The election’s over… now what?

10 July 2024  |  Ben Curtis  |  Local transport

But with little time for celebrating, Louise Haigh’s in-tray looms. This week Louise has made it clear that the Department for Transport is going to ‘move fast and fix things’, so we’ve rounded up just a few issues we think will be the new Government’s top transport priorities. 

HS2 

There has hardly been a more talked-about transport issue in recent years than that of HS2 and the future of connectivity between our urban centres. While it may not have dominated the election campaigns, the problem remains of the congested West Coast Mainline. After cancelling Phase 2 of the scheme, abandoning plans to build the line north of Birmingham, Rishi Sunak offered up ‘Network North’; a series of transport projects in the north purported to be funded by the money saved by Phase 2’s cancellation. So… what happens now? 

Arguably the most important rail topic in Louise Haigh’s inbox will be the future of capacity north of Birmingham. With the West Coast Mainline being at – or very near to – capacity, alternatives to HS2, or a restart of the Birmingham to Manchester section, must be considered. Failure to address this issue will result in chronic overcrowding, and a decrease in seats available between London and Manchester as HS2 trains will have to join the existing tracks. Equally, the Government’s existing freight targets (and any additional targets set by the new Government) will be trickier to achieve without an expansion of capacity on the line.  

Much has been discussed of the involvement of the private sector, and whether private capital can help finance the line, but a decision will need to be made on this soon.  

Bus reform 

Much of the political debate in all Government departments will be focused on funding — and who will be the beneficiaries of the expected spending review. Bus reform is contingent not just upon the Department for Transport, but also on the agreements and decisions made on the funding of local authorities. In our general election manifesto, we called on the future Government to ensure all local transport authorities have sufficient funding to deliver a minimum level of supported bus services, and we will continue to call on the new Government to do just that.  

Labour’s plans hinge around extending the power to implement bus franchising – something we welcome – but attention also needs to be paid to areas in which franchising might not be feasible. Freedom and flexibility needs to be offered to all local transport authorities to ensure that the best model can be adopted by each authority.  

With this, we also think reforming Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), the fund paid to local authorities to innovate and improve bus services, is a top priority. The current system only rewards some rather than all, and this inequality must be addressed. A single pot of long-term allocations for all local authorities across England and Wales needs to be implemented.  

Vehicle tax reform 

Sorting out the future of road tax is of particular importance for the Treasury. As more people switch to hybrid and electric vehicles, fuel duty revenue is depleting, resulting in an annual £28 billion hole for the Treasury which should be of big concern for new Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Whilst other questions in Government are about how money is spent, this issue directly concerns money that the Treasury cannot afford to lose.  

Ultimately, the way motoring is taxed needs to change. We’ll continue to advocate for a pay-as-you-drive scheme based on how far people travel and the pollution they cause. This would be fairer than the current system and could in fact save most drivers money. 

These are far from the only issues that new transport ministers will be facing, but they are certainly three of the most pressing. As Campaign for Better Transport, we’ll continue to work with Government and campaign hard for a transport system fit for the future.

Header image: Sergeant Tom Robinson via Wikimedia Commons