Tory MP and leader of Rotherham council in row over 'Clean Air Zone'

In a Facebook post last week, Alexander Stafford, the Rother Valley MP, said “Clean Air Zone coming to Rotherham”.

In the post, he said: “More news out today about Labour plans to install more so called clean air zones in our towns.

“There is already one in Sheffield and we know Angela Rayner was in our area a few weeks ago meeting with Rotherham Labour Councillors about plans for our area. We must not let them institute this charge! These zones are little more than a tax on motorists and do little to improve air quality.”

Cllr Chris Read, the leader of Rotherham Council, tweeted a screenshot of the Facebook post, and said: “Apparently MPs can just lie now.”

The Local Democracy Service reached out to Mr Stafford to ask what information he was basing his post on.

He said: “It was the Labour deputy Leader, Angela Rayner, who went on TV and said that ultra low emission zones (ULEZ) or clean air zone drivers’ tax would be brought to ‘towns and cities across the whole of the UK’.

“We also know the South Yorkshire Mayor is on record supporting the Sheffield clean air zone and this was supported by the Mayoral Combined Authority which Rotherham Council is part of. The Sheffield Clean Air Zone is already harming Rother Valley businesses and traders who work in Sheffield and many residents are fearful of plans to introduce this to our area.

“Rotherham Labour Council has repeatedly refused to rule out a complete and unequivocal ban on charging for accessing our town centre, something which the Rotherham Conservatives have, and we know that the Deputy Leader Angela Rayner was recently in our area meeting with local Labour Party figures and reports suggest this was one of the topics of conversation.”

In response, leader of the council, Cllr Read issued a statement and said “inventing a non-existent policy and claiming it may harm Rotherham residents is a desperate act”.

He added: “The reality is that it’s the current Conservative government that mandated a Clean Air Zone on Rotherham and Sheffield, not some secret Labour plot. Maybe Mr Stafford is so far into his conspiracy that he is unaware of what his own government has been doing.

“The idea that Angela Rayner came to Rotherham for a clandestine discussion about it is a straightforward lie that should be beneath him. Labour’s Deputy Leader joined us to campaign against the Tories.

“Goodness knows we need MPs who aren’t wearing tin foil hats and who will focus on the very real, immediate challenges facing our community – a cost of living crisis and a Health Service breaking under the strain after more than a decade of Conservative government.”

A council spokesperson added: “Rotherham was mandated by the present government to introduce a package of Clean Air Zone measures, which were all implemented by November 2022.

“These include:– A633 High Street/Bellows Road junction improvements– A629 Wortley Road Northbound HGV prohibition– A630 Sheffield Parkway and Rotherham Gateway 50mph speed limit– A630 Fitzwilliam Road traffic signal and highway improvements

“Charging was not required as part of the Rotherham Clean Air Zone.

“No other measures are proposed or being investigated.”