RESIDENTS will NOT be given a referendum on the congestion charge because it is "a waste of time and money".

Despite earlier assurances about "seeking the public's views", town hall bosses now claim that they cannot legally hold a borough-wide poll - and they know what the people think anyway. Instead, the council's Tory leaders have promised to oppose the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid - which would provide £3 billion for public transport - if charging is included in the final deal.

Coun Bob Bibby said: "Our councillors have asked many of their constituents what they think, and there seems no point wasting a great deal of public money on a survey in Bury we already know the answer to. Any calls by Labour to hold a survey are just desperate attempts to turn this into a political point-scoring game, and I'll not use council money to try and win votes."

Anti-charge campaigners have ridiculed the move, and will now submit their petition demanding a directly elected mayor for Bury.

Sean Corker, co-ordinator of MART (Manchester Against Road Tolls), said the Tory motion - which goes to Wednesday's council meeting - was a ploy to prevent a proper vote "That doesn't go far enough," he said. "They said that in July, but they still voted to submit the TIF bid. We don't trust them enough to stick by their word."

MART have raised the necessary 7,100 signatures which would force a vote for a US-style mayor who could ditch the charge. They are unhappy that Bury, unlike some councils, did not seek local views before supporting the TIF bid in the summer. If successful, the bid would give Greater Manchester £3 billion for public transport, but 60 per cent of it would be borrowed and paid back through a congestion charge.

Geoffrey Berg, local petition organiser, said: "If they don't give us a referendum on congestion charging, we will submit our petition for an elected mayor. This motion is a waste of time, given their track record. Our position is now unwavering." Last month, Coun Bibby had promised a debate in council on "seeking the public's views" of the TIF bid. He said: "In line with public opinion, we submitted the bid; in line with public opinion, the Conservative executive are against congestion charging; and, in line with public opinion, if congestion charging is part of the final proposal, we will vote against it."

Mark Sanders, council chief executive, said: "The independent legal advice we sought from Counsel states that holding a referendum on congestion charging would be against the Local Government Act. By law, the council has a statutory obligation to make decisions of this nature, and we cannot pass that obligation on to others."