Transport and the economy
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“Oral evidence taken for this inquiry Tuesday 14 December 2010 - Oral evidence session Witnesses: Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Minister of State, Tera Allas, Director and Chief Economist of the Transport Analysis and Economics Directorate, and Tracey Waltho, Director of Finance Strategy, Department for Transport Tuesday 7 December 2010 - Oral evidence session Witnesses: British Air Transport Association - Simon Buck, Chief Executive, Association of Train Operating Companies - Michael Roberts, Chief Executive, UK Major Ports Group - Richard Bird, Executive Director and Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport - Nick Gazzard, Member of CILT Public Policies Committee; RAC Foundation - Professor Stephen Glaister, Director, ADEPT – witness name tbc and Stagecoach - Les Warneford, Managing Director Stagecoach UK Bus; Prof Roger Vickerman, Dean, University of Kent, Royal Town Planning Institute - Richard Summers, Senior Vice-President and Local Government Association - Councillor Peter Box CBE, Chair of Economy & Transport Programme Board Tuesday 30 November 2010 - Oral evidence session Witnesses: CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses, Unite and VisitBritain; Transport for London, The Northern Way, London Borough of Newham and HS2 Ltd; and the Campaign for Better Transport, the Transport Planning Society, Directors of Public Health for the West of England Area and Stop HS2. Tuesday 16 November 2010 - Oral evidence session Witnesses: Birmingham City Council and Centro; Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Freightliner, Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham Forward; London Midland, National Express, Birmingham Retail Business Improvement District and West Midlands Regional Sustainability Forum Tuesday 2 November 2010 - Oral evidence session Witnesses: Hull City Council and North Lincolnshire Council; Associated British Ports, Freight Transport Association, Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, East Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses; East Yorkshire Motor Services, First Hull Trains, Hull Environment Forum and Professor Peter Mackie. Tuesday 19 October 2010 - Oral evidence session Witnesses: Professor Henry Overman, London School of Economics, Professor John Tomaney, University of Newcastle and Professor Alan Wenban-Smith, Birmingham City University; and Professor Phil Goodwin, University of West of England, Malcolm Griffiths, Bluespace Thinking and Chris Riley, consultant.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
The Government has said that it is focusing its transport policy on contributing to economic growth and carbon reduction targets while reducing the fiscal deficit. Economic rebalancing—including reducing the “north-south divide”—is a primary objective. At the same time the Government has distanced itself from the last major study of transport and the economy—the 2006 Eddington Transport Study—and rejected a number of its key recommendations, particularly on road pricing, airport capacity and high speed rail.
The Government has not provided an assessment of the implications of its decisions; nor explained how its investments will deliver the growth and rebalancing that it is seeking.
Transport investment can enable and stimulate economic growth but it does not guarantee it. Transport investment intended to stimulate growth needs to be closely linked to a proactive approach to economic development.
The Government has swept away the regional tier of planning and institutions, to be replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships and other arrangements. Most of these are at the early stages of formation, or yet to be established. With regard to transport functions, these may not be in place until the end of this Parliament.
We call on the Government to:
• publish a White Paper on transport and the economy, clarifying the nature of the economic solutions that it is seeking to deliver through transport spending and how the schemes that it is supporting will achieve these aims; • ensure that transport investment and economic development are properly integrated; • provide greater transparency in the appraisal and decision-making process with regard to new schemes, and • ensure that the institutions and arrangements required to plan and prioritise sub-national transport schemes are developed and made effective as soon as possible.
What the government said
3rd Report - Transport and the economy
No government response is linked to this report.
3rd Report - Transport and the economy - additional written evidence
No government response is linked to this report.
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 27 July 2010 to its close on 1 April 2012.
- Report 2 reports
What it recommended
The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 3rd Report - Transport and the economy ↗ and 3rd Report - Transport and the economy - additional written evidence ↗ on parliament.uk.