Low fares tough line
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THREATS to cut off cash from metropolitan authorities with low fare policies have been made by Transport Minister Mr William Rodgers.
In a personal letter to leaders of all metropolitan councils, Mr Rodgers spelt out the get-tough policy.
"In an extreme case I may decide to accept for a particular county such a level of expenditure that it would receive no Transport Supplementary Grant, or to restrict borrowing by a particular authority for capital expenditure in order to dissuade them from spending more than I may judge to be their proper %JEW transport legislation likely to come into effect within the next few years is the subject of a transport and Jistribution workshop being held by the Freight Transport kssociation next month.
The course is being held at the Holiday Inn, Langley, Bucks, and is aimed to give an Dpportunity for operators to ask the questions about licensing and legislation that they might not otherwise have 2hance to ask.
Transport managers' licensing, tachos and drivers hours will be just some of the subjects under discussion at the workshop and on the panel to answer questions will be FTA assistant secretary, Mr Bill Wills; chief engineer Mr D. A. Lee and transport cost adviser VIr M. S. Downer.
Chairman for the one day workshop will be FTA Thames Valley Division chairman Mr [an Robertson. The session ;tarts at 6.30 pm for 7 pm on Wednesday, November 24 and Ls open to non-members of the FTA. share of national resources available for local transport."
Faced with such explicit threats all metropolitan councils are under intense pressure to back down on low fares policy. But some have more to lose than others. Greater Manchester, where fares increased by nearly 100 per cent last year, would be little affected, but others such as South Yorkshire would really • feel the pinch. It is unlikely that the authorities were able to present a united front to Mr Rodgers at a meeting with the Minister arranged by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities earlier this week._ The West Midland Metropolitan Council faced with a f15m cut in transport grants has already yielded to government pressure to scrap its no increase policy. Leader Sir Stan Yapp agreed that Mr Rodgers had the power to compel the council to abide by his guidelines.
Fares on buses run by South Yorkshire's Transport Executive will remain the cheapest in Britain for the moment despite Government moves.
The Government had called on the council to trim next year's £25m transport budget by between Urn and Om as part of its attack on public overspending.
A special meeting of the controlling Labour group was held on Monday October 18 to discuss what steps to take and the result was to reaffirm the council's policy on cheap fares and no redundanceies even though the consequence could be a huge rate increase in April.
A South Yorkshire deputation will meet Mr William Rodgers, the Transport Minister, next Monday (October 25) to discuss the Government's reaction to the labour group ruling and what effect there will be on the council.