The immediate agenda - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 397

Box 23.4 Possible functions for sub-regional alliances
As recommended by Lyons Inquiry (DCLG 2007f)
• Strategic planning powers currently held partly by the individual local authorities
and partly by central government
• Resources and land currently administered or owned by Communities England
• Powers over some strategic roads currently administered by the Highways
Agency
• Ability to make some adjustments to the quality and frequency of rail services and
perhaps to commission or decommission some sub-regional services
• Allocation of some proportion of regional transport and housing funding
• Powers and revenues allocated to local authorities in relation to road pricing.
national and regional government. His list of suggestions has particular relevance
for transport provision (Box 23.4).
The Local Transport Act contains reforms which may be applied to the governance
arrangements of local transport in England outside London. It does not specify the
precise nature of these reforms nor the areas to which they should apply. Rather it
gives the Secretary of State powers to make orders in response to proposals put forward
by local councils, i.e. so that the nature of reforms may be agreed locally and varied
from one part of the country to another. The SoS also has reserve powers to require
that a review of arrangements is conducted in a particular area and that proposals for
reform are submitted.
The basic concept in the Act is of 'Integrated Transport Authorities' (ITAs) which
can be regarded, geographically and functionally, as an extension of the existing PTAs.
The only necessary changes provided for in the Act are that:
• the six English PTAs will be known in future as ITAs
• their areas will be known as 'integrated transport areas'
• they will have sole responsibility for preparing a Local Transport Plan (previously
prepared jointly with the metropolitan district councils)
• they acquire the power, jointly with local traffic authorities, to make road user
charging schemes.
However the area, functions and constitution of these bodies may be varied
following a review of existing arrangements. In addition proposals for new ITAs may
be brought forward elsewhere.
Coupled with the regulatory reform of bus services these changes potentially
represent a return towards the more comprehensive transport planning regime
previously available to the metropolitan county councils. However reviews in these
areas are likely to propose boundary extensions, reflecting the functional expansion
of these 'city regions' in the intervening decades. Elsewhere the new regime would
be especially valuable in restoring transport integration in similar urbanised areas
which were broken up by the creation of unitary councils in 1997. Examples are
Greater Bristol ('West of England'), South Hampshire and Teesside where voluntary
partnerships have been established in the interim.