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Cleaning up our air

Like many areas across the country, Greater Manchester has high levels of air pollution on some local roads.

Poor air quality affects everyone's health. It’s linked to conditions like asthma, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and early deaths.

Work to make Greater Manchester a cleaner and healthier place to live in, work in and visit includes the:

  • transformational Bee Network already investing in zero-emission bus fleets

  • investment-led Clean Air Plan will further tackle harmful nitrogen dioxide on local roads

Current Clean Air Plan position

Greater Manchester does not have a Clean Air Zone and there are no charges to drive on local roads.

Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Plan is currently under review. The latest Clean Air Plan proposals do NOT include a charging Clean Air Zone. 

Evidence shows that the proposed investment-led Clean Air Plan will improve air quality faster than a Clean Air Zone – and without causing hardship to residents or businesses.

If government approves the latest Clean Air Plan proposals, there would be no charge for any vehicles to drive anywhere in Greater Manchester.

Government will decide on the measures included in Greater Manchester’s new Clean Air Plan.

The updated Clean Air Plan proposals

The updated plan would see £86.7m invested in cleaner buses, taxis and measures to manage traffic flows on some roads in Manchester and Salford – using funding already awarded to Greater Manchester by government.

Under the revised Clean Air Plan proposals we could meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide by 2026 at the latest through:

  • £51.1m investment in 40 new zero-emission electric buses, EV charging infrastructure at bus depots, and upgrading 77 buses to be Euro VI (clean air compliant). Local control of bus services through the Bee Network allows us to run zero-emission electric and clean air compliant buses in areas where nitrogen dioxide exceeds legal limits.

  • £30.5m Clean Taxi Fund: To provide financial support to help every eligible hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licensed with a Greater Manchester authority by 1 October 2024 to upgrade to a cleaner vehicle and meet a new minimum emission standard by 31 December 2025. Funding would also be available to help owners of GM-licensed hackneys who meet the minimum emission standard upgrade to a zero emissions capable vehicle.

  • £5m investment in local traffic measures:  To manage traffic flow on roads in Manchester and Salford. This will bring nitrogen dioxide within legal limits on Regent Road and Quay Street.

Greater Manchester’s Air Quality Administration Committee will consider these proposals on 1 October 2024.

Next steps

Greater Manchester’s Air Quality Administration Committee will meet on 1 October 2024 to consider the updated Clean Air Plan proposals.

The committee is recommended to approve and submit revised evidence to the government’s Joint Air Quality Unit.

Government will then decide what the final Clean Air Plan includes.

The next steps for the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan are dependent on feedback from the government.

The nature and timescales of any further consultation on the Clean Air Plan proposals will be confirmed once full, formal government feedback has been received.

Keep up to date on developments and sign up for updates

Keep up to date with the latest Clean Air Plan news at: Clean Air GM

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Schools

A toolkit is available to help schools raise awareness and take action against air pollution, so that pupils and everyone else can breathe cleaner air. Register to download the free toolkit for schools.