THE PEOPLE have spoken – and Greater Manchester will NOT be getting a congestion charge.
Voters have rejected the scheme, and the billions of pounds of transport investment it would have unlocked, in a region-wide referendum.
The decision sparked jubilation among 'no' campaigners, who had claimed the peak-hour, weekday only charge would have cost commuters up to £1,200 a year.
Official turnout figures showed 53.2 per cent of voters returned their ballot forms.
The lowest turnout was in Wigan where 45.3 per cent of voters returned their ballot papers. The highest participation in the referendum was in Trafford, where the figure was 63.6 per cent.
Greater Manchester's 10 councils have been bidding for more than £2.75bn from the government's Transport Innovation Fund, including £318m to set up a charging scheme. Some £1.2bn would have been in the form of a loan, paid back over 30 years out of profits from the charge.
People in seven out of the 10 borough of Greater Manchester would have had to have said said 'yes' for the package to go ahead.
The money – which would have paid for massive investment in trams, trains and buses – will now be taken off the table. Some £1.5bn of grant will be returned to a central government 'pot' for cities that are prepared to bring in congestion-charge schemes. The loan will be cancelled.
Geoff Hoon, the transport secretary, has warned the region there is no 'plan B' for improving its public transport.
The results of the all-postal vote were revealed in a highly-charged declaration at Manchester Central this afternoon.
The decision is expected to be rubber-stamped at a meeting of council leaders next Friday.
- IN Tameside 16,323 voted for the plans, with 83,105 against the plans.
The funeral of senior councillor Margaret Oldham, wife of council leader Roy Oldham, meant that all senior Labour and Tory opposition politicians did not attend the announcement of the results at the Manchester Central convention centre.
But Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, whose constituency covers part of the borough, said he was glad that voters had rejected the proposals supported by the council.
He said: “I am pleased that voters in the two authorities which my constituency covers, Tameside and Stockport, have made their views overwhelmingly clear.
“There is a pot of money still available and I believe a case can be made to government to release some of the funds so that instead of the Metro line being extended only to Droylsden it can reach into Ashton town centre as well.”
- Rob Hardman from the Tameside arm of Manchester Against Road Tolls said the results were not surprise.
He said: " The result of the referendum is a welcome reflection of the public response against the plans that MART has experienced during our campaign. The high turnout and the number of "No" voters from Tameside reveal that despite a far reaching and costly publicity campaign from the "Yes" camp, paid for by the taxpayer, the people of the borough realised that we would receive very little benefit from the proposed improvements, while still having to pay through the nose for them.
"We have sent a harsh message to the local authorities through the ballot box that we will not be forced to accept plans that would leave the region at a financial disadvantage for many years. We have prevented further strain on businesses and commuters during a time of financial uncertainty.
"It is hoped that the people of Greater Manchester will be taken notice of in the future.
He added: "Some people may feel that Tameside has been robbed of Metrolink for a second time.
"This should not be the case; Edinburgh voted against congestion charging and still got their trams. We must now come together and push for real funding from the government, without the ill thought out congestion charge and TIF loan. Tamesiders contribute their fair share of taxes to the government coffers, so we should be entitled to our share of public transport investment."
In a statemenet Tameside Council said: "The Council regrets the loss of investment that this is likely to mean for Greater Manchester, however, regards the outcome more as a vote against the congestion charge and not against improved public transport.
"Our aspirations for Tameside remain, and with them our commitment to improve public transport and reduce congestion. We will continue to work hard with partners within Greater Manchester to secure the maximum possible investment for our Borough."
This is a breakdown of how the boroughs voted:
Manchester yes 43,593 no 113,064 rejected 250
Rochdale yes 17,333 no 61,686 rejected 118
Bolton yes 20,529 no 76,910 rejected 167
Bury yes 16,563 no 64,001 rejected 94
Salford yes 14,603 no 79,326 rejected 105
Stockport yes 24,090 no 103,706 rejected 169
Tameside yes 16,323 no 83,105 rejected 124
Trafford yes 20,445 no 83,568 rejected 142
Wigan yes 27,810 no 78,565 rejected 132
Showing comments 1 to 5 and replies | View All
Davo44, Hyde (12/12/2008 at 13:34)
Sir Pentest Vote 'NO', Newton Nr. Hyde. (12/12/2008 at 15:46)
tony kelly (14/12/2008 at 10:27)
Salford & Tameside were the highest voters against the 'C' charge, both are 'Labour' Councils and both Councils were for the charge. It proves, to me at least, that the Councillors that we vote in pay no attention to the electorate whatsoever. It's about time we made them accountable to us, the voters. If they don't want to work FOR us then they should leave their, highly paid, power, jobs and let someone who speaks for the people in.
Snare Drum 54, Ashton-u-Lyne (14/12/2008 at 13:57)
Sir Pentest , Newton Nr. Hyde. (16/12/2008 at 09:36)
Yes Mr. Purnell, you would do well to start listening to the electorate, who put you in your cushy job, and start to represent their wishes ...78% against, 22% for.
Doesn't that tell you something?