Transport Insights

The transport stories you won't see in the industry-friendly media

Author

Chris Ames

Tag: greenwood

  • All change on local transport funding

    A parliamentary answer from a transport minister sets out the distribution of local transport funding through mayoral and other transport authorities over the next few years – and proves to be a portal into a previously unannounced new framework for local transport funding.

    Labour MP Julia Buckley asked:

    of the £21 billion of new local transport funding announced across the Comprehensive Spending Review period, how much funding is allocated to (a) Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, (b) Mayoral Strategic Authorities, and (c) local councils not within a combined authority.

    I think the answer from Lilian Greenwood is best broken down:

    Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities will receive c£7.7bn of transport funding through their integrated settlement over the Spending Review period from 2026/27 to 2029/30 (to 2028/29 for Resource Funding).

    Mayoral Strategic Authorities with a mayor in place will receive c£4bn of transport funding through the Mayoral Transport Fund over the same period.

    So far so good. Nearly £12bn of the £21bn is to go to the two top levels of existing mayoral authorities. Then:

    All other local transport authorities will receive c£9.6bn of local transport funding over the Spending Review period, via the Integrated Transport Fund and Bus Services Fund.

    This includes c£1.2bn for Foundation Strategic Authorities (combined authorities without an elected mayor) and c£2.9bn for local authorities that are part of the Devolution Priority Programme and are due to be established as Mayoral Transport Authorities.

    The first confusing bit is that while we know which authorities are part of the Devolution Priority Programme, no-one knows how many foundation strategic authorities there will be.

    The other really confusing thing is that the Department for Transport (DfT) has not announced publicly that it has created an Integrated Transport Fund, but only said this to local transport authorities.

    As it says in this memorandum of understanding between the DfT and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Unitary Authority:

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  • Greenwood parks pavement parking ban…again

    If you detected some reluctance from successive governments to tackle drivers who park on footways, the latest written parliamentary answers on the subject show that ministers are in no hurry to give councils the powers they promised them in January.

    Transport minister Lilian Greenwood was asked by fellow Labour MP Peter Dowd what the government’s proposed timeline is. She replied:

    On 8 January 2026, I announced the publication of the government’s formal response to the 2020 public consultation ‘Pavement parking: options for change’ which sets out what the government plans to do to tackle pavement parking. In the first instance we plan to give local authorities powers before the end of this year to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles parked in a way that unnecessarily obstructs the pavement. The Department will engage with local authorities on the detail of these plans.

    As I reported at the time, the government said it would “create powers to enable local transport authorities to prohibit pavement parking in their areas” and in the meantime “enable local authorities to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction’ of the pavement”.

    At that time, Commons Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury said:

    The Transport Committee will be watching closely to ensure that legislation is enacted without further delays.

    But, although ministers originally said the powers for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas would be created “at the next legislative opportunity” and “in parallel” with secondary legislation to allow enforcement against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, the new area-wide power is clearly not happening any time soon.

    In relation to the pledge to allow enforcement against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement this year, Greenwood told another Labour MP, Anneliese Dodds:

    My officials have begun work on secondary legislation and guidance for this option, and associated stakeholder engagement.

    Oh good, more consultation.

  • Ministers fail to publish road safety strategy

    The Government appears to have missed its own target of publishing its new and widely trailed road safety strategy “this year”.

    I have written extensively on this blog about the varying commitment to publish the strategy, as well as the boast from ministers that it will be “the first for ten years”.

    As early as 11 December – less than two weeks ago – asked directly by Tory MP Andrew Griffith when the strategy would be published, transport minister Lilian Greenwood said:

    The Government intends to publish the Road Safety Strategy this year.

    But, with Parliament sitting and just a day before Christmas, there has been a wobble, with Greenwood telling Green Party MP Ellie Chowns this week:

    My Department is developing our road safety strategy and we will set out more details in due course.

    As I have noted in relation to smart motorway evaluation reports, ministers sometimes say they are working on things when they have simply chosen not to publish them, but the idea that officials are still putting the strategy together – or ministers are arguing over the content with No 10 – is mind blowing.

    Greenwood also told Labour MP Juliet Campbell:

    We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. Details on this will be published shortly.

    I think that you can safely say that if ministers say they intend to do something and then don’t do it, you have failed.

  • Look over there, Greenwood says as active travel funding falls

    With Labour cutting funding for active travel and being coy about whether its forthcoming cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS3) will include meaningful targets, transport minister Lilian Greenwood has gone in for the diversionary tactic of reheating the culture wars.

    On Sunday The Guardian reported pressure from campaigners for CWIS3 to include targets beyond the feeble – and clearly unmeasurable – aspiration to make walking, wheeling and cycling “easy, safe, and accessible for everyone” by 2035.

    On Wednesday, Greenwood answered – or rather failed to answer – a question from shadow transport secretary Richard Holden on:

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  • Greenwood and Alexander mangle their messages on safety strategy

    Road safety minister Lilian Greenwood appears to want the credit for delivering “the first road safety strategy in a decade”, without actually delivering it – and is causing confusion along the way.

    I joked recently that the boast would soon be extended to 11 years as the Department for Transport fails to produce the strategy.

    Now Greenwood has resorted to saying “over a decade”, as in this recent Instagram post, where she is pictured with transport secretary Heid Alexander, proclaiming “safer roads ahead”.

    How much safer? and how far ahead? remain the questions and a the lack of a timetable led to a bit of backtracking on LinkedIn from Jamie Hassall, executive director at the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).

    After originally commenting “What great news!”, he admitted: “I should have used a ? rather than a ! I thought this might be the release of the strategy.”

    Anyone looking at this can be forgiven for thinking that the hype from ministers might signal that the strategy is imminent, and indeed it may be.

    If the plan will indeed save lives, the delay is costing them.

    Meanwhile, Greenwood has returned to saying “this year” after going back to the “in due course” formulation.

    In a response this week to a parliamentary question, she wrote:

    Our Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish by the end of the year.

    If (still) under development is true, it isn’t imminent.

    What’s that saying about the road to hell?

  • DfT backs away from Road Safety Strategy “this year”

    The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that it is no longer pledging to publish its new Road Safety Strategy this year, despite a very recent pledge from a minister.

    I noticed that in a written parliamentary answer on 27 October, Lilian Greenwood said:

    Our Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish by the end of the year.

    But in (multiple) subsequent answers, such as this one just a few days later, she has only said e.g.

    We will set out more details in due course.

    I asked the DfT if it still intends to publish the road safety strategy by the end of the year and a spokesperson told me that “in due course” – i.e. no public target date – is its current line.

    It should be a great embarrassment for ministers. In August “government sources” briefed the Times that the strategy is “due to be published in the autumn”, as well as spinning quite a lot of what might be in it.

    I don’t think transport secretary Heidi Alexander was asked about the timing of the document when appearing before the Transport Committee yesterday, although she did mention that it was on its way.

    Ministers are fond of saying that the new strategy will be “the first for 10 years”.

    At this rate their achievement will be even better, perhaps the first for 11 years.

  • Paralysis at the DfT

    Recent parliamentary answers from transport ministers suggest that Labour is completely stuck on many of key issues it should be addressing.

    In response to a question from fellow Labour MP Darren Paffey about the “planned timetable is for announcing further details on the regulation of private electric scooters, as indicated in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan”, roads minister Simon Lightwood said:

    The Government is committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows.

    We understand the importance of providing a clear legislative timeline and my Department is working with colleagues across government to secure this.

    So another example of when being committed to something doesn’t mean actually doing anything about it. Maybe just extend the trials again?

    Other MPs have been asking what is happening about pavement parking, including Labour MP Damian Egan. Lilian Greenwood is fully aware that it’s an issue that needs to be addressed, but:

    The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially for people with mobility or sight impairments and disabled people with wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs. To inform next steps, the Department has considered the potential options, assessing the costs and benefits to households and businesses, which includes well-being, social isolation and economic opportunities. This assessment drew on existing evidence, including the 2020 pavement parking consultation. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.

    It’s now the fifth anniversary of that pavement parking consultation closing. Neither the Tories nor Labour has had the courage to take it forward.

    And then there is the promised and widely trailed road safety strategy, “the first for ten years”.

    On 27 October, Greenwood told shadow transport secretary Richard Holden:

    Our Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish by the end of the year.

    But in subsequent answers, such as this one, she appears to have backed away from this target date, saying:

    More details will be published in due course.

    “In due course” is of course what officials and ministers say when they can’t or don’t want to give a date. I’ve asked the DfT to clarify and transport secretary Heidi Alexander has been in front of the Transport Committee this morning.

    Of course, if Lightwood is to be believed, the department is still carrying out “assurance” of evaluations of smart motorway schemes that National Highways completed in 2022.

    The question is, are they incompetent, or just kicking the tricky stuff into the long grass?

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  • Greenwood sidelined as Lightwood takes roads brief

    Simon Lightwood has been made the new roads minister following the shambolic reshuffle that saw Lilian Greenwood removed from the Department for Transport (DfT) after showing too much enthusiasm for tackling pavement parking, before being partially re-instated.

    However, Greenwood will only be a part-time minister as she has another job in the Whips Office.

    It’s not clear what she will do at the DfT as it has still not bothered to tell the public which minister is responsible for which bit of transport policy. Lightwood is still listed on its website as minister for local transport, while Greenwood and new minister Keir Mather have no responsibilities or roles listed.

    Based on the announcements linked to him, Mather appears to have responsibility for maritime and aviation policy.

    I have previously noted Greenwoods clear statements (several months apart) to take action “very soon” on pavement parking and that a parliamentary answer from Lightwood suggested that he was in no hurry to do anything.

    Time will tell, but he may have been given the roads brief to take forward Labour’s Plan for Change by not changing very much.

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  • Could Lilian be the future of roads once…more?

    I’m not saying the government is disorganised of makes things up as it goes along, but former “future of roads” minister Lilian Greenwood has returned to the Department for Transport (DfT), just over a week after being moved.

    It appears that she will also be a government whip and her responsibilities at the DfT have not yet been officially confirmed on the department’s website.

    Neither have those of new minister Keir Mather, who appears to have maritime and aviation responsibilities.

    Greenwood’s return brings the department back up to its full complement of four junior ministers under transport secretary Heidi Alexander.

    Bizarre is not a strong enough word for such a turnaround.

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  • Ministers on the move

    At the time of writing, there are only four ministers listed on the Department for Transport webpage, with Lilian Greenwood and Mike Kane moving out and just one MP, Keir Mather, coming in.

    The remaining junior ministers, “Lord” Peter Hendy and Simon Lightwood, still have their existing portfolios (rail and local transport respectively) but Mather does not have one. I’m not sure he even has a driving licence.

    We will see how it settles down if/when a fifth minister is announced.

    I should apologise to Greenwood. Last week I mocked her for promising for the second time that progress on pavement parking would be made “very soon”.

    The trouble of course is that Greenwood’s departure will both delay progress on this and mean that her “very soon” promise will not have been made by the current minister.

    She also said the issue was a personal “bugbear” and this may have been her downfall with a No 10 operation determined not to upset drivers.

    Perhaps the new minister will even be a fan of pavement parking, particularly for delivery, delivery, delivery vehicles.

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