Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

I am dealing with Clause 99 with Amendment 197A, which deletes a number of paragraphs from Schedule 6, because I wish to raise a number of specific transport issues. I seek some answers from the Minister. I am leader of Essex County Council, and I am the transport spokesman for the Conservatives in the House of Lords. As I understand the Bill, Clause 99 allows the functions and powers of PTEs—passenger transport executives—and ITAs—Integrated Transport Authorities—to be transferred to combined authorities. PTEs are local government bodies responsible for co-ordinating public transport in large urban areas. Currently, as far as I am aware, they are in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. They are administered in turn by ITAs, formerly known as PTAs—Passenger Transport Authorities—which are made up of councillors representing the areas served by the PTEs. I hope that I have managed to steer noble Lords through this alphabet soup of organisations; it is quite complicated. On the Local Transport Act 2008, the Government accepted the Opposition’s amendments that stipulated that each ITA must include at least one elected representative from each authority represented on the ITA. Members not appointed from among locally elected councillors are able to vote on only those matters that the ITA permits them to vote on. We had considerable discussion about those issues during the passage of that Act. The Government accepted that important nod in the direction of democratic accountability in the Local Transport Act, and they seem now to be trying to dilute it even further by transferring the functions of the ITAs to the new combined authorities. Why is this clause necessary? Do the Government believe that PTEs are not currently carrying out their functions satisfactorily? What is so superior about combined authorities that the Government feel that they could perform transport roles better than the PTEs and ITAs? Will the Minister detail by way of explanation and example what a combined authority could achieve that an ITA could not? I ask that question with some genuine curiosity because I have not been able to think of any reasons. I hope that the noble Baroness will be able to enlighten me. What specific powers do the Government envisage will be transferred from PTEs and ITAs to combined authorities? By what criteria will the Secretary of State determine which of those powers will be transferred from PTEs and ITAs to combined authorities? During the passage of the then Local Transport Bill, the Government went to great lengths to reform the functions and structures of PTEs and ITAs. How will this Bill impact on that recent legislation and vice versa? Is it not too soon to decide that the existing schemes are not working? In fact, they have not really been established yet. Why do they need to be changed? The composition of ITAs was subject to much debate during the passage of the Local Transport Bill. Will the composition of the new combined authorities reflect that discussion? Will they be formed in the way that the ITAs now exist? I have asked a series of questions that I hope the Minister can answer because I looked at these provisions and am confused about their purpose and unconvinced about their necessity. I ask the Government to explain to the Committee how Clause 99 fits the aims of the Bill to strengthen local democracy and help local communities deal with the problems of today. I do not see how these parts fulfil some of those aims.