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proceduralUK · England

Greater Manchester has no charging Clean Air Zone — the charge is invalid

Greater Manchester does NOT operate a charging Clean Air Zone. After review the Government agreed an investment-led, non-charging Clean Air Plan, and on 18 February 2025 gov.uk removed Greater Manchester from its list of charging zones; the boroughs began removing the signage from July 2025. There is no daily charge to drive any vehicle anywhere in Greater Manchester, so a "Clean Air Zone" penalty for a Greater Manchester / Manchester location cannot be valid — it is either a mistake or a scam. Do not pay; challenge it on the basis that no chargeable zone exists, and report any suspected scam demand to Action Fraud.

Legal basis

No charging Clean Air Zone is in force in Greater Manchester. The Government agreed an investment-led, NON-charging Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan; gov.uk "Driving in a Clean Air Zone" guidance was updated on 18 February 2025 to remove Greater Manchester, and the boroughs began removing CAZ signage from July 2025. With no charging scheme in force, there is no power to levy a daily Clean Air Zone charge there.

Sample appeal wording

Before you send this

Deadline. A late submission can be turned down without your argument being read. Check your notice for the deadline and how it is counted.
Paying may end it. Paying can count as accepting the notice and can close a challenge already under way. Part-paying or acknowledging an old debt can also revive a time limit that had expired.
The amount can change. Check what happens to the sum if you challenge — it may be held, re-offered lower, or keep rising, and fees or enforcement can continue meanwhile.
Use the official route. Use the method, recipient and form your notice specifies, with any reference, evidence and signature it asks for. Sent elsewhere, it may not count.
Only say what is true. Do not copy any statement of fact unless it is true for you, and check the legal point still applies. Delete what does not fit. It may be treated as your statement.
Careful what you volunteer. Avoid unnecessary admissions — naming the driver or accepting responsibility can remove arguments. But answer anything you are legally required to answer, and do include the evidence your ground needs.
Keep the record. Keep what you sent, the attachments, any receipt, and the reply. Note the next deadline.

Sample wording to adapt and send yourself — it may not fit your notice or the stage you are at. Replace the bracketed prompts with your own details; leave any case citation as it is.

Greater Manchester does not operate a charging Clean Air Zone. The Government agreed a non-charging Clean Air Plan and removed Greater Manchester from the charging-zone guidance on 18 February 2025; there is no daily charge to drive in Greater Manchester. There is therefore no lawful charge underlying this penalty, and I do not owe the charge or any penalty for non-payment of it. Please cancel this notice and confirm in writing. [If this demand did not come from a local authority, treat it as a suspected scam.]

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Greater Manchester has no charging Clean Air Zone — the charge is invalid

Legal basis

Sample appeal wording

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Related appeal grounds

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