Civil servants at the Department for Transport (DfT) are stalling the introduction of quality contracts because the Conservatives say they would remove them from the Local Transport Act, if they win the next election, it is claimed.
Manchester councillor, Andrew Fender, leader of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority’s Labour group which lost control last year, said: 'They have been kicked into the long grass in case there is a general election result which means quality contracts will disappear for several years to come.'
Stockport Labour councillor, Peter Scott, added: 'The DfT has a very powerful Civil Service lobby, which tries to run the ministers.'
The contracts are a feature of the Local Transport Act. Voluntary partnerships which can include requirements about service frequencies, timings, and maximum fares become possible this week, but the powers to force quality contracts on bus operators are not due to come into force until late this year.
It was at a fringe meeting organised by the Greater Manchester authority at the last Tory party conference when shadow transport minister, Stephen Hammond, pledged to repeal the clauses concerning quality contracts. ‘I am concerned that far from increasing bus services, it will force operators to decide not to run them at all. Taking us back to reregulation is not the answer to the problems,’ he said last year.
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