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Transport: Local Transport Plans

Volume 706: debated on Thursday 18 December 2008

Statement

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Paul Clark) has made the following Ministerial Statement.

I am announcing today a consultation on draft guidance for local transport plans (LTPs). Local transport authorities in England, excluding London, are required to have regard to guidance when preparing such plans.

The guidance sets out how the Government expect local transport authorities to plan and deliver better transport from 2011 onwards. It enables local transport authorities to prepare LTPs that meet their own needs, integrating transport closely with wider local priorities and key services. It sets out the importance of regional and national transport goals, such as supporting the economy, reducing transport’s emission of greenhouse gases, and promoting greater health, equality of opportunity and quality of life.

The guidance explains the changes to the statutory framework for local transport plans brought about by the recent Local Transport Act 2008, which amends the Transport Act 2000.

Consultation will last 16 weeks, finishing on 9 April 2009. It is available at www.dft.gov.uk/ltp. Stakeholders will continue to be involved throughout the consultation period, and final guidance will be published in summer 2009.

I have placed copies of the new guidance in the Libraries of the House.