Ministers told to back Metro system revamp

Mar 27 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

BUSINESS leaders will urge the Government to put plans for an improved Metro system in the region’s economic masterplan.

As the Government debates a Bill which would pave the way for local road pricing, businesses in the North East have called for a show of commitment to public transport.

The North East CBI has called for Government backing of the ageing Metro as part of the detailed planning document the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which will underpin every major decision up to 2021.

The RSS has been the subject of heated debate between the North East Assembly, which produces it, and the Department of Communities and Local Government, which has made some much-criticised changes to the document.

In the latest version, civil servants have drawn a line through plans to prioritise revitalisation of the Metro system. Instead it simply advocates “investigating” modernisation. Chairman of the CBI’s northern business forum John Cuthbert has drafted a letter on behalf of members calling on the Government to reverse the Metro downgrading. Mr Cuthbert said he was disappointed that a number of areas had not been adequately addressed and would call for greater change in the final version.

The Government’s transport plans were also under fire yesterday for appearing to prepare the way for a system of local road pricing which could be used as a “stealth tax” on motorists.

Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers told the Commons the Tories wanted “the clearest of guarantees from the Government that the funds raised by these schemes will stay local and will be used for improvements to local public transport and local roads”.

Tyne Bridge MP David Clelland told the House he supported the Bill but urged any road pricing measures to be introduced only with public transport improvements. He said: “A properly linked up, well maintained road network is an important part of local transport planning and provision; indeed buses themselves need such provision.

“So roads will still need to be improved and, in some cases, new roads built. That too must be part of efficient transport planning.”

Transport Minister Rosie Winterton said: “The Bill makes it absolutely clear that it is for local authorities not central government to decide whether local road charging is right for their areas and it also confirms that scheme revenues are for the local authority to spend on local transport even after the first 10 years of the scheme.”