Minister's Ruling on London Transport Excursions
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A RULING has been given by the 71 Minister of Transport on the jurisfiction of the Metropolitan Licensing kuthority over services run by London fransport beyond the London Special krea.
In a written decision issued on iVednesday, he said that, in his view, iection 18(4) of the Transport Act, [953, did not reduce the scope of the "-licensing Authority's discretion under iection 72 of the 1930 Act, in relation
o any parts of a service lying outside he London Special Area.
The question arose on a group of ippeals lodged by the London Transsort Executive against decisions of the Metropolitan Licensing Authority on sicking-up points and vehicle allow'flees for 17 excursions and tours from various places to Ascot, Surrey. Afindsor and Whipsnade.
Having regard to the terms of iection 72, the decision stated, the Minister thought that the Authority lad power to hear all the parties who topeared before him and, in exercising sis jurisdiction whether to grant or -efuse licences for those parts of the sroposed services running outside the London Special Area, was entitled to save regard to matters within that area vhich might affect the sections of route 3utside it. In particular, be was intitled to consider such matters as Nhcnce the passengers were to come nut what other services were available
o them.
" The Minister considers that, in such :ase, a Licensing Authority has juristic/ion to attach conditions to a road
service licence affecting the provision of a road service outside the London Special Area, notwithstanding that the observance of those conditions may affect the service inside the London Special Area," he said.
Except in the case of an excursion from Leyton to Whipsnade, via Waltharnstow and Edmonton, the Minister accepted the recommendations of his inspector [Sir Robert Tolerton].
Decision Restrictive
In effect, the Authority's decision v,vould have meant that only persons taken on at Walthamstow could be carried on that part of the proposed service which was outside the London Special Area. It would also have limited the number of vehicles to two, instead of the seven that the L.T.E. wished to use.
" In recommending the dismissal of the appeal against this decision," the Minister went on, " the inspector seems to have been influenced largely by taking the loading figures of the objector as directly comparable with those of the Executive, whereas the former covered all the objector's picking-up points, but the Executive's were in respect only of Leyton, Walthamstow and Edmonton."
The Minister has made an Order on the Authority in respect of II of the excursions and tours, four of which related only to the vehicle allowance.
As it is seven months since the appeals were heard, it would seem that the Minister had some difficulty in arriving at his decision,