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Government sees the relationship with local authorities as a partnership, and told us that it...
Conclusion
Government sees the relationship with local authorities as a partnership, and told us that it believes the programme will fail if it is seen to be a top-down programme done by national Government.29 However, local authorities are expected to follow a fairly centralised, prescriptive approach to achieving compliance with air quality targets, albeit with some discretion about the mix of exemptions to be applied in any charging Clean Air Zone.30 Some local authorities told the National Audit Office that there was still too much emphasis placed on CAZs as the default option, instead of other measures that may be more suited to the area.31 Similarly, we have heard that Greater Manchester considers a broader approach, including measures such as promoting active travel and providing revenue support for low fares, would have been better than charging.32
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 14 December 2022. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
Twenty-Second Report - Tackling local air quality breaches
26 Oct 2022
HC 37
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.9 yrs
Report published
26 Oct 2022