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

The Executive considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer and City Solicitor, which provided an update on progress made on the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan (GM CAP) policy review prior to its formal submission to government.

Government had issued directions to local authorities in the UK, including those in Greater Manchester, to take action to address illegal exceedances of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the shortest possible time and, initially in the case of GM, by 2024 at the latest.  In late 2021 GM authorities commissioned an independent review of emerging global supply chain issues and the impact this could have on the cost and availability of vehicles, particularly vans.

The review illustrated that the previous agreed plan would cause businesses and residents financial hardship and the Government agreed with Greater Manchester’s assessment that the plan was no longer likely to achieve compliance in 2024 due to the impact of the pandemic and the supply chain issues for compliant vehicles.  Subsequently the Government revoked the direction requiring the implementation of a category C charging Clean Air Zone to enable a review of existing measures, in order to determine if any changes should be made and to submit that review to the Secretary of State.

Any new plan would still need to be deliverable and reduce NO2 concentrations to below legal limits in the shortest possible time and by 2026 at the latest, in a way that recognises the cost-of-living crisis and post pandemic economic conditions.

The Leader advised that the proposed new plan would use the £120 million of Clean Air funding that the Government had awarded to Greater Manchester to deliver an investment led approach to invest in vehicle upgrades, rather than imposing daily charges.  An investment-led approach would be combined with all the wider measures that GM was implementing and aimed to reduce NO2 emissions to within legal limits, in the shortest possible time and at the latest by 2026. Unlike the previous charging-led scheme defined by Government guidance, the investment-led scheme would seek to factor in the cost-of-living crisis, it would actively consider the impacts of the pandemic and wider global economic instability on supply chains, and crucially considered the significant beneficial effects that the delivery of electric bus could have along key routes

Subject to any comments of Greater Manchester local authorities, the next Air Quality Administration Committee would confirm the final submission and notify the Secretary of State of the change in status.  By applying a Participatory Policy Development process, Greater Manchester would develop, assess and agree a package of measures forming a proposed new GM CAP.   This package of measures would be consulted upon in early 2023.  Greater Manchester would review the responses to the consultation and make any adaptations to the proposals as necessary. It was anticipated that a decision could be made to proceed with the new GM CAP thereafter.

Councillor Leech sought clarity on what the number of NO2 exceedances was based on and whether the Council was going to receive the necessary funding to enable the conversion of other forms of transport, such as HGV’s coaches, hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in order to meet the targets that have been set.

Councillor Johnson sought assurance around the ability to deliver the CAP vehicle and other investment measures and cluster measures.

Decisions

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.