AGMA shoots down call for business vote on congestion charge

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7:39 am, August 26, 2008
AGMA shoots down call for business vote on congestion charge

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is calling for businesses to be given the chance to vote on the region’s congestion charging plans.

It said the referendum due to be held in December, in which residents of Greater Manchester’s ten districts will have their say, would not reflect the views of all business people as many company owners or senior executives live in Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside or Derbyshire.

Richard Critchley, the chamber’s policy manager, said it was calling on the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities to hold a business-only poll alongside the public vote.

But the idea is unlikely to be taken up because there is no business equivalent of the electoral roll to determine who is eligible to vote.

AGMA, which wants to introduce weekday, peak hour charging in order to secure government funding for a £2.7bn package of public transport improvements, said it opposed the idea because of difficulties in defining the business community. It said the views of businesses were being taken into account during the consultation process.

Last week the results were released of a MORI opinion poll, commissioned by AGMA, in which 1,002 business leaders were questioned. Fifty per cent said they opposed congestion charging, with 30 per cent in support. Sixteen per cent neither supported nor opposed it, while four per cent were undecided.

However, when they were asked whether the AGMA should accept the funding offered by government to invest in public transport, which is conditional on introducing peak-time congestion charging, 45 per cent opposed the idea, but 42 per cent backed it.

However, the Clean Air Now coalition has called on the Chamber to drop its demand for a business poll on TIF, claiming it could be seen as an attempt by private business to counter the democratic wishes of the people of Greater Manchester.

"In calling for a business vote on TIF, the Chamber could actually be undermining local democracy by suggesting that business doesn't have faith in a vote that involves all of those that live in Greater Manchester,” said a spokesman.

“A business referendum in Greater Manchester alongside a public referendum would see the city dragged back in time. The government removed the right of the business to have an extra vote in local affairs in 1969 because it was considered unfair that business people should effectively get two votes.”

Clean Air Now also claims the Greater Manchester Momentum Group’s idea of introducing extra business rates to raise the proposed £3bn investment in public transport is “odd.”

"They appear to want us to give back £3bn and instead slap the cost of transport revolution on small businesses across Greater Manchester,” said the spokesman.

"How do the champions of small business - our Chamber and the Federation of Small Business - feel about that?"

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