Budget includes welcome transport measures but misses opportunities, says Campaign for Better Transport

Responding to today's Budget (Wednesday 28 October), Ben Plowden, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said:  

"With 70% of trips under five miles, better local transport is vital to a thriving economy that everyone can take part in. Properly supported, devolution can deliver that better local transport, drive stronger local economies and create greater opportunities across the country. So, we welcome the Government's commitment to giving local leaders greater powers and funding flexibility, alongside vital financial support for areas that need help to build the expertise and capacity needed to make devolution a success. 

Mr Plowden added:  

"We are pleased to see support for major schemes we have been calling for, including bringing international rail to Stratford, the Bakerloo Line extension and West Midlands Metro extension." 

Ben Plowden welcomed the Chancellor's support for a business rate retention zone to help fund the redevelopment of Stratford International Railway Station to enable it to handle international services: 

We are delighted to see this announcement as a first step towards bringing international rail services to Stratford International. With less than half of the Channel Tunnel's passenger capacity currently being used, there is huge potential to make international rail travel available to many more people. If we are serious about meeting our climate commitments, we need to make rail the easy choice for journeys to Europe rather than increasing capacity at Heathrow airport. Bringing international services to Stratford would help do exactly that, creating a new gateway to the continent and making sustainable travel more accessible for people across London and beyond. 

But Mr Plowden added: 

However, we are disappointed that the Chancellor chose not to reform aviation tax and decided against gradually ending the fuel duty cut. We understand the pressures on household budgets, but with fuel prices so strongly affected by global events, the fuel duty freeze and cut have been little help to people and have disproportionately benefited better-off households. The combined cost of both to the public purse has been many billions, which could be used to support the services that people rely on, including local, everyday public transport.

Electric vehicles are both much cheaper to run and better for the environment, so the focus should be on supporting lower-income households to switch to EVs rather than freezing fuel duty. The recommendations of the 'cost of public electric vehicle charging' review are welcome, but we would also like to see a social leasing scheme for key workers and the ZEV mandate targets maintained." 

 
ENDS 

Notes to Editors 
 

• Read Campaign for Better Transport's full Budget Submission. 

• Our 2025 report, Runways to Railways: unlocking the potential of the Channel Tunnel, recommended facilitating the deployment of Stratford International for international rail services. We found growing international rail services would significantly reduce the number of required short-haul flights, which would free up take-off and landing slots at Heathrow, diminishing the need for a third runway.  

• The Social Market Foundation has found that the richest households save the most from a fuel freeze nearly three times more than the poorest. 

• The OBR calculated that freezing fuel duty rates has cost the government around £120 billion between 2011 and October 2024. When fuel duty was cut in 2022 the Treasury said it would cost it £2.4bn. The policy costing document calculates the extension in this Budget will cost £575m in 2026-27 and £780m in 2027-28. 

• Home charging on an off-peak tariff costs around 2p a mile, while running a car is around 19p per mile and diesel over 21p.