Homepage | 
E-mail this article | 
Print
Ladbrokes store in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester
Advertisement
| See Also: |
7:45 am, December 12, 2008
Greater Manchester rejects congestion charge
Voters have killed off plans for congestion charging in Greater Manchester.
In all ten boroughs, there was a majority against the plans.
Earlier, Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, council leader Sir Richard Leese and Lis Phelan, head of the Yes Campaign, all said this morning that their assessment was that the public had rejected the idea.
They were speaking before the results of the referundum were announced today.
Sir Howard was quoted as saying that the vote was No in each of the ten districts.
Bookmakers said yesterday that they expected a resounding No vote.
Ladbrokes yesterday cut the odds on No from 8/11 to 2/5. Last week it was offering 4/9 on No and 13/8 on Yes.
Nick Weinberg, a spokesman for the firm, told the Press Association: "Judging by the weight of money, we're heading for a resounding 'no'."
Voting closed at 10pm last night and the results of the poistal referendum will be announced no earlier than noon today.
The result is bound to influence transport policy in Britain for years to come.
If approved the scheme would mean drivers paying up to £5 per day if they commute across two rings around Manchester city centre during the morning and afternoon peak hours.
A survey by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce found that 72 per cent of businesses did not believe the congestion charge was worth paying in order to receive the £2.7bn Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) package of public transport improvements on offer.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities say the TIF bid is a once-only opportunity to obtain such a large investment in transport from the government.
Comments?manchesternews@crain.com
Other News
This Week's Issue
