Inquiry into local decision making on transport expenditure
30 October 2013
The Transport Committee is today calling for evidence on local decision making on transport expenditure
The Chair of the Committee, Louise Ellman MP, has said:
“There have been a number of changes in the arrangements for funding and delivering transport projects locally. We want to investigate the complex network of bodies involved in local transport decisions and find out how they work together both within and across local authority boundaries. We are also interested in hearing about the different funding schemes that are available and the extent to which these meet local needs.”
The Committee would like to receive written evidence on the following points:
- What is the rationale for the Government’s proposals to devolve to a local level decision-making on transport expenditure? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Government’s approach? Are there better models?
- Do local bodies (including local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, passenger transport executives, integrated transport authorities and local transport boards) have the capacity to assess, prioritise and deliver local transport schemes? What would the optimum delivery body look like?
- What is the best way of dealing with major transport schemes that cross local authority boundaries or have wider regional impact?
- How effectively do local bodies work with each other and with Government departments and national transport agencies?
- Do the current funding streams for major local transport schemes meet the needs of local authorities? How do current funding streams compare with previous arrangements?
- What impact will the devolution in 2015 of funding to Local Transport Bodies and the introduction of the Single Local Growth Fund have?
- How can local authorities attract greater investment from the private sector for the delivery and maintenance of local transport infrastructure? What scope is there for the use of alternative funding streams?
- How clear are the lines of accountability for local decision making on transport expenditure?
We would be grateful to receive written submissions by Friday 13 December.
As part of a scheme to encourage paperless working and maximise efficiency, the Committee is using a new web portal for online submissions of written evidence. Written submissions for this inquiry should therefore be sent via the Transport Committee website - Please click the link here: Local decision making on transport expenditure.