Labour has hired Phil Goodwin - Emeritus Professor at University of West of England and University College London - once more to help the party draw up a new 'social contract' for transport.
The professor worked with the party 20 years ago when it was in Government under Tony Blair, helping craft a 10-year transport plan for John Prescott.
Current shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald outlined the key objectives of the upcoming study, and called on the top transport academic to investigate what elements of transport provision should be charged for and how it should be funded.
Objectives of the study:
- Consider the elements necessary to build a “New Social Contract for Transport” that would be fair to users, other beneficiaries and taxpayers.
- Consider who benefits from transport provision, including indirect beneficiaries, and draw conclusions about the degree to which elements of transport provision should be charged for and the best balance of funding from users, passengers, companies, taxpayers and other stakeholders.
- Focus on the transport taxation and spending options necessary to retain essential income to support a wide range of Labour party policies
- Consider experiences of transport strategy, funding and spending from around the world.
The move follows Labour’s pledge to fund free bus travel for under 25s and support for public ownership of rail, under Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr McDonald said: ‘The social contract on transport has completely collapsed under the Conservatives with soaring fares for bus and rail passengers alongside huge cuts to investment in road maintenance, railways and bus services.
‘Britain needs some widescreen thinking on transport, so that’s why Labour wants to agree a new social contract for transport. We want to create a public transport system which is affordable and increases mobility.'
Prof Goodwin said: ‘I’m very pleased to tackle this challenging topic. It seems to me that the idea could be a very powerful tool for considering the fundamental changes in how people travel and use communications technology.
'I will need to look at the best expertise and best practice from around the world and discuss what is the right deal between the government and the electorate to deliver a sustainable and equitable transport system fit for the 21st century. It will be an open, independent study, and evidence will be welcome from all.’
The last time Prof Goodwin worked with Labour sadly did not end with much success.
Prof Goodwin chaired a panel in 1998 that advised a new super ministry, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions under John Prescott.
The result was New Labour's Transport 2010, a 10-year plan drawn up in the year 2000.
A decade later, Goodwin told the BBC the plan had 'a lifespan not of 10 years, but of two or three years', as he gloomily reported that nothing much had changed.
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