Cameron hints cities will get green light on transport schemes

Oct 7 2009 by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post

Britain’s big cities could receive the green light to press ahead with long-awaited transport schemes under a Conservative government, Tory leader David Cameron has pledged.

He vowed to make nearly £2 billion available to local councils.

The cash has already been set aside by the Government in a scheme called the Transport Innovation Fund – but Labour will only release the cash to councils which agree to impose road charges on motorists.

The Conservative leader said he would do away with the condition, as part of plans to devolve decision-making power to Britain’s “great cities”.

Speaking to regional newspapers during the party conference in Manchester, Mr Cameron said he believed the party was getting its message across to voters.

And he boasted that the Tories were tackling the problems of Britain’s budget deficit head on – in contrast to Gordon Brown, who he accused of “living in la-la land” and pretending the problem did not exist.

Mr Cameron also highlighted Conservative plans to introduce mayors into Britain’s big cities – a policy which is opposed by Mike Whitby, the Conservative leader of Birmingham City Council.

Mr Cameron said: “We want to invest right across the country. Local areas will have more power over how and where to spend that money. Decentralisation, devolution, giving local councils more power and control, taking the regional powers and giving them to the city councils and county councils, that is a very major part of our plan.

“Our plans are to give much greater devolution to our great cities, and just as we have a city mayor in London, so we’d like to see city mayors leading the regeneration and work in Britain’s great cities.”

Conservative plans to scrap regional government would also give councils more control over local decisions, he said.

“I think we should review the way local government is funded, to ensure it is simple and straightforward and fair, and seen to be fair.

“In terms of transport spending of course, we would like to get rid of the regional assemblies and regional powers that have been passed to the regional development agencies in terms of transport, and pass that down to the appropriate local authority.

“And also on things like the Transport Innovation Fund, we have said that it shouldn’t be tied to bullying measures by the Government to make you do congestion charging.

“If councils have good schemes to encourage sustainable transport, they should be able to bid on that basis and spend the money on that basis, rather than being forced into congestion charging schemes.”

The Transport Innovation Fund was created by the Government to help councils improve public transport in regions which introduce road pricing.

But most of the cash has gone unspent after local authorities, including those in the West Midlands, decided against introducing charges for motorists.

The Conservative leader described this week’s report into the state of child protection services in Tory-run Birmingham City Council as “disturbing” – but said he believed council leader Mike Whitby would act quickly to make improvements.

He said: “I’m sure Mike Whitby and his team will want to act on it very urgently.

“There are in many of our cities huge difficulties in looking after children in care, and running good children’s services.”

Mr Cameron shrugged off questions about his background, after he was asked in a television interview over the weekend how much he was worth.

Asked if Commons rules should require MPs to reveal more details about their finances, he said: “We do have good rules on disclosure of income and interests. I think this new independent authority should look at whether they need to be improved, and I would abide by any new rules that came in.

“But I do think generally that what really matters is, do you have the right ideas and proposals? Do you understand what needs to be done? Rather than thinking that this is entirely dependent on where you live, or where you went to school.”

Conservatives had won respect by being honest about the state of public finances, he said. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has announced a range of tough measures including reviewing the state pension age, freezing public sector pay and keeping Labour’s 50p tax rate for high earners.

Mr Cameron said: “I think everybody understands that we have an enormous budget deficit, the country is living beyond its means, and we have to deal with it.

“Now, there are only two approaches to this. One is the Prime Minister’s approach, where you live in a dreamworld and make speeches with zillions of extra spending promises but no way of meeting them, and you just pretend there isn’t a budget problem at all.

“Or there is our approach, where you talk openly and frankly about some of the things that you have to do, and you try to take people with you.”