Clause 73
Local Transport Bill [Lords]
9:00 am
Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley, Labour)
I will not repeat what the hon. Gentleman has said. I tabled four amendments to elucidate the Government’s thinking about the changes in the local democratic process brought about by the Bill. I support the motivation behind the Bill, which is to improve integrated transport in an area. However, I tabled the amendments because I am worried that, with that drive, the integrated transport authority does not run roughshod over the electors or the local authorities in its area. There is the potential for transfer of real highway authority powers to a body that will not be directly elected and if a local authority is to lose those powers, it should have some say in that matter. Three of the amendments provide that a local authority should have a veto, that it should not lose those powers if it does not want to, or that there should be the agreement of a majority of or all the authorities. The amendments aim to probe the Government’s thinking.
The final amendment addresses the change that removes power from the electorate. At the moment, if the electorate want to dispute a bus lane or if shopkeepers want to ask for better parking, they can do so, or they can vote out the people responsible for such things. If those powers are transferred to an integrated transport authority, the electorate will no longer have a direct power to vote out the people making the decisions. The final amendment provides that if those powers are to be changed, it should be done after a referendum. Really, I am speaking to the amendments to probe the Government’s thinking on the relationship between improving public transport, which I think we all want to do, and the democratic process.