Greater Manchester will refuse to introduce a Ulez-type zone to fine drivers of older vehicles, the city's mayor Andy Burnham has said.
The announcement - made in an exclusive interview with GB News - came despite hundreds of CCTV cameras and signs being erected around Manchester, ready to enforce a low emissions zone.
Burnham said: "As long as I'm Mayor, no, I will not have a charging zone, either a congestion charge scheme or a clean air style scheme."
The decision comes amid criticism over Sadiq Khan's decision to increase the Ulez zone in Greater London.
The decision comes amid criticism over Sadiq Khan's decision to increase the Ulez zone in Greater London
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Burnham said that London was different to Greater Manchester because of the capital's more extensive London Underground, bus and overland train network.
He said: "The reason being the North of England has never had the investment in transport to allow some people to live without their car. The sad thing is a lot of people in the North of England can't live without their car."
There are currently over 1,300 clean air signs in place - carrying ‘under review’ stickers - and over 460 cameras installed in the Greater Manchester area, ready to enforce a clean air zone in the city's 10 boroughs. The original Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone had due to be introduced on May 30 last year.
Burnham is standing for a third term which means that the city will not introduce an emissions charging zone before 2028 at the earliest, if at all.
He is pressing the Government to provide more funding for a new Bee network set up this week by the city to link together buses and trams.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester said that by investing more in cleaner public transport it would not be necessary to bring in an emissions zone to clean up their air quality.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Burnham sent a message to Rishi Sunak ahead of the Conservative Party conference taking place in Manchester this weekend
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In a message to Rishi Sunak, who leads his team of ministers to Manchester this weekend for the Conservative party conference, Burnham said: "Prime Minister, you can come here this weekend, you can back the Bee network with the investment that it needs, you can back the taxi industry with the investment which it needs.
"And you could have an example of saying this is how you get to net zero but in a fairer way for the public. Greater Manchester is your opportunity."
Fifty new electric buses have been delivered and another 50 are on order.
The Mayor also wants to convert more taxis to run as electric vehicles.
Burnham added that cash trays will stay on buses to ensure that people can carry on paying for journeys from their loose change. GB News is running an access to cash campaign.
