English transport devolution is delivering real change across
major cities, from enhancing connectivity to boosting
housebuilding, but must go ‘further and faster' to unlock
additional economic growth.
That is the key message of a report by the Urban
Transport Group (UTG), the UK's network of transport authorities,
which charts the history and success of English transport
devolution to the present day, and sets out recommendations on
how to fully realise the benefits it offers for future growth.
The report, which was published to follow the
Government's English Devolution White
Paper (released last December), includes transport case
studies from UTG's member city regions - from the new, yellow
franchised Bee Network buses on the streets of Greater Manchester
and the publicly owned and operated Supertram network in South
Yorkshire, to London's Elizabeth line, the fastest growing
railway in the UK.
Outside of the capital, devolution has so far seen around £30
billion of public spending devolved to metro mayors through
increasingly flexible and long-term funding arrangements. Most
mature Mayoral Combined Authorities are now in line to receive a
fully integrated multiyear funding settlement, with Greater
Manchester and the West Midlands first to receive this in
2025/26.
Yet the National Infrastructure Commission has found that a lack
of effective transport infrastructure is limiting the
productivity of city regions.
To fully capitalise on the devolution prize, the report
- ‘The pathway to a brighter
transport future: Delivering growth through transport
devolution' - recommends that Government
should:
- work with city regions to deliver a sustainable long-term
solution to funding to all tiers of local government
- commit to enabling further devolution by providing city
regions with greater local investment levers, such as land value
capture mechanisms and infrastructure investment funds
- offer funding certainty to Transport for London to enable it
to properly maintain and renew transport assets and to honour
existing contracts to deliver upgrades to the network
- deliver on devolutionary commitments around regulating
micromobility (such as e-bikes and e-scooters), rail reform and
highways powers in the forthcoming English Devolution Bill.
Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport
Group, said: “Transport devolution is changing
England's major city regions for the better – improving our
public transport networks, boosting growth and setting ambitious
plans for more homes.
“However, the devolution journey is far from complete. To
fully deliver the government's Plan for Change and realise the
benefits of economic growth, transport devolution most go further
and faster.
“Building on the Government's White Paper, greater priority
should be given to working with devolved areas to deliver
sustainable investment solutions whilst also expanding powers in
critical policy areas such as micromobility and rail
integration.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The report - ‘The pathway to a brighter transport future:
Delivering growth through transport devolution – is
available to download here.
