Govt consider private way
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THE GOVERNMENT is open to, and looking for, new forms of finance — including private finance — for roads and the transport system generally, Transport Secretary David Howell said last week.
And Junior Transport Minister Kenneth Clarke noted that, given the present state of the economy, and the restraints within which the Government operated, it would be foolish for anyone to shut his mind to possible alternative means of financing road improvements.
The idea of finding other money to build roads had been raised by Roger Moate (Conservative, Faversham) who suggested that perhaps the City of London could build the "missing link" in the M20.
There was, he said, little prospect of any major source of public funds for an expanded road building programme, or indeed a railway programme. So would Mr Howell encourage the Treasury to take a new line in seeking new forms of private finance for programmes of this kind, in addition to the consideration of toll roads?