New blow to transport package as public inquiry postponed and schemes on hold
The chances of a £57.5 million public transport package for Bath ever seeing the light of day appeared to be diminishing fast today.
Senior civil servants last night postponed a public inquiry into whether land for the controversial Bath Transportation Package should be compulsorily purchased.
-
And Transport Secretary Philip Hammond made it clear that no decisions on whether the package and dozens of other schemes around the country get Government funding will be taken until after a widespread Whitehall spending review in the autumn.
Council officials are bracing themselves for the package – which includes a new park and ride site at Bathampton and the Bus Rapid Transit scheme at Newbridge – to be mothballed as ministers tackle Britain’s public sector cash crisis.
Residents whose land has been earmarked by Bath and North East Somerset Council for the BRT scheme are being told that the inquiry due to start on September 1 has now been postponed.
The letter from inquiry programme officer Helen Wilson says: “The Secretary of State for Transport has issued a Statement today, indicating that the Department for Transport (DfT) will play a full part in the Government’s spending review, which is being undertaken in view of the urgent need to tackle the UK’s record budget deficit. “This spending review will be reporting in the autumn and only once it has been completed will the DfT be in a position to identify those major investments that can be supported.
“Steps are therefore being taken to help avoid unnecessary expenditure, whilst the Government considers its transport priorities. The statement makes it clear that ministers will postpone decisions on scheme orders and public inquiries relating to schemes which require DfT funding, unless alternative funding sources are available. “As the Bath Transportation Package requires DfT funding this means that the public inquiries, scheduled to commence on 1 September 2010, have today been postponed.
“In consequence, the pre-inquiry meeting scheduled for Monday 14 June 2010 is also postponed.
“The Government will aim to provide a firm indication on the way forward later this year once the spending review is complete.”
Mr Hammond said yesterday: “The Government has made clear its most urgent priority is to tackle the UK’s record budget deficit, in order to restore confidence in the economy and support the recovery.
“Only once the Government’s spending review has been concluded will the Department for Transport be in a position to identify those major investments that can be supported.”
Mr Hammond issued updated guidance to councils warning that construction work on any schemes which had not yet been fully approved was “very unlikely” to begin before the end of 2010-11.
“In view of the likely budgetary constraints, and the consequent likelihood that not all schemes will be able to proceed on their planned timetable, it would be inappropriate for the department to continue to invest time and resources on development of schemes at the same rate as before,” he said.
“Local authorities will also wish to consider carefully whether investing further time and resources in developing such schemes ahead of the spending review is justified.”
Pressure groups VeracityBath and Save Bathampton Meadows today welcomed the postponement of the inquiry.
And they demanded an assurance from the council that no further work on the schemes should take place while the spending review was going on.
In a statement, they said: “Any use of local taxpayers’ money to proceed with any aspect of the BTP, when it is still unclear as to whether any public funding at all will be available, would open the council up to accusations of financial irresponsibility.
“Halting this spending is the only prudent action open to B&NES, and we sincerely hope that they do the right thing.”
Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib Dem, Newbridge) said: “I’m delighted that we aren’t going to have this un-needed inquiry, it seemed ridiculous to have it when the scheme was clearly going to be delayed.
“We obviously still have to wait for the outcome of the spending review and then the budget decision from the DfT, but on the face of it this looks to seriously put into doubt the future of the waste of money BRT.
“I certainly won’t rest until this crazy idea is finally cancelled for good.”
Bath MP Don Foster said he had met transport minister Norman Baker to discuss funding, telling him there were projects in Bath that needed money.
“Bath does need investment in transport schemes, and it is important we receive some government money, for things like the Rossiter Road scheme and improving bus services.
“The council now has a chance to go away and produce a new package, at a lower cost, without controversial aspects. I will be lobbying for Bath to receive money from the DfT, but it is clearly very unlikely we will be able to go ahead with the entire transport package.”
The council had been pressing on with preparatory work for the inquiry and other aspects of the package, which has been opposed on both sides of the city, with campaigners claiming the two flagship elements were an expensive waste of money that would ruin open space areas.
A statement from B&NES today said: “The Government is also looking to reduce its funding on capital schemes, but full details of these cuts are not yet available. However, the Government has announced a freeze on all major local authority transport schemes in the country, which includes the Bath Transportation Package. The council understands that the Government intends reviewing whether these schemes can proceed as part of the spending review it plans to carry out later this year. As a result of this freeze, the Secretary of State for Transport has postponed the CPO enquiry for the Bath Transportation Package that was due to be carried out this September (the pre-enquiry meeting that was due to be held this coming Monday has also been cancelled).
“The council remains committed to the Bath Transportation Package and will proactively work with the Government on this project, which is considered a priority scheme for the sub-region.
“It is clear that much larger savings will be needed in future years to go towards meeting the country’s budget deficit and the Chancellor’s budget on 22nd June may provide further details about these together with the impact on our services.”
The council issued public notices about a number of CPOs in this week’s and last week’s Chronicle.
Attempts to challenge the planning permission given by B&NES and then Communities Secretary John Denham for the package have failed, and the council has billed the schemes as an unprecedented chance to tackle congestion and pollution.
28 Comments
View all
by Nick D, Bath
Tuesday, June 15 2010, 5:23PM
“Still not listening: "The council remains committed to the Bath Transportation Package" That's just B&NES and any of their misinformed/misled 'partners' left trying to convince the masses then.
Take note (for example) Bath Chamber of Commerce and FoBRA. If the rest of us don't want it because it's been made blindingly obvious no improvements to congestion and air quality will result, your reasons for supporting it may soon be the subject of further investigations by your members.”
by Moe, Combe Down
Monday, June 14 2010, 9:24PM
“Michael - my objection to the proposals you mention would simply be that they are missing the point. Information displays would be nice, but it would be a lot nicer if the bus just turned up when it was supposed to and got me where I wanted to go at a reasonable price. A real-time display telling me the bus is late would be little consolation if I was already waiting at the bus stop. Likewise, a few metres of bus lane installed at a six-figure cost may shave a few milliseconds off my journey time, but that saving is rendered utterly pointless if I've just waited at the stop for 35 minutes.
When we need to get into to town we usually resort to driving to the Odd Down P&R - about the same distance from our house as town itself - since it is cheaper, faster and more reliable than the 'local' service. Hardly reducing congestion, hardly green, and no use to anyone without a car.
They need to stop concentrating on trying to ferry the maximum number of bodies in and out of town, stop focusing on unproven, esoteric technical fixes, and simply try to improve the ludicrously expensive and unreliable local services.”
by johnbatheaston, Batheaston
Monday, June 14 2010, 11:05AM
“Michael - showcase means spending money on the prime routes of the Greater Bristol Bus Network. In Bath's case the route from Radstock to Bath (hence the £1M bus lane at the top of Wellsway) and from Bath to Bristol (with stops in Saltford so it would be nice if our Supreme Leader/Her that shall be Obeyed would try using the buses on this route) . Nice new buses too. As a consequence all other routes that can be described as "non-showcase" (all will be used to funnel passengers into Bath so they can use the showcase routes) will be starved of money that could be used to improve the service within Bath.”
by Dave, Weston
Monday, June 14 2010, 10:00AM
“Micheal - if the travel information systems are operated as well as the ones at Christmas, then I'd suggest they are scrapped as well - they were so poorly updated that you started to think it was deliberate misinformation when they permanently described all car parks as being full. If however they can be linked up real time to a system like the one used in Sainsbury's which detects which spaces are in use, then it might be worthwhile.
Similarly on the face of it bus information systems are good, but I would be slightly concerned if the cost of equipping a bus to communicate with the system became a barrier to cheaper bus operators.
The problem is, confidence in B&NES ability to think through and properly resolve these issues isn't high.”
by Michael, Keynsham
Monday, June 14 2010, 9:09AM
“The reason that Don Foster has said 'the entire transport package' seems to me to be because much of it is not anywhere near as contentious as the BRT. Reading the Executive Summary to the BTP business case, it talks about showcase bus routes (I assume improvements to bus stops) and travel information systems (I assume permanent electronic signs which are less of a poke-in-the-eye than the temporary ones that are sometimes used on the roads).
But then, I live in Keynsham, and am therefore one of Haeberling's cronies, I suppose? Come on - tell me why these two pieces of work aren't worthwhile, without recourse to the argument that all capital expenditure should be stopped due to the size of the public sector debt (about £900 billion, I believe).”
by johnbatheaston, batheaston
Saturday, June 12 2010, 9:12AM
“I know it it Don Foster's comments but I am worried by the words "but it is clearly very unlikely we will be able to go ahead with the entire transport package". Entire? It seems that BANES, despite the recent court decision, may still try and introduce creeping BRT on us. It is also a shame that it will cost money to remove the bustop areas built into the road - like the ones on Newbridge - you know the ones that do not permit the buses to pull into the side but park in the middle of the road at bus stops not allowing cars to pass whilst they drop and pick up passengers and sell tickets causing long tail backs to the traffic. I think it is called "traffic congestion" and has been imposed by BANES under the banner of the Greater Bristol Bus Network.”
by JC, Bath
Saturday, June 12 2010, 9:10AM
“If that £4m had been spent on the information signs we would have got the only worthwhile bit of the BTP.
Francine, you are the Weakest Link, GOODBYE!”
by Keith, Bath
Saturday, June 12 2010, 6:42AM
“Tony, Bath - thanks for providing the spending figures on consultants. As you indicate, this is probably just the tip if the iceberg. Surely, the message to our elected councillors is STOP SPENDING. You are not going to get any more taxpayers money from the government because they don't have any left and already owe £170 billion.
We - the local taxpayers - are no longer prepared to fund this destructive and undemocratic process. Have the good sense and common decency to pull the plug on this preposterous scheme and STOP SPENDING our money.”
by Stacey, Bath
Saturday, June 12 2010, 1:15AM
“My mistake Paul.
I think I missed the update because the Council have simply restated what's already been published in your article.
However, now that I reread it, it's very clear from what they say that Francine Haeberling and her fellow Council leaders are still fully committed to the BTP scheme even in the current economic climate.
Which makes me wonder if they actually understand just how severe the current economic climate actually is.”
by PJ, Batheaston
Friday, June 11 2010, 9:28PM
“But why, Paul, have the "spokesperson" quotes to which I originally referred been removed from the story? It's made my comments look a bit odd don't you think?”