The Government must publish a white paper on its transport strategy, explaining in particular how its spending on transport will deliver economic growth and development, says the cross-party transport select committee in its latest report.

Such a strategy must set objectives for all transport spending and explain the criteria ministers will use to decide between different claims on limited financial resources.

Launching the report, Transport and the Economy, Louise Ellman, chair of the committee said: "We welcome the coalition Government's commitment to undertake transport investment that will deliver sustainable growth and enterprise, including ‘green' industries, balanced across all sectors and in a manner that will reduce regional disparities.

"Ministers must however ensure that this vision for transport investment is backed up by a pro-active and fully integrated economic development strategy. This is so far absent.

“The current Government has swept away the regional tier of planning and many institutions that played a key role in the development of strategic priorities for transport spending in support of economic development. This has created a vacuum that has left regions without the institutions and arrangements they need to plan and prioritise sub-national transport schemes and other significant transport infrastructure.

More follows on page two...

 

More articles on: