Unless you've just come back from a long vacation on Venus, you'll have heard about the “congestion charge.” Plans are afoot to impose such a charge on cars coming into Manchester city centre in the mornings and going out in the evenings.

This is part of a wider scheme known as the “Transport Innovation Fund”, which would mean roughly £3 billion pounds of investment in public transport for the Greater Manchester Region. Some of that money is in grants, some from loans. All of it depends on a congestion charge being put into place.

Those in favour say that the major benefit is more trams and buses, and less congestion. (not everyone believes that will be the case). The expectation is that air quality will get better, and that carbon dioxide emissions will go down.

On Thursday 31^st July, there will be a public debate at the Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St.

The question the panellists will be asked to address is “given the reality of climate change, and the need to cut emissions from all sectors- including transport- the TIF bid is a sensible way forward.”

The five panellists are, in alphabetical order
Rob Adlard, Manchester Conservatives
Dave Coleman, Clean Air Now
Cllr Andrew Fender, member of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, speaking in a personal capacity
Toby Sproull, Director of United City
Roy Wilkes, Campaign for Free Public Transport

For further information about the charge and the arguments for and against:

The Greater Manchester "Future Transport" site
Clean Air Now
United City
Momentum Group 

(The Momentum Group agreed several weeks ago to send a panellist to  the debate, and then on Friday 25th July withdrew, without giving a reason.)

There will be a free booklet for all who attend, which will give the opinions of the panellists' organisations and also other groups and political parties.

Attendance is free, but we will be asking for a donation to help cover costs. (Manchester Climate Forum is not receiving any funding from any group to organise this event.)