Mayor urged to take down Saddleworth CAZ signs

COUNCILLORS have urged Andy Burnham to take down Clean Air Zone (CAZ) signs that appear across Saddleworth – and not pass the cost on to taxpayers.

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Greater Manchester Mayor calling for the notifications, which cost £3 million surrounding a proposal that has been replaced, to go.

The CAZ was originally meant to start on May 30, 2022, but a review was announced following opposition from businesses, meaning ‘under review’ stickers were placed on signs – including one close to Greenfield’s Royal George pub – at a cost of £186,000.

The Clean Air Zone signs in place across Saddleworth

Now the recent announcement of the new Greater Manchester ‘Clean Air Strategy’, which replaces the CAZ, pitched in 2020, means the signage will no longer be required.

And Cllr Sykes has written: “Following the recent update of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Strategy, it is now clear that the vast majority of CAZ road signs will have to be removed, including those in Oldham borough.

“As you will be aware, a significant amount of public money has been wasted on CAZ signs given the review which very quickly followed after they were put up across Greater Manchester.

“I am writing to ask when this work is set to be carried out?

“I would be grateful if you could provide a breakdown of the anticipated costs involved and provide assurances that costs will not be passed on to local authorities.”

He added: “Now that common sense has been discovered and we are no longer looking at a city-wide clean air zone or at charging everyone for driving to work every day, it’s clear that the vast majority of CAZ signs will have to be removed.

“Now that it’s clear that there will be no charging clean air zone, these signs need to be taken down.

“More than £3 million of public money has already been wasted on these signs. We want assurances that any fresh costs will not be passed onto local councils like Oldham.

“These signs are an embarrassment especially with visitors to Greater Manchester.

“This is Mayor Burnham’s mess to clear up and his budget (still public cash) is big enough to cope.”