Requests for CAZ upgrade grants to end

SMALL TRADERS HAD CRITICISED COUNCIL OVER STRICT ENTRY CRITERIA FOR THE GRANTS

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

NEWCASTLE City Council has announced that it will stop taking requests for the CAZ upgrade grants on January 30 next year.

Less than half of an original £15 m provided by the Government to help drivers and businesses with the purchase of newer taxis, vans, lorries, buses, or coaches that meet the antipollution zone’s environmental standards has been handed out since applications opened in November 2022.

A council spokesperson told The Chronicle on Wednesday that roughly £8m was left in the pot.

The authority said that any cash remaining after all applications had been processed following the January deadline would be diverted towards upgrading the region’s bus fleets to cleaner models, to deliver “maximum benefit” in emissions hotspots like Percy Street.

However, it is unclear how and to whom that public funding will be distributed.