MPs join forces against new charge
Updated on 24 October 2008
MPs met to fight the introduction of a congestion charge in Greater Manchester.
A daily charge of £5 has been proposed as part of an application for the Government to invest £3 billion in public transport for the city.
The Stop the Charge coalition of seven Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat MPs, council leaders and businesses is campaigning for a No vote when a referendum on the issue is held in December.
Firms who have joined the coalition include Kellogg's, Unilever and local business Hydes Brewery. At the campaign launch at the city centre brewery, Labour MP for Blackley Graham Stringer described the congestion charge as "insane".
"I think the proposals will be extremely bad for the Manchester economy, particularly at a time when people are losing their jobs and the economy is shrinking.
"I think it is insane having a tax that only Manchester people have to pay when no other British regional city will be burdened with a similar tax. People who have no public transport alternative will have to pay for it. In that sense, it's as unfair as the poll tax."
Tory MP for Altrincham and Sale Graham Brady said that the plans for a Manchester congestion fee could not be compared to the charge which has already been introduced in London.
"London has got a very comprehensive transport network which we don't have. There are a lot of people in Greater Manchester who simply don't have another viable option, even when this money is being spent."
He added: "The alternative to the charge is that we seek to invest in public transport as we did in previous years, not to saddle people in Greater Manchester with an additional tax burden and a massive slug of debt.
Under the proposals from the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), drivers would have to pay to cross the M60 and a second ring around the city centre during peak times. Delivery vehicles could face a capped fee of up to £10 a day for repeat crossings of the charging boundaries.
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