Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The Guidance gave funding allocations for 2005/06-2007/08 and then projected
these annually to 2014/15 on the basis of zero real growth using the Government's
inflation target of 2%. This then provided an indicative spending profile over the
coming decade. In the transport stream a total of £708m was allocated in the first
year, split on a population basis between the individual regions such that the amounts
varied between £43m for the North-East to £135m in the South-East. This sum covers
the capital funding of local highway authority major schemes together with Highway
Agency schemes other than on motorways, and a limited number of trunk roads of
national and international importance. The desirability of extending the RFA to
embrace other items of centrally funded expenditure was acknowledged and the scope
for doing this would be investigated for future spending periods.
The process of preparing advice was to be facilitated by the Government's Regional
Office, engaging all relevant interests and concerns, although in practice the RDA
and Regional Assembly were the main participants. As well as linking individual
proposals to broader objectives the idea of a range of organisations coming together
collectively to prioritise schemes within the discipline of a finite budget introduced a
new dimension into the regional planning process.
The criteria to be applied to the submitted advice are listed in Box 22.4. A nice
ambiguity surrounds the relative importance of national and regional objectives. On
the one hand regions were being given the opportunity to advise on priorities from
their particular perspective; on the other hand they were counselled that greater
weight would be given to advice which demonstrated contribution to national targets!
Schemes proposed for the early years would need to include those already committed
or in an advanced stage of preparation. In practice therefore the RFA process was most
useful in concentrating minds beyond 2008 in planning affordable programmes and
Box 22.4
Criteria for regional funding allocation advice
To maximise influence on decisions taken, the Government would expect the advice
from regions to be:
• Evidence based - it is critical that priorities identiied from regions are based on
robust regional evidence
• Agreed within the region - the Government will take into account the range, depth
and quality of the advice and who has signed up within the region. As far as
possible advice should represent a regionally-agreed view of priorities
• Realistic - it is important that cost estimates are robust and proposals have been
tested for deliverability. Advice that does not reflect the [expenditure] planning
assumption will be disregarded
• Consistent - it is important that advice is consistent with wider national policy
priorities and takes into account current regional and local strategies except
where robust evidence is presented for different priorities
… Regional funding allocations are expected to support transport and housing
related PSA objectives and targets. Greater weight will be given to regional advice
which demonstrates the contribution to national targets.
Source: DfT 2005q paras 3.6-7
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