Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Financial Support Scheme is now open for applications from locally registered heavy goods vehicle (HGV) owners who could be affected by the introduction of the city-region’s Clean Air Zone.

The Clean Air Zone will come into effect for these vehicles on 30 May 2022. Greater Manchester has been awarded £120m of government funding to help eligible businesses, organisations and people to move to cleaner, compliant vehicles, including £7.6m for HGV owners. Owners of private cars, motorbikes and mopeds won’t need to pay a daily charge to drive in the Zone.

Funding will initially be targeted to support micro-businesses, self-employed people, sole traders, charities, social enterprises, and private owners and registered keepers of a non-compliant vehicle. Subject to available funding, there will be a second round open to all eligible owners of a non-compliant vehicle, including small businesses.

All ten local authorities have worked together to develop the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan, which will contribute towards bringing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels on local roads within legal limits by 2024.

The plan includes a Greater Manchester-wide category C charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ), which will launch from 30 May 2022.

More than £120m in government funding has also been secured to support eligible Greater Manchester businesses, people and organisations to move to cleaner vehicles through grants and finance options.

A new online ‘checker’ tool is available (linked to DVLA data), and vehicle owners can answer a series of simple questions at cleanairgm.com/prepare to find out whether their vehicle does not meet emission standards and would therefore be subject to a charge to drive in the Zone, and if it is what options are available around discounts, exemptions and financial support.

Financial Support Scheme applications are now open for GM-registered HGVs to upgrade or retrofit non-compliant HGVs.

Applications for all other impacted vehicle types open late January 2022. Early application is encouraged to ensure applicants are well placed to access the funding.

A multi-channel communications campaign is in place to raise awareness of the CAZ and options available for non-compliant vehicles. This includes use of DVLA data to target GM-registered non-compliant HGV owners by letter – directly notifying those affected of exemptions and financial support as applications open and ahead of the first phase of the CAZ launching in May 2022. Other impacted vehicle owners will also receive letters from early 2022.

Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Financial Support Scheme

About the Author: John Loughran