|
Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport 
FUNDING BOOST FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES AS GOVERNMENT SETS OUT TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Local authorities are set to receive an unprecedented £560mn funding boost for sustainable transport projects to help create economic growth and reduce carbon emissions.
Full details of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund were published in January 2011 in a government White Paper, ‘Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon’, which aims to encourage greater use of public transport and more walking and cycling.
Among the aims of the strategy, which sets out a vision for local solutions that will have a national impact, are:
• Cutting red tape for councils while cutting carbon
• Getting quick wins locally by investing in smaller scale schemes to help create jobs
• Giving local people more power over initiating innovative transport schemes in their own areas to better meet local needs, for example supporting schemes like ‘Wheels to Work’ in North Yorkshire and Devon, which gives people in rural communities access to personal transport to get to work or training.
Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said "A good transport system is vital in our efforts to deliver two key government priorities: to help grow the economy and to reduce carbon emissions. Investment in local sustainable transport can deliver quick gains with both objectives, which is why, even in these difficult financial times, we are providing an unprecedented £560mn to take this agenda forward.
"We are clear you can have your green cake and eat it. Money invested wisely in local transport initiatives can both help the economy and cut carbon. It’s a win-win for local people and for the country as a whole.
"I look forward to working with local authorities and others as we take on this challenge, and I believe together we can make genuinely sustainable transport a reality for everyone."
Key measures in the White Paper include:
• A £560mn Local Sustainable Transport Fund to address the urgent challenges of building economic growth and tackling climate change as well as delivering cleaner environments, improved safety and increased levels of physical activity
• A commitment to work with the transport industry to support the development of e-purses and other technology related to smart ticketing; and to deliver, with operators and public-sector bodies, the infrastructure to enable most local public transport journeys to be undertaken using smart ticketing by December 2014
• Further incentivising integrated ticketing and joining up the dots to deliver easier end-to-end journeys using public transport
• A reduction in the bureaucratic burdens on local authorities by
o simplifying access to transport funding
o allowing councils to decide on road classifications without going through central government
o simplifying the regulations for introducing new road signs
• Highlighting the importance of the national standard for cycle training and specific funding for Bikeability and the 2011/12 Cycle Journey Planner to encourage cycling.
The government also announced that £11mn from the fund will be spent on Bikeability — cycling proficiency for the 21st century — helping 275,000 10–11 year olds benefit from ‘on road’ cycle training. This funding will support a specific objective of the White Paper to increase the number of people who use cycling as a mode of transport.
The Local Sustainable Transport Fund is now one of just four grant streams for local transport funding. This is part of the radical simplification and reform of local transport funding to support the localism agenda, reducing the number of funding streams from nearly 30 to just four.
As announced in the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010, the number of funding streams for local transport will be moving from 26 grant streams to four from 2011–12, these are:
• A local sustainable transport fund (capital and revenue)
• Major schemes (capital)
• Block funding for highways maintenance (capital)
• Block funding for small transport improvement schemes (capital).
A sum of £11mn for Bikeability will go to local authorities and school sports partnerships.
In addition to this, £11mn award funds will also be made available for Bikeability training for the remainder of the Parliament. During 2011, we will be looking at how we can best fund and deliver Bikeability training over the following three years.
The local authority allocations for Bikeability funding are shown in the table.
Biography of Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
Mr Baker was born in Aberdeen and raised in Hornchurch, attending the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Park, before going on to earn a BA degree in German from the University of London.
Prior to entering the House of Commons in 1997, he had a variety of jobs, including periods as an executive for Our Price Records and as an English teacher. He also served as a local councillor in East Sussex before becoming Leader of Lewes District Council in 1991.
In recent years, Mr Baker has held a number of portfolios in the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet, including Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
| Local Authority allocations for Bikeability funding |
Grant for 2011/12 |
Training Places 2011/12 |
| BARNSLEY METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET COUNCIL |
£44,000.00 |
1100 |
| BEDFORDSHIRE BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£30,000.00 |
750 |
| BEDFORDSHIRE CENTRAL BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£40,160.00 |
1004 |
| BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£32,400.00 |
810 |
| BLACKPOOL BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£40,000.00 |
1000 |
| BOLTON COUNCIL |
£75,000.00 |
1875 |
| BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL |
£26,706.00 |
919 |
| BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL |
£24,410.00 |
840 |
| BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL |
£92,000.00 |
2300 |
| BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (inc AYLESBURY) |
£160,000.00 |
4000 |
| BURY METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£30,960.00 |
774 |
| CALDERDALE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNTY COUNTIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| CHESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£84,000.00 |
2100 |
| CHESHIRE WEST & CHESTER COUNCIL |
£1000,000.00 |
2500 |
| CITY OF BRADFORD METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£50,000.00 |
1250 |
| COLCHESTER |
£26,000.00 |
650 |
| COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL |
£72,000.00 |
1800 |
| CUMBRIA COUNTY COUNCIL |
£120,000.00 |
3000 |
| DARLINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£40,000.00 |
1000 |
| DERBY COUNTY COUNCIL |
£64,000.00 |
1600 |
| DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL |
£240,000.00 |
6000 |
| DONCASTER METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£40,000.00 |
1000 |
| DUDLEY METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£64,000.00 |
1600 |
| DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL |
£188,000.00 |
4700 |
| EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL |
£114,000.00 |
2850 |
| ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| GATESHEAD METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£70,000.00 |
1750 |
| HALTON BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£38,000.00 |
1000 |
| HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£300,000.00 |
7500 |
| HARTLEPOOL BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£32,000.00 |
800 |
| HEREFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£20,000.00 |
500 |
| HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£10,000.00 |
250 |
| KENT COUNTY COUNCIL |
£106,600.00 |
2665 |
| KIRKLEES BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£42,000.00 |
1050 |
| LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£23,040.00 |
576 |
| LANCASTER COUNTY COUNCIL |
£36,000.00 |
900 |
| LEEDS CITY COUNCIL |
£210,000.00 |
5250 |
| LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£14,750.00 |
500 |
| LEIGHTON LINSLADE TOWN COUNCIL |
£30,000.00 |
750 |
| LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£194,240.00 |
4856 |
| LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL |
£72,000.00 |
1800 |
| MEDWAY COUNCIL |
£49,000.00 |
1225 |
| MERSEYSIDE LOCAL TRANSPORT TRAVEL PARTNERSHIP |
£420,000.00 |
10500 |
| MIDDLESBROUGH BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£62,320.00 |
1558 |
| MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL |
£171,640.00 |
4291 |
| NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL |
£36,000.00 |
900 |
| NOTYH TYNESIDE COUNCIL |
£19,000.00 |
500 |
| NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£238,440.00 |
5961 |
| NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£92,000.00 |
2300 |
| NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL |
£120,000.00 |
3000 |
| NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL |
£18,080.00 |
452 |
| NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£52,000.00 |
1300 |
| OLDHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£96,960.00 |
2424 |
| OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£10,000.00 |
250 |
| PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL |
£25,000.00 |
600 |
| PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL |
£76,000.00 |
1900 |
| POOLE BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£10,000.00 |
250 |
| PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| READING BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£24,400.00 |
610 |
| REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£50,000.00 |
1250 |
| ROCHDALE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£78,000.00 |
1950 |
| ROTHERHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£68,000.00 |
1700 |
| ROYAL BOROUGH OF WINDSOR & MAIDENHEAD BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£28,000.00 |
700 |
| RUTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL |
£13,200.00 |
330 |
| SALFORD COUNTY COUNCIL |
£40,000.00 |
1000 |
| SANDWELL METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£30,000.00 |
750 |
| SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL |
£128,000.00 |
3200 |
| SHROPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| SLOUGH BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£25,000.00 |
625 |
| SOLIHULL METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£20,000.00 |
2000 |
| SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL |
£48,000.00 |
1200 |
| SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL |
£40,000.00 |
1000 |
| SOUTH TYNESIDE COUNCIL |
£86,440.00 |
2161 |
| SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| SOUTHEND-ON-SEA COUNCIL |
£44,440.00 |
1110 |
| STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£250,000.00 |
6410 |
| STOCKPORT METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£64,000.00 |
1600 |
| STOCKTON-ON-TEES BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£72,000.00 |
1800 |
| STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL |
£110,00.00 |
2750 |
| SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL |
£68,000.00 |
1700 |
| SUNDELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| TAMESIDE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| TELFORD AND WREKIN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£54,000.00 |
1350 |
| THURROCK COUNCIL |
£48,000.00 |
1200 |
| TORBAY BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£30,000.00 |
750 |
| TRAFFORD METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| WAKEFIELD METROPOLITAN COUNCIL |
£80,000.00 |
2000 |
| WALSALL METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£32,000.00 |
800 |
| WARRINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£88,920.00 |
2223 |
| WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£36,000.00 |
900 |
| WEST BERKSHIRE COUNCIL |
£65,000.00 |
1625 |
| WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL |
£20,000.00 |
500 |
| WIGAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£60,000.00 |
1500 |
| WILTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£160,000.00 |
4000 |
| WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£24,000.00 |
600 |
| WOLVERHAMPTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL |
£120,000.00 |
3000 |
| WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
£120,000.00 |
3000 |
| TOTALS |
£7,798,066.00 |
197,274 |
|
