Report of the Deputy Chief Executive & City Treasurer and City Solicitor

This report updates on progress made on the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan policy review and seeks comments from members to inform finalisation of the review submission to government.

The Committee considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive & City Treasurer and the City Solicitor that provided an update on progress made on the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan (GM CAP) policy review and sought comments from Members to inform finalisation of the review submission to government.

The Committee had been invited to comment on the report prior to it being considered by the Executive.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·         Providing an introduction and background;

·         An overview of the impacts of poor air quality, noting that improving air quality was a key objective for Manchester City Council;

·         The rationale for the new plan;

·         The core objectives of the new Clean Air Plan, noting that the new GM CAP would target investment in vehicle upgrades rather than imposing daily charges;

·         Describing that the primary focus of the new plan was to achieve compliance in a way that considered the current cost of living crisis and associated economic challenges faced by businesses and residents;

·         Describing the approach to the development of the new plan;

·         NO2 exceedances forecast for the period 2023-2026 and monitoring data;

·         An overview of the changes in economic context since Summer 2021 and the emerging conclusions to changes in an economic context;

·         The changed conditions within the vehicle market;

·         Equality considerations;

·         The asks of Government, particularly the specific new ‘ask’ to remove out-of-area operation by private hire drivers/vehicles;

·         Feedback for targeted engagement undertaken to test support for the case for a new GM CAP; and

·         Next steps.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

·         Continuing the call for an Ultra Low Emissions Zone, particularly in the city centre area;

·         Recognising the cost of compliant taxi vehicles;

·         Noting the levels of emissions from the bus fleet what was the timescale for the roll out of replacement vehicles;

·         Was the £115m earmarked for a third of the bus fleet in GM to be zero emission by 2027 sufficient;

·         What work was being done to address the issues associated with the strategic road network;

·         Fully supporting the ‘ask’ to remove out-of-area operation by private hire drivers/vehicles;

·         Clarification was sought as to the proposed use of the ANPR cameras;

·         Information was sought as to the provision of electric vehicle charging points;

·         The importance of considering this topic through the lens of public health; and

·         The importance of capturing the existing creativity and enthusiasm in the city, particularly amongst young people to inform plans to address emissions and climate change.

The Transport Strategy Director, TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) advised that the greater control of the regional bus fleet that would be achieved through the franchising of this service would allow for granular control of the service. He stated that the ability to control this network would address the issues associated with buses, particularly in the city centre area. He advised that the £115m referred to by the Member was additional funding above the core funding proposition.

The Transport Strategy Director, TfGM described the work underway to address the issues associated with the strategic road network. He gave the example of the work to understand the flow of commercial traffic on Regent Road and the options available to address this. He advised that this analysis was being undertaken with Highways England. Members welcomed this and advised that the lessons learnt from previous schemes involving Regent Road needed be used to inform any proposals, particularly in regard to communications with local residents and elected Members. The Transport Strategy Director, TfGM stated that this was fully understood, and the approach would be to capture views and comments to inform any formal consultation exercise. 

The Chair noted that it was important to recognise that Regent Road was only one strategic road network route that impacted significantly on the city. She commented that it was important to consider all road users, including promoting active travel when considering alternative options for these routes. She commented that a report on the Active Travel Strategy would be considered by the Committee later in the municipal year.

The Transport Strategy Director, TfGM commented that the issues associated with the wider strategic road network across Greater Manchester was understood and they continued to make representations to the Government on this issue.

The Transport Strategy Director, TfGM addressed the issue of the cost of replacement vehicles for business and advised that they were working closely with business representatives to map the inflationary pressures experienced by businesses and this would inform the funding ask from government.  With reference to taxis, he advised that the funding available would be used to target the worst polluting vehicles, using an evidenced based approach.

The Transport Strategy Director, TfGM described that the proposed use of the ANPR cameras would help identify directed marketing possibilities with business and Greater Manchester Police had expressed an interest in the wider use of ANPR.

The Executive Member for Environment and Transport advised that a report on the provision of electric vehicle charging points would be submitted to the Committee for consideration in the new year.

In concluding this item of business, a Member suggested that an additional recommendation be added. The Member noted that the report discussed measures to address NO2 emissions with no reference to carbon emissions. She recommended that the Executive consider all emissions, including carbon when considering future transport and active travel strategies so that they contribute to the Council’s stated zero carbon ambitions by 2038.

Decisions

1. The Committee recommend that the Executive consider all emissions, including carbon when considering future transport and active travel strategies so that they contribute to the Council’s stated zero carbon ambitions by 2038.

2. The Committee endorse the recommendations that the Executive:

(1)      Note the 'Case for a new Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan’ document attached as Appendix 1 and associated appendices 2 to 6 has been submitted to the Secretary of State as a draft document subject to any comments from Manchester City Council ahead of the next Air Quality Administration Committee.

(2)      Note that Cllr Tracey Rawlins as the Manchester City Council appointed representative on the Air Quality Administration Committee will represent Manchester City Council’s comments.

(3)      Note the initial screening undertaken to assess which protected characteristics are likely to be impacted by the new GM Clean Air Plan, and in scope for the Equalities Impact Assessment.

(4)      Note the updated Do Minimum position for 2023 and 2025 and the forecasted points of exceedance in GM in 2023 and 2025; and

(5)      Note the participatory policy development approach and the next steps for the GM CAP.

(6)      Note the new ‘ask’ from Government to remove out-of-area operation by private hire drivers/vehicles to support the new GM Clean Air Plan.

(7)      Note feedback from early engagement activity with vehicle owner representative groups.

(8)      Note the NO2 monitoring results and the exceedances of the annual mean across sites set up for GM CAP purposes between 2018 and 2021.