Andy Burnham says he "can't believe" the Government is still trying to charge drivers in Clean Air Zone scheme

Mayor Andy Burnham says he ‘can’t believe’ the Government is still pushing to charge drivers of high-polluting vehicles in Manchester - and has vowed that he and fellow leaders will continue to rally against the proposal amid rising fuel prices, supply chain issues and the cost of living crisis.

The controversial scheme to charge owners of non-compliant vans, buses, coaches, taxis and lorries to tackle nitrogen dioxide pollution was due to come into force earlier this month - but the plan was halted after public backlash and pandemic challenges led to a delay to the deadline by which the city-region must meet air quality targets, to 2026.

In the meantime, Environment Secretary George Eustice has written to leaders here suggesting the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) be reduced in size to cover just the city centre. Greater Manchester’s response has been to publish a new plan. Due to be submitted to the Government next month, it lays out the case for a scheme which incentivises drivers to buy cleaner vehicles, thereby removing the need for any charging. It also excludes van drivers from the proposal.

However, Mr Eustice has said previously that there is 'little robust evidence' that offering funding for vehicle upgrades alone, without charges, would bring pollution below legal limits.

READ MORE: Andy B urnham's scathing response to government on Clean Air Zone - as 80,000 van drivers could be slapped with charges

But during a Radio 4 interview on the Today programme on Wednesday morning, Mr Burnham said that Greater Manchester leaders and the Government are ‘not in the same place’. Citing the rising price of vehicles and the cost of living crisis, he branded a charging scheme as ‘not workable’ and said their preferred approach