Transport 2000 fight
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL pressure group Transport 2000 is fighting again for residents to be given greater power over the granting of an operator's licence when they contest it on environmental grounds.
The Council on Tribunals has already rejected a Transport 2000 demand — that residents should have the right to appeal over the granting of an 0-licence (CM May 25).
But now the pressure group has persuaded Conservative MP for Faversham Roger Moate to put two Parliamentary questions in the near future.
The first is to Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley demanding why no steps have been taken to allow residents, or representers, to appeal against the Licensing Authority's decision if they disagree with it.
Transport 2000's executive director Susan Hoyle, says that if she is disappointed she will continue the campaign and speak with Transport Minister Lynda Chalker about it. "We won't let it stop here." she argued.
The second question will be to the Attorney General, who answers fbr the Council on Tribunals. Mr Moatc will ask what steps are being taken to make sure that residents are informed if the operator appeals against the LA's decision.
At present residents are not told if the operator goes for an appeal. "They never know the final outcome of the story," Ms Hoyle said. There was no reason why they should not be informed, she said.
Ms I toyle told CM that she believed that Transport 2000 was more likely to have success on the second question. There may have been an ommission in the law, and the Council on Tribunals was "reasonably sympathetic" to the problem raised, she said.
The Road Haulage Associa tion. has attacked the latest push by Transport 2000 to increase residents' power.
A spokesman said: "If residents appealed against the LA's decision it would simply add to the cost of the whole exercise to the haulier.
"A lot of time is taken up attending these public inquiries, and hauliers already suffer enough down-time," he said.
He argued that since the introduction of the environmetal regulations just over a year ago, the system seemed to be working fairly for industry and residents.
The Freight Transport Association is also arguing that residents are adequately covered by the present law.
ETA director of finance and legal affairs John Morris said that residents were already served because their Local Authority could appeal against an 0-licence decision on their behalf at the Transport Tribunal.