(Secretary
of State for Transport): The 2022 Commonwealth Games, held in
Birmingham, will be the biggest sporting and cultural event that
the city and the region have ever seen. With an estimated
television audience of 1.5 billion people, it will showcase
Birmingham, the West Midlands and the entire country as an amazing
place to live, work, study, visit and do business.
Effective transport helps local communities and supports local
economies. We are investing in transport across the region
including over £320 million of Transforming Cities Fund
funding to support local transport projects in the West
Midlands.
We know that putting in place effective transport provision is a
crucial part of any major sporting event and requires detailed
planning and coordination. A well understood and supported
Transport Plan is therefore essential.
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games
Act 2020, which received Royal Assent on 25 June, includes a
number of transport measures and places the Games Transport Plan
on a statutory footing, awarding it appropriate weight and
authority.
Today, I am delighted to inform the House that, in line with
s.25(1) of the Act, I have directed the West Midlands Combined
Authority to prepare a Games Transport Plan for the 2022
Commonwealth Games.
The Games will be delivered in a much shorter time than other
Games: in just 4.5 years, rather than the typical 7. Local
partners in Birmingham and the West Midlands are already leading
the transport preparations for the Games.
The Games Transport Plan is an integral measure, which will set
out a strategic approach to planning and coordination of
transport to support the Games; covering the transportation of
spectators, athletes and the Games Family, while at the same time
ensuring that any disruption to transport users is kept to a
minimum.
When complete, a copy of the final Games Transport Plan will be
placed in the libraries of both Houses.
