Too little transport investment Chancellor told
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from our political correspondent IN A pre-Budget memorandum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer the British Road Federation has argued that Britain Invests too little in transport. It says that the latest White Paper shows that roads and transport take only 4.9 per cent of total public expenditure while investment in transport accounts for only 2.7 per cent.
Transport investment should not only be increased, says the BRF, but emphasis should be concentrated on economically worthwhile schemes.
The memorandum points out that road user taxation will total more than £2,100m this year, making up nearly 10 per cent of total Government revenue, yet only 17 per cent of this total is spent on building and maintaining the national road network. And the proportion has been falling.
The BRF urges the Government to impress on local authorities the need to phase out the £350m of local subsidies to bus passengers and the £1,350m planned for British Rail in 1975/6-1978/9. These do not meet the Government objective of minimum cost/maximum benefit — in contrast with the high rates of return on investment in smaller road improvements and by-passes which are being squeezed out.