Plans to extend congestion charging to cities across Britain are in disarray after the policy's strongest supporter lost his council seat to an anti-charging candidate.

Roger Jones, the Labour chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, was pushed into third place in Salford. His seat was won by the Community Action Party (CAP), which ran a campaign based on opposition to the £5 daily peak period congestion charge that was proposed by Mr Jones.

With the Conservatives coming second in what was a safe Labour seat, the result will make other councillors cautious about supporting congestion charging.

Ministers have created a fund worth £200 million a year to pay for public transport improvements in cities that agree to introduce charging schemes. Mr Jones had led Manchester's bid for a share of the money, which would have underpinned a £3 billion package of improvements to the city's tram, bus and rail network.

Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, had been hoping to announce this summer that Manchester would be the first city outside London to introduce charging. Cambridge has submitted a bid for a share of the money and Bristol and Birmingham have drawn up proposals for schemes. Durham already charges a toll to enter the approach to the city's cathedral.

Mr Jones, 56, who had won seven previous elections, accused his opponents of failing to come up with an alternative solution to congestion or means of securing extra funding for public transport. “It's a devastating blow,” he said. “I have got to get myself a job because I'm unemployed for the first time since I left school.”

Manchester Against Road Tolls, which campaigned for CAP, said: “This result proves beyond doubt that the congestion charge is a cast-iron vote loser. When voters are presented with both sides of the argument they are resolutely against the scheme.

“Ruth Kelly could well have to decide between approving the Manchester bid and keeping her Bolton West seat at the next election.”

NigelHumphries,of the Association of British Drivers, said: “The Government have bribed this great city into acting as a guinea-pig for road charges with promises of funding for the much needed Metro scheme - something that should be paid for out of the colossal taxation revenue from fuel and excise duty. The people of Manchester have shown what they think of this by voting Roger Jones out.”

THE ROAD FROM SINGAPORE

— Singapore was the first city to implement road pricing to ease congestion in 1975

— The revenue from London's charge in 2006-07 was £213 million, of which £90 million paid for administration costs

— England's first scheme started in Durham in 2002. Drivers pay £2 to enter a small part of the city centre between 10am and 4pm

— In Stockholm a fee for cars entering the city centre was introduced last August. The cost depends on the time of day

— A plan for New York was shelved last month. It has yet to be tried on a major scale in any large American city

Source: Times database

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