Clause 7

Part of Local Transport Bill [Lords] – in a Public Bill Committee at 5:00 pm on 22 April 2008.

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Photo of Stephen Hammond Stephen Hammond Shadow Minister (Transport) 5:00, 22 April 2008

The Minister has fallen into the trap that I was worried about. She talks about having regard to local economies, which is clear and vital, but that is not necessarily the same as having an economic transport policy. To someone else that might mean value for money, how much is being spent, and what people get out of the policy. I have proposed a probing amendment to ensure that local authorities are given the correct guidance about exactly what the Government mean by economic. Does it mean that the policy has to stand up to some value-for-money spending test or is it about whether the policy supports the overall local economy? If the definition is left imprecise, local authorities will have to grapple with those important matters.