable, said the mayor.
"We always said to the government that we're prepared to work in good faith to tackle an issue that we both want to tackle but from our point of view we could no longer solve the issues," Burnham told the press.
"We have made an agreement with the government that they will remove the direction and move the end date to 2026."
A joint statement from Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Cllr Andrew Western, GMCA portfolio lead for clean air: "We met last week and have had further robust and constructive discussions today to find a solution.
"Air quality is one of our biggest health challenges and we are all completely committed to tackling it.
"We have agreed to a short time-limited pause. We will work together to deliver, by the middle of the year, a plan for clean air for Greater Manchester, one that is fair to the businesses and residents of the city-region.
"We will deliver improved air quality as soon as possible, not losing ambition but ensuring we take into account the pandemic, global supply chain challenges, improvements already baked into retrofits and the scope as previously laid out.
"We will now work jointly to meet the Greater Manchester and Government requirements on clean air, as soon as possible, and no
later than 2026."
The future of the Clean Air Zone
Trafford Council leader Andrew Western says the 'short time-limited pause' is a 'significant step' and that Greater Manchester will work in the coming months to meet the new date.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Coun Western said the meeting with the government this morning was 'difficult' but 'positive' as it gives Greater Manchester some 'breathing space' to redesign the scheme.
But he said they cannot rule out charges for some vehicles in the redesigned scheme and that 'all we know for certain is the scheme will not start in May...when it will start and what it will look like is unknown'.
Western also said he believes that by delaying the ministerial direction, the legal responsibility for not complying with legal limits on air pollution is on the government.
It is thought the new scheme will be 'substantially' different.
Andy Burnham has insisted the delay will not stop air quality improving.
Businesses wouldn't have been able to afford upgrading vehicles by May due to rising costs caused by supply chain issues and would've just faced unavoidable charges - and this was never about making money, he explained.
The mayor also said there will definitely be a Clean Air Zone, but it's possible it won't involve charges.
He disagreed that millions of pounds of public money might have been wasted on the signs, saying they might just need stickers put on them to change the date.
