TRAFFORD council is ready to vote against plans to introduce congestion charging in Greater Manchester.
The Conservative group that controls the authority decided on the move
ahead of a crunch meeting of the leaders of all 10 Greater Manchester councils next Friday.
They will decide whether to bid for £1.2bn from the government's Transport Innovation Fund and permission to borrow a further £1.8bn.
The loan would be paid back over 30 years from proceeds of a peak-hours road toll of up to £5 a day.
Councils supporting the bid are confident it will not be derailed because they believe Friday's vote will be settled on a simple majority basis.
That means if six out of 10 Greater Manchester councils give their backing, the bid WILL be submitted to ministers.
But officials from the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) were unable to confirm last night that the vote would be settled in this way.
Even if a bid goes forward - and is accepted by government - there would be no way for the other councils to force Trafford to take part in a charging scheme.
The decision by Trafford's Tories is expected to become council policy when the authority's executive committee meets on Monday. The executive is made up of members of the group.
Susan Williams, leader of Trafford council, said: "The group expressed its opinion against going forward with a bid, and congestion charging. We have done a lot of consultation and there has been a very clear message against.
"It will now be for our executive to make the decision on the basis of the facts before them."
The Conservatives' decision came less than 24 hours after the M.E.N. revealed the results of a huge poll commissioned by AGMA as part of its consultation on the congestion charge plans.
Fifty seven per cent agreed with the principle of road pricing in return for £3bn for trams, buses and trains. But that figure dropped to 53 per cent when respondents were told the planned charge would be up to £5 a day.
The Conservative shadow chancellor, Tatton MP George Osborne, added fuel to the fire when he accused the government of `blackmailing' councils into accepting road tolls. .
To have your say on the congestion charge log on to manchestereveningnews. co.uk and see what others think on Page 2 of today's Weekend pull-out
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Trafford says 'no' to c-charge
July 21, 2007
Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne MP
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
rammylad, ramsbottom (21/07/2007 at 09:43)
If you have been out and about on foot talking to people and listening during your surgeries and local meetings then credit to you for being so democratic.
Puts the rest of the dictators including my council Bury to shame.
ace, manchester (21/07/2007 at 10:01)
And if thats not enough they will up the toll to ten pounds ,just like red ken did in london from five pounds up to eight pounds.Once this toll is inplace the council can charge what they want and alter the times that they charge.If people vote for this they are voting for a ever increasing tax....
wkdboy1, Hyde (21/07/2007 at 10:20)
Simon B, www.manchestertolltax.com (21/07/2007 at 11:09)
It has to unanimous.
unless they have gone and changed rules.
If they have, the only option left to Trafford would be to withdraw from AGMA membership.
mancmonkey (21/07/2007 at 11:23)
shayla (21/07/2007 at 11:41)
They were rang, emailed and pecked sensless.
" If this gets in, I'll be getting you out"
I think any normal person with their ear to the ground would have heard the whole area saying "NO".
If they didn't they are either ignorant, stupid or liers.
Lets hope common sense prevails.
Ron Silver (21/07/2007 at 11:47)
James (21/07/2007 at 11:51)
Why does Trafford always have to be the awkward one? I'm a resident of Trafford and I'm thoroughly ashamed of the council - they're not doing this in my name. As showed yesterday, the majority of Trafford residents actually supported the plans.
I hope the other councils overrule Trafford and get on with it.
mancpaul (21/07/2007 at 12:09)
Ms C (21/07/2007 at 12:29)
If Manchester introduced some small measures e.g. no parking on Deansgate etc. a lot of bottlenecks would be solved.
derick (21/07/2007 at 12:37)
shayla (21/07/2007 at 12:39)
You can always move if you don't like it, and you still have the option of getting the bus or using your car.
Conservatives were voted in in Trafford. We are not allowed to vote on this charge, so the decent party that listen to us and represent us are doing it for us. That's why they are STILL there.
Democracy..........
Tony North-Hearn, Stockport (21/07/2007 at 13:27)
S P In exile, Tameside (21/07/2007 at 14:02)
If the government had put petrol up by this amount these same people would probably be up in arms..
The opinion poll for it was 53% at best 57% with a percentage like this it should go to a referendum this is to close to call.
This was suppose to be an opinion poll well we all know how true they can be don't we http://www.alba.org.uk/polls/accuracy.html it says the final opinion polls were more than 8 % adrift of reality if this is the case in this poll then all the more reason for a referendum
They should give us the people the vote on this tax.
J Sheldon, UK (21/07/2007 at 14:10)
This government rushed through regulations to add VAT to tolls, just before the opening of M6 Toll.
Taxing people into the ground, how does that really help the environment? Lets twist the facts, tell them any old rubbish and then blame Europe, should anyone question anything we do.
It will be interesting to see those exempt from the tolls, now let me think¿
Well done Trafford.
ebble (21/07/2007 at 14:29)
We need a referendum like so we can reject the charge like Edinburgh did.
This charge will cost me more than my council tax, for which we get schools, roads, rubbish collection, social workers, care for the elderly and many other services. The charge will be used to keep the index-linked pension and early retirement of council workers going for decades to come.
Chris, Irlam (21/07/2007 at 15:41)
And mancpaul - tell me where you get your 10x traffic in 5 years time figure from exactly. GMPTE or PT company employee are we?
Lee F (21/07/2007 at 15:53)
Well done Trafford. The C charge would mean at least an extra fiver a day for someone living in Sale to get to work in Mcr, with parking then on top. How can that be good? Noone in Trafford supports the idea. Not a single person.
The sooner every other borough realises that the only solution to the country's traffic problems is to build a lot more roads, the better. Whilst i might despise the C charge, the reality is that if it comes in, i will simply accept it and pay it. As if i / the majority of drivers in Trafford will even consider using public transport. No thanks.
Life Is Not Fair, Audenshaw (21/07/2007 at 17:22)
7501, Manchester (21/07/2007 at 17:44)
mark h buckley (21/07/2007 at 18:05)
in the flixton area of trafford, represented by tories they sent out leaflets/questioniares in respect of this issue - fact
in stretford wherei live where we have labour councillors we have received absolutely nothing in asking our views. what the labour grroup on trafford belive in i have no idea, but at least the tories asked the electorate.
at the last local elections i voted tory because of their concerns then about the c-charge & all its implications. i am so pleased that one council leader to date, more may follow, has the guts to stand up to the bully boys of the gmpte/gmpta/agma.
so dear jolly roger where does that leave you now??.
Simon B, www.manchestertolltax.com (21/07/2007 at 21:22)
most of the Trafford people live outside the M60
Most of their jobs are just inside the M60 at the Park and the centre.
They would pay the most C-Charge of the Greater Manchester people.
jimquk, longsight manchester (21/07/2007 at 23:30)
chasedwar, Dentonia (22/07/2007 at 01:26)
PS guys, I think your the IDIOTS, show some respect. (go and hug some trees or something, you eco warriors, study at Mcr Uni then stay in the city and think u own the place.)
ADI (22/07/2007 at 09:31)