Transport for London (TfL) has acknowledged the major pressure London boroughs are under when it comes to preparing budgets and transport implementation plans, due to the snap election.
Head of borough coordination at TfL, Colin Mann, revealed that the General Election had delayed several consultations, which are likely to be held back until mid to late June, including the Mayor’s Transport Strategy backed by Local Implementation Plans (LIPs).
City hall is keen to engage more with the boroughs
Speaking at a recent meeting of the London Technical Advisers Group (LoTAG), Mr Mann said TfL was ‘acutely aware this has put pressure on arrangements for the 2018/19 financial year’.
It is very unlikely that a fully adopted final Mayor’s Transport Strategy and the accompanying LIPs policy documents could be in place in time for 2018/19, he said.
He added colleagues were looking to somewhat de-couple the timing of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and annual spending submissions so local authority finances are not held back any further.
‘We do get the message the later it goes the more difficult it is to get through your processes in time and for you to mobilise what you need on the delivery side,’ he said.
He pointed out that consultations might have to be delayed or extended to avoid clashing with August holidays.
He also revealed that TfL had commissioned ComRes to survey members and officers from across London and neighbouring authorities about transport issues and also about our engagement with local government. The report could be made available to the sector this summer.
Mr Mann suggested that the new city hall administration - perhaps influenced by more of a background in local government - was keen to see an increase in the 'quantity and quality' of its engagement with local boroughs.
A London Councils’ spokesperson said: 'Clearly the snap election has had an effect on consultation timelines, but we are working with Transport for London to ensure that the impact on boroughs is minimised.'
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