Drop in standard of LTP may hit funding for West Yorkshire (Leeds Liberal Democrats)

Leeds Liberal Democrats <info@leedslibdems.org.uk>

Drop in standard of LTP may hit funding for West Yorkshire

January 8, 2003 12:00 AM

Cllr Brian Jennings, Leeds' Lib Dem Spokesperson on the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, has described news that the new West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan has received a far worse rating by Government than in the previous year as "bad news for all those who need to travel throughout the County".

Cllr Jennings said "The Government rated the West Yorks LTP (Local Transport Plan) as 'well above average' last year, but the new figures show us as only 'average', plummeting in the ratings. With the Government allocating funding partly on the basis of the LTP this is bad news for both public transport and the private motorist. Only five authorities across the whole country had a similar fall in ratings, and every other transport authority in the Yorkshire and Humber area improved or maintained its rating."

"The most common reason for falls in gradings appears to be poor performance in actually achieving the targets which have been set out in LTPs. Each authority has to produce an 'Annual Progress Report' which sets out its actual achievements, as opposed to what the targets in the five year plan are."

"It appears that the Progress Report is failing to match the aims of the plan, in other words while we may have great plans we obviously are not very good at actually delivering them, and thereby improving the state of the roads and public transport. At the end of the day performance is more important than a 'wish list', and unless the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, and its partner Councils, pulls its socks up it will be the ordinary traveller who suffers."