Newcastle city centre Clean Air Zone pollution tolls postponed

Officials have confirmed that the pollution toll plans will not go ahead in July.

Plans for pollution tolls for drivers entering Newcastle city centre have been postponed.

Both Newcastle and Gateshead councils said that the charges of up to £50 a day would not start as planned in July.

There have been concerns about the fees having an impact on residents and businesses struggling with the cost of living.

The proposed zone covers most of the city centre, including the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges.

The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) scheme would have seen many older, high-polluting vehicles hit with daily tolls to enter the city centre.

Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside councils have been ordered by the government to cut air pollution

Lorries, buses and coaches that did not comply with emissions standards would have had to pay £50 per day.

The worst polluting vans and taxis would be charged £12.50 a day, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Transport chiefs said that there had been major doubts for some months over whether the scheme, designed to cut illegal levels of roadside emissions, would be delivered on time.

Newcastle and Gateshead Councils said they had started talks with government officials to agree a revised timeline for the CAZ.

'Crippling for businesses'

It was originally meant to start in January 2021, but was pushed back amid delays caused by a High Court battle and the Covid-19 pandemic.

While no new start date for the CAZ has been given, the councils said that installation of the scheme's signs and technology "will progress significantly over the summer".

Reshma Begum, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the delay was a "huge relief to sole traders and small businesses across Newcastle, Gateshead and the wider region".

"Introducing daily charges for non-compliant vehicles would be crippling for businesses already struggling with the exponential increases in the cost of trading," she said.