Too much 'democracy' I was very disappointed to read in
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CM July 28 that the Government has strengthened the "democratic" control of transport in the Local Government Bill, so as to give more power to
Passenger Transport Authorities or their new equivalents.
Experience suggests that successful operation of a business is difficult when there is constant interference and constant public scrutiny. It has been a cross which municipal transport managers have had to bear over the years; some have been lucky in having strong and understanding transport committee chairmen who, having guided the local authority into accepting a course of action, have then been prepared to support the transport manager in his chosen method of application and operation. Others, however, have had to suffer the results ot frequent changes of political control or committee policy, together with meddling by councillors in detailed matters at the behest of ratepayers. Democratic control is all very well, and there must certainly be machinery through which users of a service industry can voice their complaints and opinions, but unless the operating staffs are insulated from the effects of this to a reasonable degree, the planning and provision of efficient transport services can become a constant strain.
It was one of the great advantages of the otherwise initially unpopular PTE /PTA set-up that the powers of the Authority were limited by statute to the control of policy and finance — in other words they had to operate like the chairman of a commercial company. The PTE became Ito use the same analogy) the .'managing director" with the executive powers of the business.
This was a very sensible split, with good precedents, and I would have thought that it had worked out far better in practice than anybody in the bus industry could possibly have expected way back in those heated days of the Transport Bill.
Unfortunately the people who, in this case, were calling for more power for the Authorities were the local politicians — and it is not difficult to understand how their view has been taken up by national politicians, with the result that we have now seen.
BRIAN WHITE Leigh-on-Sea, Essex