The Mayor of Liverpool City Region has described devolution as an “opportunity to shape our own destinies” as he told a crowded Interchange Conference in Manchester that “we’ve been waiting literally since the 1980s for a benevolent government to help us, and nobody ever has.”
Steve Rotheram was speaking on a panel session at the launch of the two-day event focussing on multi-modal integrated transport solutions, telling the audience that devolution is the way to deliver real change in his transport network, giving his view that “We’ve never seen a government treat London the way the rest of us were treated after deregulation. I’m not having a second-class public transport system in my city region.”
Mr Rotheram was joined on the panel by David Skaith, Mayor of North Yorkshire and Sandeep Shingadia, Executive Director, Transport for West Midlands who was sitting in for Mayor Richard Parker who has been unable to get back to the UK after an overseas visit because of the situation in the Middle East.
The subject of long-term funding was key to their planning with Mr Skaith commenting: “The projects we’re talking about take a long time to develop and deliver, but the funding we’re given is short-term,” adding that “until this year, our transport funding settlements are in one year blocks – it’s nigh on impossible to develop a new bus strategy and invest in new routes if you don’t know what the funding strategy will be next year.” He highlighted that bus mileage in North Yorkshire has halved over the past decade, while rail powers remain almost entirely outside local control.
Mr Shingadia added that there is a skills shortage that could stifle network improvements saying “We’ve got £2.4bn investment but potentially not enough skilled workers to deliver or operate the network,” and also that politics can affect the way authorities deliver: ““Treasury Green Book methods aren’t set up for building transport first and housing later — business cases don’t fit the model.”
And all three panelists stated they wanted to be able to emulate London’s integrated transport system which delivers for all, summed up by Steve Rotherham who said: “My epiphany, if you like, was when I was a Member of Parliament and I came out of the House. There were the ladies – and they were ladies – who served us in the tea room, there were lords and ladies in the second chamber and there were MPs. Everybody, just mingling, waiting for a bus. This is 17 years ago, back in Liverpool, we’ve never, ever seen that sort of degree of social mixing.”
Interchange runs Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 March in Manchester.
(Picture – Highways News)
