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Top boss delivers Toll Tax warning to decision-makers

6/ 3/2008

ONE of Greater Manchester's leading businessmen has warned councillors they could be railroaded into accepting congestion charging.

Andrew Simpson, boss of Trafford Centre owners Peel Holdings, has written to all Greater Manchester's 645 councillors to outline his fears.

He claims arrangements being made by local government umbrella group the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), which mean no one council has a veto on road-pricing, are an `undemocratic centralisation of power'.

The association has agreed `in principle' to support congestion charging if seven of the 10 councils back it.

Stockport, Bury and Trafford are currently opposed, while Bolton plans to hold a local referendum on the issue.

Mr Simpson is also chairman of the Greater Manchester Momentum Group, which includes household names like Harvey Nichols, Kellogg's and Makro.

He says in his letter: "GMMG believes that any move to tackle congestion must be transparent, democratic, and move to involve the business community. So far, none of these conditions are being met." He urges councillors to reject moves `to introduce policies, such as the congestion charge, by the undemocratic centralisation of power away from the basic principles of local democracy'.

Mr Simpson insisted: "We are not meddling in politics. Peel Holdings is a massive influence on the regional economy. There are a lot of things going on which the vast majority of businesses are unaware of."

AGMA chairman Lord Peter Smith, leader of Wigan council, said: "This is a strange way to exert the influence of big business."

He claimed the association's set-up was being worked on ‘long before congestion charging was envisaged’.

Mr Simpson has now expanded the GMMG's anti-congestion charge fight by writing to local businesses asking for their support in opposing the plans.

Last month the Middleton & North Manchester Guardian, and sister paper North East Manchester Advertiser, handed a petition of more than 5,000 names of readers opposed to the congestion charge, to the Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly.