Local Transport Bill [HL]

My Lords, I support these amendments, which seek to remove the admissible objections operator veto from quality partnerships. We have had much discussion on this point and it seems that the Bill would be improved were these words removed. The Government published, immediately prior to the first Committee session, draft guidance on what an admissible objection might constitute. The provision in the guidance that allows operators to make an objection based on operators being unable to provide services to the standards specified on a commercial basis has raised several questions already. We agree that local transport authorities are unlikely to devise a quality partnership with unreasonable requirements, as operators would not sign up—a point made by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser. Our earlier amendment on the idea of producing a bus partnership scheme as part of the local transport plan would assist in ensuring that any reasonable terms were amended at an earlier stage. Allowing the reasonable objection provision to remain in the Bill would undermine the principle of encouraging local authorities to take up quality partnerships.