PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
C Council transport capital funding announced by DfT
ouncils have now got confirmation from the Government of their capital block funding for the next two financial years, and indicative funding until 2015.
The DfT has slashed the previous 26 grant funding streams to four: A local sustainable transport fund (capital and resource); Major schemes (capital); Block funding for highways maintenance (capital); and block funding for small transport improvement schemes (capital).
Other specific grants are being scrapped and funding incorporated into the local formula grant, administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Nick Bisson, director of regional and local transport policy at the DfT, said in a letter to
councils: “The Government is committed to reducing the deficit, facilitating long-term, sustainable growth and tackling carbon emissions, while ending the era of top-down government by providing a radical devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local authorities.”
The highways maintenance block funding will total £3bn over the next four years, with a fund of £3m also available to help councils learn best practice in combining purchasing power and other efficiency measures.
The integrated transport block funding will provide £1.3bn over four years for small transport
84 | rail technology magazine Dec/Jan 11 improvements.
The Government is also establishing a ‘sustainable transport fund’, worth £560m over the funding period, for councils outside London with innovative interventions that boost business, cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.
Mr Bisson said: “This replaces a range of previous grants for sustainable forms of travel and represents a significant increase in funding for sustainable travel, which the Government believes can both support economic growth and reduce carbon emissions.”
The fund appears to replace previous initiatives, such as the much larger Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) and its replacement announced by the last Government, the Urban Challenge Fund. The
TIF had at its heart public transport cash in return for councils implementing demand-management measures, including congestion charging. This put off many councils from applying due to the political fallout, especially after Manchester voters rejected TIF- linked congestion charging in a referendum in 2008.
There will also be a £1.5bn fund for ‘major projects’ - £600m for committed schemes and £900m for new schemes.
Mr Bisson’s letter said: “We will also be looking to develop successor arrangements to the previous Government’s Regional Funding Allocations for transport that, over time, give a voice in scheme prioritisation to elected local authorities and business interests. We hope that Local Enterprise Partnerships will have an important role in this.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92