Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the extension letter to Transport for London which he referred to in his letter of 17 December 2021 to hon. Members representing London constituencies.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
I can confirm that the extension letter of 17 December 2021, extending the 1 June 2021 extraordinary funding settlement for Transport for London, will be placed in the Library and published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding was allocated to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the building of the temporary cycle infrastructure on Kensington High Street, and whether those funds are planned to be clawed back following the removal of the scheme in response to his Department’s guidance to local authorities.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has been allocated a total of around £1 million from the Department’s Active Travel Fund and Transport for London’s London Streetspace Programme. This has supported a number of active travel measures in its area in response to the pandemic including school streets, low traffic neighbourhoods, changes to the public realm to allow greater social distancing, and cycle lanes like the one on Kensington High Street. Funding is generally transferred once schemes are delivered and once claims are brought forward by each Borough, meaning that the total amount of funding provided to date is much less than the total allocated. Borough payments are due to be finalised in September 2021, and will reflect scheme delivery in each area. No funding has been or will be provided to the Royal Borough to cover the costs of removing the cycle lane on Kensington High Street.
In common with other authorities in London and elsewhere, the Royal Borough’s performance in delivering active travel infrastructure is being taken into account in all future funding allocations. The delivery of active travel schemes in London and decisions on active travel funding for individual boroughs are overseen by a group including senior representatives from the Department for Transport and Transport for London.
The Department will be issuing updated statutory Network Management Duty guidance to all local transport authorities shortly which will make clear that they should always leave cycling and walking schemes in place for long enough for their impacts to be properly assessed.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what communication took place between his Department and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea prior to that council’s decision to remove the temporary cycle infrastructure on Kensington High Street; and whether his Department advised against the removal of the temporary cycle lanes in that location.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Transport in London is devolved meaning the Department has no role in respect of borough decisions of this sort, which are a matter for the Mayor of London. The Department was not, therefore, formally consulted on the Royal Borough’s plans. As a general point, the Department agrees that local authorities should not remove cycle lanes before their impacts have been properly assessed, and will shortly issue further advice to authorities on this matter.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish an updated economic appraisal of the Airports National Policy Statement.
Answered by Robert Courts
We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion remains a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the comments of Sir Howard Davies on 15 June 2021, what plans he has to review the Airports National Policy Statement.
Answered by Robert Courts
We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion remains a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers.