Tesco helps with every little C-charge detail

FAILSWORTH residents will get the chance to learn more about the controversial congestion charge in a special consultation event at Tesco next week.

The exhibition, on Thursday, July 17, will provide detailed information in support of the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) package which aims to invest £3 billion into public transport in Greater Manchester if the congestion charge is introduced.

There will be a Big Brother-style diary room and a giant map to help people to understand the impact of the changes on their future journeys.

A TIF spokesman said: “Informing as many people as possible about the package through an exhibition gives us the opportunity to start a dialogue with residents.

“We hope as many people as possible will visit us and give us the opportunity to answer their questions.”

The Failsworth event, which runs from 10am to 5pm, starts a three-month consultation process, which will see the exhibition move to another 33 locations across Greater Manchester.

People who cannot make the Failsworth event will have the chance to attend further displays in the borough, including Uppermill bus terminus (August 6), Oldham marketplace (August 16-17) and Shaw market (September 11).

Responses will help the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) to fine tune specific details of the scheme, including the location of the inner ring, the precise location of charging points and discounts for specific groups of drivers.

A full report on the findings will be published after the consultation is complete.

The TIF proposals have been hailed as the largest single investment in public transport investment ever undertaken outside London, but the scheme, which needs seven of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities to support it, hangs in the balance, with three councils signalling their opposition and Bolton to hold a referendum.

Possible moves to hold a Greater Manchester wide referendum will be discussed at an AGMA meeting at the end of this month.