MP signs motion against pro-TIF campaigners

Congestion charging road marking

Heywood and Middleton MP Jim Dobbin has signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament which alleges that Clean Air Now, a coalition of mainly environmental and social enterprises across Greater Manchester campaigning in favour of the Transport Innovation Fund proposals, has via its supporters, received and misused public funds.

The motion was put forward earlier this week by Conservative Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady.

The motion came after Clean Air Now placed an advertisement in the Independent newspaper highlighting what they believed was an inconsistency between Trafford Park-based Kellogg's asserted public position on environmental issues and its prominent role in a campaign organisation opposing the improvement of Greater Manchester's transport infrastructure via the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).

Spokesperson for Clean Air Now, Dave Coleman said: “I am extremely disappointed that Mr Brady should bring such unfounded allegations, but particularly that he has made no attempt to contact us, or check his facts before doing so.

“Not only has he used parliamentary privilege to make these allegations in the form of an Early Day Motion, but he has gone on to smear three Manchester based organisations working to improve our community and effectively accuse them of improper conduct, none of which have behaved in any way improperly or given Clean Air Now any financial support whatsoever."

“We will be writing Mr Brady, firstly to demand that he withdraws his ill-informed early day motion, secondly to demand that he apologises to Clean Air Now, but thirdly and most importantly, that he apologises to the three excellent community organisations against whose good name he has used the protection of parliamentary privilege to bring such an ill-informed slur. In addition we will be writing to the Speaker of the House of Commons Mr Michael Martin MP to ask what can be done to strike off such a misconceived early day motion.”

Rochdale Council Leader Councillor Alan Taylor condemned Mr Dobbin for signing the EDM.

He said: “I think it is appalling that some MPs have just signed this Early Day Motion without checking their facts. His signature on this motion shows that he is still blind in opposition and quite frankly doesn’t do his homework.

“Everybody knows that Clean Air Now is not and never has been publicly funded, and has not received or used any public money in its campaigning via any of its supporters or otherwise. At the very least Mr Dobbin should remove his name from this motion, apologise and start sticking to the facts.”