MALCOLM MOSS MP EXPRESSES CONCERN AT THE PASSING OF THE LOCAL TRANSPORT BILL

Parliament passed the Local Transport Bill on 27^th October and this has caused the local MP concern, especially over the future of bus services

North- East Cambridgeshire MP, Malcolm Moss said after the Bill had been passed “despite being good in parts, the Bill is fatally flawed in others and it is for this reason that I voted against it”. Of particular concern are plans to make it easier for local authorities to enter into ‘quality contracts’ with bus operating companies which could lead to smaller bus companies struggling for business.

Malcolm Moss MP said “Changes to bus contracts will add yet another layer of bureaucracy to local transport planning…. And changes to bus contracts are a thinly veiled attempt to bring in re-regulation by the back door.”

Conservatives also opposed the Government’s plans for an untried untested spy-in-the-sky national road pricing scheme.  They argue that congestion charging should not be used to price people off the road altogether, and that it must not become another stealth tax on the motorist.

Malcolm Moss MP said:“I oppose the way the Government is forcing local councils to adopt road pricing schemes in order to access local transport funding. However, if a scheme is truly locally led, with real local support, and is aimed at delivering local transport benefits, particularly additional spending on accessible public transport, then a Conservative Government will not seek to block or dismantle it.”