Election results could sink city’s congestion charge bid

08 May 2008

Questions now hang over Manchester's congestion charge scheme, a central plank of its TIF bid

Greater Manchester’s bid for £3bn of public transport improvements from the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund has been left in the balance by the local elections.

Labour could lose control of the Passenger Transport Authority after a series of disastrous results saw Labour chairman, Roger Jones, ousted from the seat on Salford Council he has held for 25 years.

Opponents of congestion charging targeted Cllr Jones, telling voters that his re-election could cost them up to £7.50 a day to drive to and from work. His loss could persuade the Government – which has already gone cool on national congestion charging – against the idea for Manchester. Because of the way members of the PTA are appointed by the 10 district councils, the new make-up will be 15 Labour, 10 Lib Dems, and eight Conservatives.

A pact between the Lib Dems and Tories could force Labour from power and put Lib Dem Richard Knowles, an Oldham councillor and professor of transport geography at Salford University, in the chair.

He is a supporter of the TIF bid but has serious reservations about the congestion charge scheme put forward by Labour last year.

He said: ‘It is too early to say what will happen. There are all sorts of scenarios but the PTA annual meeting is not until 20 June and each council has to decide who to appoint before then.’

But the final decision awaits an offer from the Department for Transport and will be taken by the new council leaders who form the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities. They will decide on a simple majority vote on whether to proceed.

Stockport, Trafford, and Bury have already voted not accept congestion charging. Bolton Conservatives are also against the idea but failed to win outright control of the council there.

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Election results could sink city’s congestion charge bid

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