Greater Manchester Clean Air Zones would hit Cheshire 'more severely'

Plans to charge high-polluting lorries, buses and taxis to drive across Greater Manchester are "disproportionate", a neighbouring council said.

Cheshire East Council has asked for Greater Manchester's Clean Air Zone to only cover known pollution hotspots.

It warned Cheshire businesses would be impacted "more severely" by the plan.

Andrew Western, leading the project for Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs, said "poor air quality obviously doesn't respect council boundaries".

The Clean Air Zone scheme aims to bring air quality to within legal levels by reducing harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions.

A consultation is under way on the proposals, which would see some lorries, buses and coaches charged £60 per day to travel across Greater Manchester.

In its official response to the consultation, neighbouring Labour-controlled Cheshire East Council wrote that the decision to apply the charge across all 10 boroughs was "disproportionate to the problems", and should be revised so it only covers the worst-hit areas.

Mr Western, who leads Labour-run Trafford Borough Council, said: "Poor air quality obviously doesn't respect council boundaries and we want to make sure our Clean Air Plan reduces air pollution across the city-region which is why we're working together as 10 local authorities to tackle this serious health issue."

Cheshire East Council claimed there was a "significant risk" that its residents and businesses would be impacted "more severely than their equivalents in Greater Manchester", because they wouldn't be able to access incentives to switch to cleaner vehicles that escape the charges.

Bin lorries and street sweepers which need to cross the boundary would also be hit by the charges, which would "potentially undermine the established arrangements for providing public services in the areas close to the borough boundary", the council's consultation response warned.

It called for firms in neighbouring boroughs to have access to "clean vehicle funding".

The local authority's deputy leader, Craig Browne, said: "Discussions with Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham have been very positive and we have a good working relationship."

Mr Browne said his counterparts in Greater Manchester had "acknowledged" concerns about the impact on bus and taxi operators in Cheshire.

His council has additionally asked for some main roads which straddle the boundary to be exempted from the charges altogether, so that traffic drivers don't need to use "less suitable, local roads within Cheshire East" to avoid the charges.

Mr Western said there had been "constructive conversations" with neighbouring councils, which will "help to inform Greater Manchester's final Clean Air Plan and specific funding asks of government".

Cheshire East would like the A5102 removed from the charging zone.