Campaign group warns of Budget threat to local transport projects
More than £5bn worth of local transport projects are under threat from spending cuts expected to be announced in the upcoming Budget, the Campaign for Better Transport has warned.
Councils should also accept that £100m road schemes “just aren’t viable any more”, it said.
The group has calculated that:
- A 10% cut in local transport spending would require £2bn worth of projects to be cut
- A 25% cut in local transport spending would see £3bn worth of projects cancelled, and
- A 50% cut would leave just £793m to spend on local transport schemes, meaning projects worth £4.4bn would be stopped.
The Department for Transport wrote in May 2010 to every local authority that was promoting a transport scheme, warning that there would be a comprehensive review of all schemes which did not have full planning permission and approved funding – known as “conditional approval”.
This put schemes worth £5.2bn under review. According to the Campaign for Better Transport, there was originally £5.8bn available over the next five years, although £2.1bn is allocated to projects that have already started.
The research suggests that some regions such as the North West will be harder hit than others.
The North West’s plans to fund part of its programme by top slicing local transport budgets – including road safety budgets – from councils in Greater Manchester could also be threatened as these budgets are likely to be cut by Whitehall.
Richard George, roads and climate campaigner at the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “With tough times ahead, regions must be careful to fund the right schemes. They can fund a handful of big projects, which means most areas won’t see any investment for several years, or invest in lower cost solutions which would spread the benefits more widely.
“Councils should accept that their £100m road schemes just aren’t viable any more. Instead, they should start looking into more affordable ways to solve their transport problems while working towards UK climate change targets.”
- Details
More than £5bn worth of local transport projects are under threat from spending cuts expected to be announced in the upcoming Budget, the Campaign for Better Transport has warned.
Councils should also accept that £100m road schemes “just aren’t viable any more”, it said.
The group has calculated that:
- A 10% cut in local transport spending would require £2bn worth of projects to be cut
- A 25% cut in local transport spending would see £3bn worth of projects cancelled, and
- A 50% cut would leave just £793m to spend on local transport schemes, meaning projects worth £4.4bn would be stopped.
The Department for Transport wrote in May 2010 to every local authority that was promoting a transport scheme, warning that there would be a comprehensive review of all schemes which did not have full planning permission and approved funding – known as “conditional approval”.
This put schemes worth £5.2bn under review. According to the Campaign for Better Transport, there was originally £5.8bn available over the next five years, although £2.1bn is allocated to projects that have already started.
The research suggests that some regions such as the North West will be harder hit than others.
The North West’s plans to fund part of its programme by top slicing local transport budgets – including road safety budgets – from councils in Greater Manchester could also be threatened as these budgets are likely to be cut by Whitehall.
Richard George, roads and climate campaigner at the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “With tough times ahead, regions must be careful to fund the right schemes. They can fund a handful of big projects, which means most areas won’t see any investment for several years, or invest in lower cost solutions which would spread the benefits more widely.
“Councils should accept that their £100m road schemes just aren’t viable any more. Instead, they should start looking into more affordable ways to solve their transport problems while working towards UK climate change targets.”
Directory
