Clause 84
Local Transport Bill [ Lords ]
1:10 pm
Stephen Hammond (Shadow Minister, Transport; Wimbledon, Conservative)
Clause 84 allows the Secretary of State to make an order to dissolve an integrated transport area and abolish the integrated transport authority. One or more local authorities will then be designated to take over as the local transport authority for the area.
At the moment, it requires a majority of the constituent councils to consent in order to dissolve an ITA. As drafted, the Bill does not require the Secretary of State to nominate the successor body to be a directly elected authority for each part of the former ITA area. It could happen that an authority that formed part of the minority—it might not have consented to the dissolution—found the functions of the ITA being transferred to an authority that had no accountability to the dissenting authority or to the electorate of the area.
I realise that this is a highly technical point, and that that eventually might already be covered, but I look to the Minister to reassure us that if necessary it will be dealt with in guidance or on Report.