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Leeds Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrat Group on Leeds City Council |
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Govt Adviser Backs Leeds Over Transport Demands
November 6, 2006 7:49 PM
The body set up by the Labour Government to assess transport policy has come out in support of the Leeds city region's calls for greater freedom over its own transport planning and delivery. A report from the Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT)* has thrown weight behind Leeds' argument that the Department for Transport should allow city regions such as Leeds the freedom to develop their own transport plans and provide the funding needed to deliver them. This follows the news earlier this week that the Department for Transport has refused to supply the ?1.7 million funding needed for research into congestion across the Leeds city region.
Leader of Leeds City Council Mark Harris (Lib Dem) welcomes the fact that even the Government's own advisers are now speaking out against the way the Department for Transport has undermined regeneration in the regions through its failure to fund key transport schemes**.
Cllr Harris said "Even the Government's own advisers are now speaking out about the way that the Department for Transport fails to take economic development objectives into account when taking decisions over transport schemes. This only serves to highlight the muddle the Government is in at the moment, with different Departments and advisors unable to agree on policy. Until they sort the mess out it is the city regions like Leeds that have to suffer."
"We need control over own transport and economic development here, free from interference by Ministers and civil servants more interested in their own power struggles than in what goes on here in Yorkshire."
Notes:
- The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) is an independent body advising the Government on integrated transport policy. CfIT takes a broad view of integrated transport policy and its interface with wider Government objectives for economic prosperity, environmental protection, health and social inclusion. Physical integration - the principle of ensuring transport modes operate in conjunction with one another, is just one vital element of the bigger transport picture. The Commission provides expert advice supported by independent research.
CfIT was established in the 1998 Integrated Transport White Paper 'to provide independent advice to Government on the implementation of integrated transport policy, to monitor developments across transport, environment, health and other sectors and to review progress towards meeting our objectives'.
** Regeneration and Renewal Magazine (10th Nov 2006) reports on the leaked CfIT report on integrated delivery of transport across Government Departments, listing amongst its key findings:
 The DfT needs to re-align its objectives to meet the economic development and sustainable communities objectives of the rest of government.
 A greater role is required for transport planning and delivery at the sub-regional level
 A "significant gap" exists in funding for medium-sized transport projects
 More funding is needed to help work up new transport plans
 City region-wide transport authorities are needed to link up road, rail and bus policy.
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