The cost of covering up over 1,000 out-of-date Clean Air Zone (CAZ) signs in Greater Manchester with stickers saying ‘under review’ has now been revealed.
After leaders in Greater Manchester raised “fundamental concerns” that certain global and national factors may “impact on the ability” of local businesses and individuals to upgrade their vehicles, and questioned whether the current support package agreed with government of £120 million would be sufficient, the controversial scheme was paused, has now been delayed, and will not go ahead on the original start date of 30 May 2022.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said that “emerging evidence” from businesses and trade highlighted significant challenges related to supply chain issues and inflation, and they also pointed to the money needed for taxis, vans, minibuses, and coaches.
Overall, there were concerns that the introduction of the scheme could create “financial hardship” for commercial vehicle users in the region.
With the deadline for the scheme now pushed back to 2026, this therefore meant that 1,194 out of the 1,309 installed CAZ signs across the region needed to be amended, as they read the original start date.
1,194 out of the 1,309 installed CAZ signs across the region needed to be amended due to saying the wrong start date / Credit: Twitter (@FSBManchester)
While it was confirmed at the start of this month that stickers reading ‘under review’ would be placed over all the road signs, it was revealed that this would not be covered by the original £3 million contract for signage, and would require extra funding – however, no expected cost figures were announced at the time.
It’s now been confirmed that this work will cost £186,000.
This six-figure sum was revealed in a report published ahead of a Greater Manchester Air Quality Administration Committee meeting this week, and confirms that all of the costs associated with the Clean Air Zone in Greater Manchester – including the stickers – are funded by the government.
Councillors on the committee will begin the process of reviewing the evidence and options for a revised scheme when they next meet.
Since the committee last met, Greater Manchester’s council leaders and Mayor Andy Burnham have agreed that all CAZ charges should be scrapped, with Mr Burnham calling on the government to introduce a ‘non-charging’ scheme, which would help fund vehicle upgrades rather than charge road users.
Same-sex penguin couple to raise rare baby chick together at Chester Zoo
Emily Sergeant
10 rare baby penguin chicks have hatched at Chester Zoo, and one of them has some rather unique parents.
The rare new arrivals are highly-threatened Humboldt penguins, which is one of the most at-risk out of the world’s 17 species of penguin, and began hatching from their eggs throughout April, but since then, they have spent their first few weeks of life tucked away in their nest burrows.
Humboldt penguins – which are ound on the rocky coastal shores of Peru and Chile – are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as they face a number of threats in the wild, including climate change, overfishing, and rising ocean temperatures.
Commonly with penguins, both mum and dad share feeding and parenting duties.
Keepers at Chester Zoo support the parents by providing plenty of extra fish, which the adult penguins swallow, blend into a protein-rich soup, and then regurgitate to feed the chicks.
But in what is a heartwarming development, one of the chicks is being raised by a same-sex penguin couple, Scampi and Flounder, as the devoted duo were seen to step in to help raise one of two eggs laid by another penguin pair, Wotsit and Peach.
The zoo’s bird experts carefully shared the eggs between the two nests to help give both chicks the best possible start and help improve chances of successful fledging, and now keepers say the chicks are just ‘days away’ from taking the plunge into their very first swimming lessons at the zoo’s Penguin Island habitat.
10 rare Humboldt penguins have hatched at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
As part of a long-standing zoo tradition, conservationists pick a different naming theme for the chicks each year, and this year’s cohort have been named after stars and celestial wonders – with some of the chicks being Ursa, Alcyone, Orion, Dorado, and Cassiopeia.
“10 chicks hatching in one season marks a bumper year for the penguins here,” commented Zoe Sweetman, who is the Team Manager of Penguins at Chester Zoo.
“It’s fantastic news for the species and a brilliant success for the international conservation breeding programme. The fluffy new arrivals are all being looked after brilliantly by their parents, having nearly quadrupled in size since they first emerged.
“They’re now days away from a really exciting milestone – their very first swimming lessons, which is always a thrill to witness as they dive into the pool for the very first time.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
News
Bob Vylan dropped from Manchester music festival following Glastonbury controversy
Danny Jones
English punk rap duo Bob Vylan have been dropped from an upcoming music festival in Manchester following the recent controversy surrounding their set at Glastonbury 2025.
The media storm surrounding their much-talked-about and heavily televised Glasto appearance has seen them reportedly dropped by their agency and their US Visas cancelled, along with multiple concerts – one of those being right here in Greater Manchester.
Bob Vylan were scheduled to play RADAR Fest at Victoria Warehouse in Stretford this weekend, but now the organisers have informed gig-goers that the artists will not be performing in their planned slot on Saturday.
The alternative music event did provide any additional details, posting nothing but this image:
For anyone unaware, Vylan were heavily criticised for the pro-Palestine chants, which Glastonbury itself has deemed as having “crossed a line”, labelling the chants against the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as antisemitic.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also commented on the situation.
In addition to RADAR, Vylan were also due to appear at Kave Fest in France the following Sunday, 6 July, but the music event has also decided not to host them.
The BBC also opted not to broadcast Northern Irish band Kneecap as part of their coverage this year, as the Belfast rap trio have also been outspoken on the issue, among many other musicians of late.
Responding to the decision on social media not long after the news broke, the act simply shared the post on their Instagram story along with the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”
Emily Sergeant -
21st March 2022 
