A long-awaited decision on new powers for councils to tackle pavement parking in England could still be months away, the transport secretary has told MPs.
Appearing before the Transport Select Committee, Louise Haigh was unable to give clear answers on how – and in some cases when – the Labour government elected in July would address a number of issues that it inherited from the previous administration.
Labour MP Scott Arthur reminded her that a consultation on pavement parking had concluded four in November 2020 and that local authorities in Scotland have new powers over the issue.
She responded: ‘I completely recognise how important it is for accessibility. We’re considering what options we have available because we want to make sure that any measures are not burdensome on local authorities and are done in the most effective way.
‘I will write to the committee in the coming months as we respond to the consultation.’
Ms Haigh also acknowledged that it was ‘not good enough’ that trials of rental e-scooters have been ongoing in areas across the country with no sign of a conclusion or legislation.
She said: ‘We’ve not got parliamentary time in this session, or a relevant bill that could be used to legislate e-scooters, but we will look to legislate, absolutely; it is clearly required and again it’s not good enough that it’s been left in this situation for too long.’
Image: Parliament TV
Ms Haigh was also asked by Conservative MP Rebecca Smith when the ‘unprecedented levels’ of funding for active travel infrastructure to which she has previously referred would be available.
She said: ‘The initial direction was set in this first phase of the spending review when we reversed the cuts of the previous government to active travel and provided £100m of funding to Active Travel England.’
She added: ‘As we look to the second phase of the spending review, we will hope to again move to those multi-year settlements.’
Asked by Dr Arthur whether she plans to set up the road safety investigation branch that was put forward then shelved by the previous government, she said: ‘That is one of the measures that is being considered as part of the [forthcoming] road safety strategy.'
Ms Haigh also confirmed that the £500m boost for local authority road maintenance in England is not guaranteed beyond the next financial year.
Asked by Dr Arthur what impact she thought could be made on potholes, given the state of local government funding, she replied: ‘It is a really significant commitment in this budget for 25-26 and as I say, well beyond where our manifesto commitment left us, to fix and repair up to a million potholes per year.
‘That is just for 25-26 and the ambition for the second phase of the spending review is for similarly ambitious levels of funding, but crucially for multi-year funding settlements.
‘Being able to provide that multi-year settlement at the spending review will be absolutely crucial, but what we are trying to work through now as we get to 25-26 is a way to ensure that that funding is absolutely directed and spent on highway maintenance, because there is obviously a risk and a balance with devolution that money goes out the door that is intended for potholes and road maintenance.
‘So we are just trying to find the most light-touch way that we can ensure accountability around that funding.
Department for Transport permanent secretary Dame Bernadette Kelly added: ‘Local road maintenance is for local authorities, but the question is, how can we best support them in identifying best practice in the efficient maintenance of their roads.’
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