Government backs local plans for clean air in Greater Manchester

Drivers in Greater Manchester will not face additional charges as the area is set to benefit instead from 117 new lower and zero-emission buses in a £86 million scheme to help clean up the region's air, the Government has confirmed today (23 January 2025).

Defra and the Department for Transport have rigorously assessed an investment-led plan proposed by local councils and concluded it will meet legal obligations to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution.

While local authorities in other areas have found that a Clean Air Zone is the best route to cutting nitrogen dioxide pollution, Greater Manchester provided evidence they can achieve compliance with legal limits faster without charging.

Today's decision rules out a Clean Air Zone in Manchester so motorists will not be charged to drive into the area. Instead, there will be a fleet of new buses and traffic-calming measures to improve air quality in the region.

The investment-led package includes:

• £51.1m towards bus investment, including 40 zero emission buses, 77 Euro VI standard buses and charging infrastructure;
• £5m for local traffic management measures; 
• £8 million to support moving Greater Manchester's taxi fleet to cleaner vehicles
• Up to £21.9m for administration, delivery, monitoring and other associated costs.
• Local leaders have also been told they can review and cancel contracts relating to the Clean Air Zone, such as signs and cameras.

Air Quality Minister Emma Hardy said:

Air pollution is damaging people's health and the environment. Its impacts are felt more by low-income communities, making health and social inequalities worse.

To improve our health, wellbeing and the environment, we must improve air quality. Local authorities know their communities well and so they need to develop plans that are most effective for their local area, and I am pleased that Greater Manchester has found a clear way to reduce emissions without the need to charge motorists.

I look forward to working with the teams across Greater Manchester as they put this important plan in place. Government will continue to take the action needed to ensure everyone has safe air to breathe across the nation.

Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood said:  

Having completed the groundbreaking Bee Network buses, Greater Manchester is making fantastic progress in building a modern, sustainable and truly integrated transport network.

Manchester will be able to reduce pollution from transport without having to charge motorists, and new, cleaner buses will help Mancunians get around easily while still bringing down emissions across the city.

We will continue to work with local leaders to create better connected communities, meet our climate targets and make Britain a clean energy superpower as part of our Plan for Change.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

We are grateful to this Government for listening to Greater Manchester and for this vote of confidence in our investment-led approach to cleaning up our air.  This is the right decision for Greater Manchester and it gives people here the certainty they have long needed.

Because we have implemented the first phase of the Bee Network on time and on budget, the Government clearly trusts us to deliver and has seen the evidence that our approach is working. The Bee Network is cleaning up our air and keeping the cost of travel as low as possible. Its success is allowing us to remove a big weight of worry off the shoulders of people who need to drive as part of their job.

We are grateful to Steve Reed and Heidi Alexander for backing us with funding to take our approach further and faster. We will now continue to work towards an all-electric bus fleet whilst investing in local traffic measures and supporting our GM-licensed taxi drivers to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.

The UK has legally-binding targets to reduce the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the air to an annual average of no more than 40 micrograms per cubic metre.

It is the role of local councils to determine the quickest and most effective way to do that. As part of its nitrogen dioxide programme, the Government works with local authorities to ensure proposed plans address nitrogen dioxide pollution in the shortest time possible, delivering better environmental outcomes for residents.

Local leaders are central to our mission to deliver change, and the Government recently announced a £69 billion support package for councils across the country to fix the foundations of local government for good.

ENDSNOTE TO EDITORS:Air quality:

• Poor air quality continues to be the biggest environmental risk to human health.
• There has been significant progress in reducing emissions of some air pollutants:

• Latest figures (up to the year 2022) show that emissions of most air pollutants for which we have reduction targets reduced between 2012 and 2022, with emissions of nitrogen oxides down 46%, sulphur dioxide down 75%, non-methane volatile organic compounds down 15%, fine particulate matter down 18%, and ammonia remaining stable (less than 1% reduction).

• The UK has legally-binding targets to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions (NO2) to an annual average of no more than 40 micrograms per cubic metre.
• The Government is developing series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone's exposure to air pollution is reduced.
• The Government recently announced a rapid review of the EIP to deliver on our legally binding targets alongside our Plan for Change. This includes making sure it is fit for purpose to deliver legally binding targets to improve air quality.

Clean Air Zones:

• Defra and DfT's NO2 programme is working with local authorities to deliver air quality measures to improve the health of their residents and address their nitrogen dioxide exceedances in the shortest possible time. The Government has provided £575m to support Local Authorities to improve air quality in areas of NO2 exceedances.
• Measures can include implementing a Clean Air Zone, which are now in place in seven local authority areas in England (Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Bradford, Tyneside, Portsmouth and Sheffield). There is also the ULEZ in London, operated under a devolved system.
• Local authorities are required to consider whether there are alternatives available that would deliver legal levels of NO2 at least as quickly as a Clean Air Zone. 
• Greater Manchester Authorities submitted an alternative proposal to the Government and Ministers have agreed a Clean Air Zone is not necessary.