The people of the North East can have one last say on plans to impose controversial anti-pollution tolls in Newcastle.
A final public consultation on the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will open on Monday to gather views on the plan to charge the highest-polluting vehicles up to £50 per day to drive into the city centre.
The toll zone, designed to tackle dangerous and illegal levels of air pollution by 2021, would enforce £50-a-day fees on high-polluting coaches, buses, and lorries - as well as a £12.50 charge on taxis and vans that do not meet emissions standards.
Private cars are being made exempt from the charges for now, though that could change in the coming years.
Council bosses on Tyneside are also asking the public for their views on the prospect of reducing general traffic on the Tyne Bridge to one lane in each direction, which will come into force alongside the CAZ.
Also included the six-week consultation are possible grants of up to £16,000 to help people affected by the tolls upgrade their vehicles, new delivery hubs for goods vehicles outside of the city, and changes on the Central Motorway to prevent traffic from merging on and off the slip road between the New Bridge Street and Swan House junctions.
Coun Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council, said: “We are setting out tough measures to clean up the air we breathe and help tackle climate change.
“Alongside these proposals we are also outlining ways in which we could offer support to people affected by the clean air zone charges.
“We’re keen to hear from people so that we can ensure the support we put in place, in the form of financial help and practical solutions, is effective in helping people to cope with the changes.
“This will be subject to government funding so it is important that we get feedback from the public on this as it will help to strengthen our case for money being provided to support people in the North East.”
Consultation was due to start by the end of September, but was delayed while the councils sought legal advice. That means that the authorities will not submit their final plans to government on November 12, as ministers had ordered them to.
The CAZ plans have been watered down after a backlash from residents earlier this year, in which they were labelled a “discriminatory and financially wounding stealth tax”.
The changes include sparing private cars from the tolls and reducing the CAZ’s area so that it no longer includes Jesmond, Sandyford and Gosforth, the Royal Victoria Infirmary and parts of Gateshead and the Coast Road.
Coun Martin Gannon, leader of Gateshead Council, said: “At this stage we do not intend to introduce charges for private cars because we recognise that there needs to be more investment in alternatives, including public transport, walking and cycling routes, and this is part of our proposals.
“However, we may need to reconsider charges for private cars in the future as part of our ongoing commitment to improving our air quality, tackling climate change and improving people’s health. This would be subject to further consultation at that time.”
The consultation will begin at midday on October 14 and run for six weeks until midday on November 25 at breathe-cleanair.com