The £100million spent on an axed "clean-air zone" in Manchester could cost Andy Burnham his Westminster seat, critics have warned.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester suffered major backlash from drivers after suggesting a Sadiq Khan-style Ulez scheme in the city.
The project cost the taxpayer £100million before it was scrapped, with money spent on 462 cameras with automatic number-plate recognition technology.
Some have warned this "flagrant misuse" of funds will cost the mayor in a by-election for the Makerfield constituency.
Laura Evans, the Conservative Party's spokesman in Greater Manchester, told The Sunday Telegraph the clean-air initiative was "totally unnecessary”.
She said: "It was an indulgence. It was something he thought, for whatever reason, he could get away with.
"But he didn’t. He protested it was the Government’s fault or anyone else’s fault. You could have spent that money so much better.
"I think that will cost him. Where he is standing [in Makerfield], that was one of the most virulent areas against the clean-air zone, so they are not going to forget that."
The £100million spent on an axed 'clean-air zone' in Manchester could cost Andy Burnham his Westminster seat, critics have warned
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The planned scheme was intended to be introduced in May 2022, affecting buses, lorries, vans, minibuses and taxis.
The largest vehicles would have been charged £60 a day in the region, while small vans would have been charged a daily fee of £10.
Taxis registered in Greater Manchester would be forced to pay £7.50 a day.
Part of the £100million was spent on 1,300 signs installed in preparation for roads in the region.
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The project cost the taxpayer £100million before it was scrapped
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Questions on affordability for drivers eventually led to the scheme being scrapped in December 2023.
An alternative £80million plan to meet legal air pollution targets was launched, which saw investment in electric buses and vehicle upgrades.
Mr Burnham said he would "dispute completely" claims the funds had been wasted.
GB News has reached out to the Mayor of Manchester for further comment.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester suffered major backlash from drivers after suggesting a Sadiq Khan-style Ulez scheme in the city
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A Greater Manchester clean-air spokesman said: "Greater Manchester’s 10 councils are under direction from the Government to meet legal air-pollution limits.
"The Government has funded measures to improve air quality, including an investment-led approach put forward by Greater Manchester that avoided the need for a charging zone that would have impacted jobs and livelihoods.
"Infrastructure installed as part of the original plan is being used to tackle crime. For example, Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras installed as part of the plan have already provided crucial evidence to help solve serious crimes and are being transferred to Greater Manchester Police for permanent use.
"As a result of the investment-led Clean Air Plan, Greater Manchester is now on track to reach its legal clean-air targets by the end of 2026, with air quality seeing genuine, sustained improvement thanks to major investment in the city region’s transport network.”
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