There will be no mention of congestion charging in the referendum question to be put to the people of Greater Manchester in December.

A Yes vote would see drivers charged up to £5 a day to drive in and out of Manchester. In return, there will be £3bn of public transport improvements, paid for by the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund and borrowing against the proceeds of what will be Britain’s biggest road-pricing scheme. But the question will only ask: ‘Do you agree with the Transport Innovation Fund proposals?’

Voters will be invited simply to say Yes or No. It has been drawn up by Sir Neil McIntosh, the independent returning officer for the referendum, with advice from experienced lawyers and guided by the Electoral Commission.

Sir Neil will now submit his recommended question to the next meeting of the AGMA executive board on 31 October, where the leaders of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities are expected to approve it. Sir Neil said: ‘I believe this is a fair, clear and balanced question.

In drawing it up I had to ensure that it accurately reflected fundamental aspects of the proposals and did not lead people in one direction or the other. ‘I concluded that a straightforward “yes” or “no” question was the easiest to understand.’ But the Greater Manchester Momentum Group of businesses campaigning for a No vote said the question was wrapped up in impenetrable jargon.

‘We feel strongly that the current suggestion is unbalanced and that, given the findings of the poll, “Transport Innovation Fund” would mean little to many people, who didn’t even know about the consultation,’ a spokesman said. The papers will arrive on doormats at the end of November and will have to be returned by 11 December.