Maidstone Weald Labour Party

BETTER TRANSPORT NEEDS MORE LOCAL CONTROL

Further to our recent poll Leslie Turner given transport is at the top of the agenda has sent in this very good press release.

*Councils need more local powers to deliver quality public transport*,
says the South East England Regional Assembly's Planning Committee

.

Responding this week to the Government's Draft Local Transport Bill, the
committee argues that the Bill must be strengthened to address councils'
two key problems - long term funding and quality control. Councils need
greater power and flexibility in managing bus services eg specifying
services, fares and frequency. They should also be able to enter long
term contracts with bus companies.

The committee supports the creation of Passenger Transport Authorities
(PTA), which devolve decision-making to the local level but it doesn't
want PTAs limited to existing council boundaries. Current proposals
would prevent for example the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire from
creating a PTA. The committee also wants the Assembly to be consulted on
any proposals for a PTA in the South East and wants clarification on PTA
funding.

Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly's planning
committee, Cllr Moira Gibson, said:

“To improve public transport in the South East Government must give
councils more power over bus services and bigger long term budgets.
Each transport authority must be able to tailor services to local
needs but still ensure value for money.

“Improved bus services will also encourage more sustainable use of
transport reducing carbon emissions, which is a key objective of the
Assembly's South East Plan

- a
20-year planning vision,” added Cllr Gibson.

# posted by Labour : Friday, August 24, 2007