Local
Transport Spending Cut Next Year
Local Transport
Spending Cut Next Year The Department for Transport's announcement
of a 15% reduction in local transport spending in England for
the next year is "hugely disappointing", says the Quarry Product
Association's Director General Simon van der Byl.
The settlement of £1.6bn (down from £1.9bn last year) will enable
only a fraction of the public transport and road scheme bids submitted
by local authorities to proceed.
The provision
for local road maintenance has been increased by 1% to £660m,
but this nominal increase takes no account of inflation and means
that the real funding is in fact being reduced. This is in spite
of widespread acknowledgement that local road conditions are continuing
to deteriorate.
Simon can
der Byl added: "Once again we see transport spending cut in response
to general pressure on Government finances. It's hard to believe
that Government can be truly committed to improving the quality
of our infrastructure while resources for local transport are
being reduced to this extent".
ENDS
Notes to editors
Headline
DfT Figures
| |
2005/06
(£m) |
2004/05
(£m) |
%
Change (+/-) |
|
Highway Maintenance |
660 |
651 |
+1.4 |
| New
Local Integrated Transport Schemes |
552 |
657 |
-16 |
| Existing
Major Schemes |
407 |
459 |
-11.3 |
| TOTAL
SPENDING (includes unspecified projects) |
1619 |
1900 |
-14.8 |
New
approved public transport schemes
-
Watford Junction Station
- Red
Routes for the West Midlands
- Castleford
Integrated Transport Scheme
New
approved local road schemes
- Edge
Lane West
- Sittingbourne
Northern Distributor Route
- Bexhill
to Hastings link road
New
approved maintenance projects
- Copnor
Road Bridge
- Derby
inner road maintenance Major local transport schemes given
final approval
- South
Lowestoft Relief Road
- Stoke
Hammond and Linslade Bypass, Buckinghamshire
- North
West Taunton Package
- Primeline
Quality Bus Network in Coventry
- Wolverhampton
Centre Access and Interchange
- Barford
Bypass in Warwickshire
- Northfield
Regeneration Route in Birmingham
The
Quarry Products Association is the principal trade association
representing the UK aggregates industry. In England our members
produce over 90% of aggregates extracted - sand and gravel and
crushed rock as well as other non aggregate minerals such as
silica sand, agricultural and industrial lime including limestone,
chalk, clay and shale for cement.
If you need any more information, please contact our
Press Office.
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