Kelly gives green light to Manchester congestion charge

The first congestion charge outside of London has been given the go-ahead.

In future, commuters driving in and out of Manchester city centre at peak times may have to pay up to £5 a day during the week.

Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, gave the scheme the green light in a statement to Parliament yesterday.

She said 30,000 future jobs in the area could be at risk if traffic problems were not resolved, and pledged £1.5billion in central Government taxpayer support.

But critics have called the charge, which is part of £2.8billion transport package, a 'poll tax on wheels'.

The Tories said local council chiefs had been 'bullied' by Miss Kelly into signing up to a dodgy 'cash for congestion-charging' deal - or face missing out on taxpayer funds for other transport schemes.

The Tory transport spokesman Theresa Villiers said some motorists could spend £1,200 a year, by paying £25 a week for 48 weeks.

Under the scheme, Greater Manchester will be divided like a ring doughnut into two distinct inner and outer zones.

Drivers with electronic tags on their cars will pay £2 to go into the outer zone bounded by the M60 ring-road, and £1 to drive into the city centre.

It would then cost drivers £1 to exit the city centre and £1 to exit the outer ring between 7am and 9.30am or 4pm and 6.30pm. There will be no charging outside of those hours. Weekends and bank holidays would be exempt.

Some say it would be effectively the world's biggest congestion charging zone.

Cambridgeshire and an area around Bristol are also bidding for funding linked to congestion-charging.