Better local public transport

Speech by former transport minister Tony McNulty to the Beacon Council Learning Exchange about the winners of the local authority best practice in transport competition.

Ladies and gentlemen. A lot of people today talk about 'Best Practice'. It's one of those tired clichés you hear over and over again - from businessmen, marketing experts, consultants, and occasionally, even the odd politician or civil servant.

These are the people who speak about being results-focused and working from level-playing-fields in a bid to improve the bottom line.

Most of these phrases have lost all impact over the years.

But sometimes - just sometimes - we come across something that makes us forget the cliché, and sheds light on why a phrase like 'Best Practice' was thought up in the first place.

And that's what today - and the Beacon Council awards - are all about.

Today is about celebrating the achievements of five local authorities, and sharing those achievements with other transport professionals.

Best Practice in vision.

Best Practice in implementing that vision.

And Best Practice in making sure that vision is communicated to all local authorities.

It's a pleasure to be here to congratulate Cambridgeshire, Halton, Telford and Wrekin, Transport for London and West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, who have been chosen as Beacon Council award winners under the theme of Better Local Public Transport.

Since the Beacon Council Scheme was introduced in 1999, almost a thousand applications have been received across a wide variety of local government departments.

Two hundred and thirty one of those applicants have achieved Beacon status.

The five award-winning Beacon authorities today have earned their status by demonstrating excellence in improving local transport.

They've got some brilliant initiatives and I'd urge all of you to listen closely to what they've got to say.

But I'm sure they'd acknowledge that they are here to learn too. That's why this event is called a 'Learning Exchange' - it's a two way process celebrating the very Best Practice in local transport.

It's a process we are keen to encourage at the Department for Transport.

We believe that a good local transport system is essential to a strong economy, to a better environment and to an improvement in the quality of life for the local community.

It is local transport that gets people to work, to health services, to shops.

And it is good local transport that persuades people that there may be an alternative to the car in future.

Most journeys in Britain are local and short - over half of all journeys are less than five miles.

It is at local level where most people experience public transport. Even the smallest changes here matter - a cleaner bus, more helpful staff, or more regular transport services.

This government created Local Transport Plans - or LTPs - and Capital Allowances to put local transport at the core of our strategy.

LTPs gave local authorities more power to determine their own transport future.

More flexibility. More responsibility. And quite a bit more money.

For example, funding for local transport more than doubled between the financial years of 1998/1999 and 2003/2004.

That investment continues today. For 2004/2005, the Department for Transport announced a £1.9 billion package to boost local transport.

This strategy has really started to bear fruit - local authorities tell us they are on track to deliver around 70% of their transport programme targets through the LTP scheme.

Many are developing highly innovative solutions to local transport problems, as you can see today.

In the next year we will receive the second round of five-year local transport plans. Draft guidance for them will be out soon.

New announcements concerning Bus subsidies, Rail Review, and the future of transport policy are also imminent.

Looking around the work of the Beacon Councils today shows how important bus services are to local transport systems.

The facts speak for themselves.

Around two-thirds of all public transport journeys are by bus - over four billion every year.

And as the prime movers of people, buses are absolutely central to our transport strategy.

We've provided additional support for some 2,000 rural bus services through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant - 26 million passenger journeys are being made on these services annually. Increased allocations announced for 2004-05 total £51 million.

The Bus Challenge competitions have provided £163 million of government grants since 1998. This has enabled over 400 new bus projects to bring new transport opportunities to both rural and urban areas.

Local authority representatives have been involved in tackling other difficult issues through the Bus Partnership Forum, for instance, integrated ticketing.

The Forum has also produced 'Bus Priority, the Way Ahead' a comprehensive resource pack targeted at local authorities on the benefits of bus priority schemes.

In February this year, we changed legislation to make it easier to run registered local bus services in England and Wales whose routes and timings vary subject to passenger demand. I am pleased to say that over 30 services have been registered with the Traffic Commissioners since then.

The Bus Service Operators Grant (formerly Fuel Duty Rebate) has been extended to flexibly-routed local bus services in England. The Welsh Assembly also plans something similar.

We've recently consulted stakeholders on the proposal to reduce the 21-month implementation period for bus quality contracts. Where the requirements for a quality contract are met, we don't think bus users should have to wait that long for service improvements.

We are evaluating the responses to the consultation and will be announcing the outcome shortly. We are also currently consulting stakeholders on draft guidance for local transport authorities who may be considering applying for bus quality contracts.

The five Beacons here today have all shown that they've made a significant difference to public transport in their areas. They've also got something special that makes them stand out, something that can help other authorities raise their own standards higher.

And that's a vision to put ideas into action, and the professionalism to see them through.

Cambridgeshire's bid featured a public transport initiative that has addressed the needs of both urban and rural communities. A successful park and ride scheme has made different parts of Cambridge more accessible, and together with bus priority and traffic restraint measures, has helped drive up bus patronage in and around the city.

Halton's bid focused very closely on tailored transport solutions to address problems of social exclusion. It has focused on travelling to work, education establishments and travel by bus in the evening. Job seekers and the young are among those who have benefited from the changes.

Everybody knows about the increased bus patronage that's been achieved in the capital, but Transport for London's bid showed evidence of many other improvements to transport services. As well as TfL's unique partnership with the police to cut levels of transport crime, the organisation has started training initiatives to stem the turnover of staff.

Telford & Wrekin wanted to solve the problem of social exclusion by improving availability of public transport. Telford has a rapidly growing population with low car ownership, and housing estates located up to five miles from the town centre.

The bus system has been redesigned, and many traffic management changes have been introduced.

This council has shown that it's possible to increase bus patronage and enhance social inclusion in a new town that was built around the needs of the motor car.

West Yorkshire PTA (passenger transport association) has developed a highly successful transport system through fostering exclusive partnerships. The Yellow Bus Service for schools has played an important role in improving school transport services.

The commitment that all five authorities have shown is making a real difference to people's lives.

I thank them for that - and congratulate them on their success as Beacons for local transport.

During the year, they will be sharing their practices with other councils through a range of learning activities. Today begins that process.

The main objective for the year will be the dissemination of each of the five councils' initiatives, with key emphasis on increasing patronage, tackling social exclusion, improving service, improving integration, and delivering on measurable outcomes.

This time, it really is about sharing Best Practice.

Thanks you all for listening - and enjoy the rest of the day.

Delivered: 14 July 2004

(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)