A BUS company has been accused of censorship after it refused to carry a poster campaign by a council opposed to the congestion charge.
Stockport council wanted Stagecoach to display its posters on buses in the run-up to Greater Manchester's transport referendum. The adverts would have said: "C-charge. Want to Pay? Have your Say."
Council leader Dave Goddard said the intention was to encourage people to find out more about the charge and register to vote in a referendum on December 11.
But the bus firm, which supports plans for a congestion charge in return for a transport investment package of more than £2.75bn, refused. It claimed the adverts were 'not consistent' with its 'beliefs on the future of public transport'.
Coun Goddard branded the decision 'outrageous'.
He said: "There has been a stream of inaccurate and confusing information issued by the transport authorities about proposals for Stockport.
Accuracy and clarity
"People deserve accuracy and clarity, and Stagecoach should be willing to be part of that. Their behaviour is disgraceful and has no place in a modern democracy."
Mark Threapleton, managing director at Stagecoach Manchester, said the company was within its rights to reject the adverts.
He said: "The TIF package has the potential to bring a host of improvements to public transport and the environment in Greater Manchester including more peak-time buses, more reliable bus services and cleaner air quality for everyone.
"We don't always accept all adverts and have universal policies on certain types of advertising including those which are not consistent with our beliefs on public transport.
"We took the decision to carry our own adverts on our own vehicles and are therefore not accepting any other related adverts from third parties."
Stagecoach said it will spend £70m on 400 new buses as part of a modernisation of the network under the TIF. It also runs the Metrolink system, which would get three new lines.
Stockport council voted against the TIF proposals and Coun Goddard was one of two council leaders and seven MPs who set up a 'Stop the Charge' coalition along with more than 250 businesses last week. The bid would see more than £2.75bn invested in transport from the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), including £318m to set up a peak hour, weekday-only congestion charge. Some £1.2bn of the total would be in the form of a loan, paid back over 30 years out of profits from the charge.
People will vote in a postal ballot in December on whether to accept the proposals. Voting papers are due to go out at the end of next month, with a voting deadline of December 11.
Congestion charge: The story so far
TIF documents released under the Fredom of Information Act.
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Kevin Peel, Manchester (29/10/2008 at 17:25)
Henry Piggot-Smythe, Prestbury (29/10/2008 at 17:41)
dave pickup (29/10/2008 at 17:45)
Chess Piece Face, Manchester (29/10/2008 at 17:54)
gulliblenotme, bury (29/10/2008 at 18:43)
john berta (29/10/2008 at 18:49)
Council leader Dave Goddard said the intention was to encourage people to find out more about the charge
Yeah right Dave! Who are you trying to kid. Great wording BTW.(laughs!)
Why didn't the ads say.
£3 BILLION POUNDS WORTH OF INVESTMENT VIA TIF
That would encourage even more people to look at the proposals.
Don't worry Dave, Peel have got vote no signs plastered all over the Traffford Centre.
£13MILLION spent on BRAINWASHING - VOTE NO TO THIS STEALTH TAX WAGE CUT - Paul Teeque (29/10/2008 at 19:07)
£13MILLION spent on BRAINWASHING - VOTE NO TO THIS STEALTH TAX WAGE CUT - Paul Teeque (29/10/2008 at 19:08)
Need I say more?! LOL
Sir Reginald Ringpull, A-u-L, Lancashire (29/10/2008 at 19:14)
"£3 BILLION POUNDS WORTH OF INVESTMENT VIA TIF "
Trams £1.18 million, Trains £149 million, Buses £363 million does not add up to THREE BILLION. You are about 1.3 billion short. If you add £320 million to set up the charging scheme, £220 million for non capital expenditure and £600 million for cost over-runs - that leaves you to explain where the other £200 or so millions are.
MsD, Manchester (29/10/2008 at 20:16)
I'll be voting no even though the c-charge won't affect me. I cannot trust MCC not to change the boundaries, prices etc. The goalposts have been moved too far already.
Rammylad (29/10/2008 at 20:49)
£3bn is a lie, it is more likely to be less than £1.5bn. With council tax payers footing the bill.
john berta (29/10/2008 at 20:54)
Tell me how much investment will be ploughed back into TIF over the years?
Your right, it won't be £3bill, it will be much more.
Long after we're both dead, TIF money will still be invested in new tramlines, trams, buses, etc, etc.
It's on-going you see. It doesn't stop after the initial expenditure. Once the loan is paid off, the TIF money generated will stay in Greater Manchester. That's where you antis don't get it. You harp on about it's only providing this, it's only providing that. Well it's not. It will keep on providing long into the future. Not only for you and me, but for your children and their children.
Unfortunately you lot haven't got the vision or intelligence to see that far ahead. Infact, your vision goes no further than your wallets and purses.
Has the penny dropped yet?
Rammylad (29/10/2008 at 21:06)
Oh how I will laugh at you and your crazy statements. Its more than £3bn is it now, ha ha ha ha. I love it. Well in that case great, its a yes from me.
Sir Reginald Ringpull, A-u-L, Lancashire (29/10/2008 at 21:20)
"Once the loan is paid off, the TIF money generated will stay in Greater Manchester."
Get with the programme john - all monies go to HM Government, Whitehall, London. once the loan has been paid.
The £1.441 billion is ALL the TIF money we are getting - There is no more. The £1.2billon loan ?- It needs at least £300,000 a day to pay back (10 million quid a year extra for every 1% over 5%) and the suits say over £100,000 a day to run the scheme (£31 million a year was their figure).
I hope that people vote it in - That feeling of "I told you so" Sublime!
john berta (29/10/2008 at 21:55)
I seen your hard exterior is starting to soften. Perhaps the vision of TIF I have bestowed on you iS finally sinking in.
No, it's not £3 billion, It's more than £3 billion. over time the money raised will be reinvested in Gtr Manchester's transport infastructure time and again.
The Possibilities are endless.
Buzza2008, Oldham (29/10/2008 at 22:32)
If Stagecoach has £70m sat around in the bank why have they not given their customers new buses already? Let’s face it most of their vehicles date back to the mid 1990’s and would struggle with modern emission standards anyway. What they really mean is 10% of Greater Manchester’s motorists are going to buy them this new fleet and they are going to profit from it with a captive audience.
NoOrder, Neither here nor there (29/10/2008 at 22:57)
FIFTY MILLION POUNDS A YEAR TO FIND BEFORE WE EVEN START PAYING BACK THE LOAN.
AGMA would be better off getting the cash off a loanshark - maybe one of those that offers LOGBOOK LOANS.After all, it will be the motorist who'll get fleeced.
And when the motorists say "enough is enough" it will be the turn of every single Council Taxpayer in Greater Manchester.
VOTE 'NO' TO THE CON-CHARGE!
Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (29/10/2008 at 23:29)
He said: "The TIF package has the potential to bring a host of improvements to public transport and the environment in Greater Manchester including more peak-time buses, more reliable bus services and cleaner air quality for everyone......AND GREAT BIG FAT AMOUNTS OF YOUR MONEY TO US!!!!!!
ebble, manchester (30/10/2008 at 08:09)
Trumpetman21 (30/10/2008 at 08:28)
Well Said MsD - exactly the correct attitude to take.
People currently 'sat on the fence' take note. Ask yourself if you REALLY trust those behind this scheme. If not, vote No.
Polky (30/10/2008 at 08:32)
No. That is still to be decided.
The original proposal (July 2007) said that it would continue to go to the treasury.
The current document clearly states that the beneficiary of the monies collected after the 30 year term has elapsed will not be decided before 30 years have elapsed.
Kurt Stephens (30/10/2008 at 08:34)
Using the published figures, it is very easy to see how we will have enough to pay of the loan, and almost certaily have loads left over to develop additional transport schemes, such as the tram to Stockport.
Shall we remind some of the scare mongers of some of the figures.
2.5m people live in Greater Manchester - 10% will pay the charge.
That is 250,000 people paying the charge.
The average charge per person is £3 per day for those that are paying.
That is £750,000 per day in charge revenues.
That is £3.75m in revenue per year.
That is £195m per year in revenue, which comes out at nearly £6bn over the 30 years.
Now given this is only required to pay off about 30% of the £1.2bn loan, i.e. £360m over 30 years - the rest coming from the fare box of systems such as Metrolink that are publicy owned, it is incredibily hard to see how there will be a cash shortfall.
The charge makes perfect sense, it will encourage people onto public transport, driving up massively the fare box revenue which will in turn on the whole pay back to £1.2bn loan.
The reality is, in all probability we will see a lot more than what has been made public developed public transport wise over the next 30 years.
Ignore the scare mongers, think for yourself and vote YES - you know it makes sense.
Polky (30/10/2008 at 08:43)
Where did you hear that?
It's not in the TiF propoganda?
Rick D'alaglio (30/10/2008 at 09:00)
Pentest 2, Hyde (30/10/2008 at 09:12)
'VOTE NO' on the ballot day.