Andy Burnham urges government to 'take the politics out' of Clean Air Zone after Boris Johnson hits out
manchestereveningnews.co.ukGreater Manchester's Mayor is urging the government to 'take the politics out' of the Clean Air Zone and finally get the issue resolved.
It comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson, responding to a question from Conservative Leigh MP James Grundy in the House of Commons, hit out at Labour Mayor Andy Burnham and described the proposed charging scheme 'completely unworkable'.
Having seen the blame pinned on him, Mr Burnham swiftly responded by urging the government to allow three more years for Greater Manchester to meet its clean air target, claiming vehicles would not need to be charged as a result. READ MORE: How Greater Manchester's Clean Air Zone compares with schemes in other major cities And, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning (February 3), Mr Burnham said he had asked the Environment Secretary to lift the 'defective' legal directive saying the region must clean up its air by 2024.
The mayor added it was 'something of a surprise' to hear Mr Johnson's comments blaming him for the scheme, and urged the Conservative government to work with him on a solution.
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