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REBEL: MP Andrew Gwynne at the M60 in Denton which forms the border of the congestion charge zone.
MP in c-charge rebellion
by Adam Derbyshire3/ 9/2008
DENTON MP Andrew Gwynne is leading a Labour revolt over the congestion charge.
He is so worried about the impact proposals could have on the town — cutting a community in half — that he says he would vote against them.
Although he backs the principle behind plans to introduce road charging and unlock £3bn for public transport, Mr Gwynne claims the price is simply too high to pay.
He has joined forces with Denton councillors Mike Smith, Brenda Warrington and Dawson Lane to highlight the potential pitfalls.
Rush-hour motorists would have to pay a fee when they travel towards the city centre in the morning and away from the city in the evening.
Charges would be activated whenever motorists crossed each of two boundaries — the first circling the M60 and a second closer to the city centre. The maximum charge each day would be £10.
Mr Gwynne says Denton residents will be unfairly penalised because the outer boundary splits the area in half and anyone making a local journey crossing over the M60 will be forced to pay.
He has demanded the charge is triggered only when drivers cross BOTH zones.
Mr Gwynne said: "Unless transport chiefs substantially alter this, it will be very difficult to get a yes vote. It slices the community in two and fails to take into account local travel patterns. Anyone taking children to school, visiting family or travelling within the area to work would be charged, because their short journeys cross the M60 at peak times. It’s ridiculous."
He claimed that despite promises public transport would improve, local bus services within the area would actually be poorer with some 317 and 206 services scrapped.
"My constituency is getting a raw deal," he added. Mr Gwynne and the three councillors want Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to reassess the scheme to reduce its impact on local residents.
Tameside Council is officially backing the scheme. Tory leader Councillor John Bell has attacked the group of Labour ‘rebels’ for keeping their concerns quiet until now.
He said: "At the local elections in May we cited how the con zone would split Denton, Audenshaw and Ashton in two. I find it disgusting that these Labour politicians have kept their mouths shut on this matter for over 12 months. Why did they not speak up sooner? Now they are scurrying around performing cynical U-turns, in the face of a planned referendum on the con-charge in December."
But Mr Gwynne insisted he had fought on the issue since concrete plans emerged, even raising the matter in Parliament.
Greater Manchester will have its congestion charge referendum on 11 December. Sir Neil McIntosh will be in charge of organising it. At a meeting of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities town hall chiefs agreed to stage the votes over a peak-hour levy for drivers in the run-up to Christmas.
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