Not sure how much of this has been in the national media, but here in Greater Manchester, it's been all over the news.
Manchester is one of the cities that has been looking at a congestion charge. However, this is in an advanced state of planning compared to all the other cities looking at it, and looks to be the next one to fall victim to it.
More information about it on the Manchester Evening News website: Search results for congestion charge - Manchester Evening News
It's a bit different to the London charge in that there are two zones; there's the inner zone surrounding the immediate city centre, and the outer zone which covers everywhere inside the M60 ring road, which I think probably averages at about a 4 mile radius around the centre. (see here )
As someone that lives inside the outer zone, I'd "only" be paying £2 a day at the current rates during peak hours, but for anyone driving more than about 4/5 miles away, it's likely to cost them £5 daily.
There's a site with interesting info here: Stop the Charge ! It's calling for a referendum for the people of Greater Manchester.
Obviously it's a bit biased, but it does contain interesting information.
Road tax, petrol tax, and now it looks like road pricing and congestion charge. If this pulls off in Manchester, it won't be long before other cities start following suit.