City councillors back move for transport body
BRISTOL has taken a further step towards wrestling more control of its bus and rail services away from central Government.
City councillors last night agreed to try to set up a new body which would give the city and neighbouring authorities greater power over issues including setting their own rail and bus routes.
They pledged to work with North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils in an attempt to set up an Integrated Transport Authority.
At a full meeting of the city council, there was cross-party support for a motion raised by the authority's transport chief, Tim Kent, and amended by Labour's transport spokesman, Mark Bradshaw.
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The motion states: "The Department for Transport wants Bristol City Council and its neighbours to strengthen their working relationship to unlock additional devolution of transport powers."
It went on to call for:
â More devolution of transport powers, particularly over rail and bus services.
â Substantial investment to meet demand for an "integrated, modern and affordable public transport network".
â A costed paper on "quality contracts" to be prepared for discussion by the council in September.
If quality contracts were introduced, it would mean the council would be responsible for bus transport in the city and private operators such as First would have to bid for the contracts to run routes.
However, councillor Kent's plans to seek approval for the setting up of a new transport company for Bristol were sidelined.
The Liberal Democrat executive member for transport had called on the council to set up a Bristol Transport Company to allow more power and funding to be devolved from central government to the council to improve public transport. But all references were removed from the motion when it was amended by councillor Bradshaw.
Although the city council has made its intentions on an ITA clear, there is no consensus among neighbouring authorities.
Elfan Ap Rees, councillor in charge of transport at North Somerset Council has opposed an ITA, saying any increase in council tax to fund it would be "complete nonsense".
Comments
by ceembee
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 6:59PM
“'Wrestling?' Surely 'wresting' is the word the writer is groping ineffectively for.”
by KBillies
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 5:28PM
“Good to see all throwing their weight behind Tim Kent.
He has a tough brief but does it admirably.”
by nljack
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 4:17PM
“If North Somerset does not want to be in it, then leave them out and they get nothing. We can not have the single minded view of one small rural county hold back the 8th largest city in UK.
Kent get on with it........”
by patcrose
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 1:24PM
“This is pie in the sky.The extra costs of a dedicated ITAto run this plus the subsidies it would have to pay to get the bus/train operators to agree make it a non starter.The current collaboration between the four authorities works ,with government grants secured ,so what would this achieve apart from politically pandering to a small vocal cliche of anti- road Bristol residents.
Spend the money on acrual road/bus schemes instead.”
by Baldeeheed
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 12:43PM
“More devolution of transport powers, particularly over rail and bus services: How? You can't have that without an ITA.
Substantial investment to meet demand for an "integrated, modern and affordable public transport network": Fat chance. Bristol is now at the bottom of the pile for transport funding after we got £40million for GBBN, £11 million for Cycling City and £60million for BRT. That's all the cash we'll get for the rest of this decade. Hardly money well spent, was it.
A costed paper on "quality contracts" to be prepared for discussion by the council in September: Why? Quality Contracts have been mooted for years, there's huge amounts of literature about them and many reports commissioned by BCC that discuss QCs - why do they want another paper?
They honestly are a total bunch of comedians, our councillors from across the West of England with responsibility for transport. A more clueless and inept bunch it would be hard to find.”
by PJ1979
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 11:41AM
“A step forward if this actually happens but i'm sure we can all remember Cllr John Rogers attempting the same thing in 2010 or 2011.
All the adjacent authorities including Elfan Ap Rees rejected the idea and it was parked. Typical of the adjacent authorities view really. Transport problems within Bristol caused by residents outside BCC commuting in aren't their problem and they will continue to block anything that might help the City but cost them. Selfish attitude really.
I'm glad to see this issue back on the agenda, but sadly i'm not sure what has happened to change the result this time.”
by BishopstonMan
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 11:09AM
“"Elfan Ap Rees, councillor in charge of transport at North Somerset Council has opposed an ITA, saying any increase in council tax to fund it would be "complete nonsense"."
Mr Ap Rees, considering your constituents pay less tax anyway in comparison to Bristol residents and yet they cause significant congestion is south Bristol, I'd say it was about time that they started paying for the problems they cause don't you?”
by corncups
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 8:44AM
“It is disingenuous and deceptive to suggest any contention in control of public transport between central and local government.
The truth is that these are *private* *monopoly* operators and as such they maintain an upper hand over public authorities and have the general public over a barrel.”