Local Transport Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 2C: 2C: Clause 9, page 11, line 34, at end insert— ““(2C) (a) In preparing their local transport plan, the authority may create a bus partnership scheme. (b) A bus partnership scheme shall agree guidelines and seek consensus on bus routes, frequencies, fares and other matters that shall be agreed, for the period of the local transport plan. (c) In constructing a bus partnership scheme, the authority shall consult all operators of registered services in the specified area. (d) In exercising their statutory functions under the Town and Country Planning Acts, the local planning authority shall have regard to the bus partnership scheme and guidance contained therein.”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, we have retabled this amendment as we feel that the Minister’s response to it in Committee was somewhat unsatisfactory. The amendment would allow and encourage local authorities to produce a bus partnership scheme as part of their local transport plan if they felt that it would be of benefit. The authorities would engage in dialogue and seek consensus on matters relating to bus transport. On the previous occasion, the Minister implied that nothing would be gained from the amendment, as he felt that provision was already contained in the Bill for much of what we mentioned. My opinion remains that the partnership approach should be encouraged as much as possible to allow authorities fully to realise the benefits of the quality partnership scheme over quality contracts. We have already had much discussion on the nature and appropriateness of admissible objections to setting fares, frequencies and timings. It is my view that much of this lengthy process could be avoided through effective discussion in the period prior to decision-making. In that way, a true partnership approach would be fostered. One of the Minister’s objections to the amendment was that local transport plans could be prepared at stages that did not coincide with the introduction of a quality partnership. Of course, we would not seek to make the production of a bus partnership scheme obligatory. The requirement to produce a local transport plan at intervals has already been corrected in the Bill, with flexibility introduced as a result, and we welcome that. Therefore, I argue that his objection is unfounded. The Bill contains a range of tools that local authorities can choose according to their circumstances, and I feel that getting operators around a table to discuss bus needs could prove a useful exercise in most cases. Furthermore, I do not believe that accepting the amendment would mean that freight and road safety partnerships would necessarily have to be produced, as the Minister contended last time. There is a strong case for fostering a partnership approach from the outset between authorities and bus operators, and I feel that the amendment would encourage that. I beg to move.