PEOPLE in Bolton are being asked to give their views on a proposed Clean Air Zone (CAZ) within the borough with taxi drivers in the borough calling for a delay to the plans.

The government has instructed all ten Greater Manchester boroughs to introduce a clean air zone, which means that buses, coaches, taxis, heavy good and light goods vehicles will be affected.

Those not meeting emissions standards will have to pay a daily charge to use most roads in Bolton from the spring of 2022.

The charges will not apply to private vehicles.

Alongside the clean air plan, Greater Manchester leaders have also proposed a Minimum Licensing Standard (MLS) for taxis and private hire vehicles which drivers say will cause them financial hardship as many will need to replace their vehicles.

Bolton’s cabinet council meeting earlier this month was asked to consider a report detailing the borough’s consultation

The Greater Manchester Taxi Trade Coalition, who represent private hire drivers in Bolton sent a letter to the council outlining their concerns.

It stated: “The Coronavirus has had and is still having a massive and devastating impact on the taxi trade.

“The added pressures and financial impact of moving forward with clean air zone at this moment in time will be devastating for taxi drivers, some of whom have had no income for months.

“To go ahead with these plans now would force thousands of hard-working, self-employed individuals out of work, with the costs involved simply unaffordable.”

“The consequences will be disastrous for all self-employed and small taxi businesses across Bolton, unless the right decision is made now; to delay the consultation on CAZ and MLS until a time

when the full impact of Covid-19 on the trade can be assessed.”

At the cabinet meeting, council leader David Greenhalgh addressed the concerns of the taxi trade and other groups who may use vehicles affected

He said: “We need some very crucial information including the help for particular sectors of the community such as the private hire taxi trade and what we would call ‘white van man’.

“It’s important that we present the case for those sectors very strongly to ensure that they get the support that they should have and that they not be left at a disadvantage.

“We have to make sure we robustly take part in this consultation.”

Once introduced, the proposed CAZ will cover all ten Greater Manchester local authority areas.

The consultation will run from October 8 to December 3.

The public will asked for their views on the zone’s proposed boundary, daily charges, discounts and exemptions.

The government has  committed £41m to support Greater Manchester businesses, sole traders and the voluntary sector to help upgrade to cleaner commercial vehicles ahead of the CAZ being introduced.

Leaders are also working with the government to secure a further £100m in financial support.

Cllr Andrew Western, Green City-region lead, said: “The minimum standards for taxi and private hire will help deliver a shared vision for the future of the sector in Greater Manchester and a move away from harmful emissions.”

“As part of the work around implementing the Clean Air Plan, we have also secured funding that will help some locally licensed owners in renewing or upgrading their vehicles – with the aim to have an entirely zero-emission taxi and private hire fleet across the city region by the end of the decade.”

The proposed charges would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week but would not include motorways and some main trunk roads managed by Highways England.

The zone would be enforced by a network of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.