Council chiefs have spent a massive £9.8m applying to ministers for £3bn worth of public transport improvements, in return for a peak-hour, pay-to-drive charge of up to £5 a day.
Local politicians were given £3.2m by the government to bankroll the bid - but consultants' fees and a consultation exercise mean that this figure has been left way behind.
The remaining £6.6m is being paid for through council tax bills and reserves - even though there is no guarantee that the bid will be successful.
The costs include money spent on 'expert advice' on potential charging schemes, and mathematical `models' of how congestion might increase in Greater Manchester over the next decade. Bid chiefs are known to have drafted in consultants from KPMG to help.
Councils behind the move defended their spending, saying it was a price worth paying to try to secure 'a £3bn transport revolution for current and future generations'.
But Graham Stringer, Labour MP for Blackley and an opponent of the charge, said 'far too much' had been spent on a 'wild goose chase'.
Response
"Nobody else is interested in this money if it means congestion charging," he said. "The councils' response to being blackmailed is to pay three times the ransom demand."
Greater Manchester's 10 local councils voted by an eight-to-two majority last month to press ahead with a bid for £1.2bn from the government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), plus permission to borrow £1.8bn more against projected profits of the charge.
Tory-led Trafford and Lib Dem Stockport were the only authorities to vote `No'.
The bid was based on months of work looking at how congestion could increase and sifting through different possible charging schemes. There was also a huge consultation scheme, which included leaflets about sent to every household, and a survey of 5,000 residents by pollsters GfK-NOP.
Greater Manchester was among ten areas given government money to prepare a bid and is. so far the only area to formally submit a TIF bid - at a total cost of £9.84m. Of that, £1m is from the reserves of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive - 'rainy day' money - but £4.94m is from the annual budget, which is paid out of council tax bills.
A spokesman for the Greater Manchester TIF bid said the cost reflected the scale of the work and the benefits would be felt for generations.
What do you think? Have your say below.
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Takes the ****
We should riot
The french would,say's something about us that doesn't it.
WE have to PAY for a bid,to bring in a charging system that,The majority of people DON'T want.
SO MUCH FOR THE FREE WORLD
You couldn't make it up and yet the majority of the public just shrugs their shoulders and accepts it.
There are far better things to spend £6.6m on. The council have spent £6.6m or OUR money asking the government for millions of pounds of OUR money!
How can I afford to pay the CONgestion charge to go to work, when you have increased my council tax bill to pay for it too?
And will the government remove the 5% cap on council tax annual increase to help get more money? they seem good a changing the rules when it suits them.
IT'S TOTAL MADNESS !
To all the people who are reading this and don't want the charge, now is the time to stand up and be counted, it is YOU who has to help fight it, write to your councillor's, sign petitions and make sure your voice is heard.
IF WE ALL STICK TOGETHER AND FIGHT, THEY WILL HAVE TO STOP IT. DON'T LET THEM LEAD YOU AROUND LIKE SHEEP !
You can start by looking here for more info. of how to fight back.
www.manchestertolltax.com
I've got a better idea. How about we use the £6.6m to clear all the little scum bags off the streets and let us all live in peace. Ship them all out to sea and leave them there. Stick em all on disused liners and let them fend for themselves for a good few years. But no,instead this crazy government insist on using our hard earned money on things we dont want or need and we get the pleasure of paying for it all over again. We're so lucky arent we? And we have the cheek to moan about it.......! This country is an absolute joke.
just two words "Looney Labour"
I must say well said to Graham Stringer. Why are our councillors not listening to what our MP's have to say? As far as I can see nobody wants this except a few rabid public transport users and the usual 'green' anti-car suspects, why are we letting the mad few dictate to the sensible majority? Where is your voice Manchester? Speak now and drown out the pro-charge goons!
Hopefully, all you Herberts that habitually vote Labour will think long and hard next time. You are being fleeced to entertain the whims of idiots.
I unfortunately moved to manchester not long after the elections in May, and so was unable to vote in the elections in Manchester. I totally disagree with the decision, and feel robbed that I am paying for something I don't even want!! As I live in Trafford, I think that Trafford residents should not have to pay for this, as we voted wholeheartedly against this sham, and the bill should lie on the doormats of those who seem to want the congestion charging, namely the councils who voted in favour. I don't think it is fair to pay for something we didn't ask for, nor is it going to benefit us.
I think its time to take to the streets!!!
Peanut, this is what I suggest. We could have snatch squads to take these thigs off the streets and let us all get on with our lives in peace. Spending £6.6m on applying for our own money for the government is a joke.
How do such incompetents get into councils? There are mostly ex teachers with no idea of the workings of the real world. I for one wouldn't employ a single one of them.
£10 million to research the road toll plans is just the tip of the iceberg.
There will be an army of bureaucrats, executives, consultants, public relations people, lobbyists, bankers and financial advisers all waiting to get their hands on the money.
If this idea is not killed soon there could be hundreds of millions of pounds spent without getting one extra bus or tram on the road.
If the bid fails i suppose we will be getting our money back. Or maybe they'll introduce the con charge regardless, just to get the £6.6m back.
What Manchester Against Road Tolls says is correct - this charge will cost millions to implement & further millions to collect without anything going to public transport. If you look at the London Congestion Charge you will see that they have 'made' a grand total about £14 million in all the years it has been running. Take away the fines and they would be losing money. This is 'jobs for the boys' and you can bet many a councillor & public transport enthusiast gets a job somehwere in it's murky structure once it's up & running - on quite a bit more that the 'average' national salary too. It stinks!
I've no objection to paying the extra tax, because as motorists we're severely under taxed, but I do object to the invasion of privacy that comes with being tracked, along with the unnecessary infrastructure.
I'd much rather see public transport funded by a large increase in fuel duty.
So the council tax bill is going to go up by an extra amount anyway, win or lose.
Sell the airport
Sorry that last post should have read "Sell the airport and vote the labour council out and the government" Labour is the party that has put us all into debt for the next forty years.
Would you prefer the charging scheme and PT improvements were designed by either:
a) 2 guys down the pub writing on the back of an envelope or
b) by professionals who have careers to understand and design such a highly complex scheme? (Remembering it's not just the charge that needs designing but also the public transport improvements)
Answers on a postcard please!
Indeed they are trying to sell us a mountain of debt Ace - and some on here are in full agreement with them!
But, as per usual, when bad news surfaces about this 'Toll Tax TiF bid' the pro-toll trolls are nowhere to be seen....no doubt getting fat at the taxpayer's expense....
Chris, Irlam
Labour has always took the voters into debt,just look at how much maney was in the chest when this present government came into power ?millions a absolute fortune but within months they were in the red and had to borrow even more and theve just kept on borrowing .And all our gold reserves have been handed to europe? nothing in the pot.
Why does this dictatorship council not surprise me in this latest hidden fact?
Congratulations to the councillors, you've just earned a massive payrise from the 6.6 million bill.
VOTE LABOUR OUT, its true that the idiots are running the asylum
"Councils behind the move defended their spending, saying it was a price worth paying to try to secure 'a £3bn transport revolution for current and future generations'."
£6.6 million to force Manchester drivers to pay an extra £2080 a year in tax!
DISGUSTING
Also to add,
since Mid july when schools broke up, my journey into work has taken 10 -15 minutes and getting home in 10 minutes on some days. Ive seen one day of bad traffic in 3 weeks!
It disgusts me to think Dicky Leese wants me to pay £8 a day Congestion charge when in reality ive yet to see any real congestion!
Will this amazing new transport system encourage the woman how sat opposite me on a bus recently to not change her babies nappy and dispose of the dirty nappy under the seat? Also she didn't make any effort to get the faeces off the seat either.
Idea:
1. Get a list of all GM councillors candidates from the last election published.
2. Write to your local candidates and ask for their views on the C-Charge, so you know how you need to vote if you're dead against (or even for) the C-Charge.
3. Maybe MART can set up its own party for the next election with volunteers prepared to stand in the next local elections?
4. Sit back and watch how many councillors lose their seats.