GREATER Manchester’s mayor has called on the government to back the region’s clean air proposals.

Plans for a Clean Air Zone covering all 10 boroughs were revealed earlier this year.

£116 million of government funding was sought to help taxi firms and small businesses switch to cleaner vehicles, something ministers have done in London.

No such help has been offered to Greater Manchester, and Andy Burnham has warned that a failure to provide “fair funding” could put jobs and businesses at risk.

He said: “We don’t want to see a single job or business threatened by the process of cleaning up our air. But we can’t guarantee this without help from the government.”