MP wants road policy to take centre stage
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christopher.waltonfarbi.co.uk CONSERVATIVE MP Steve Baker (below) has called on the influential, cross-party Transport Committee to recognise that freight movements by road are the "free-market choice" and change its agenda to focus on the needs of road users.
Baker, Conservative MP for Wycombe, entered parliament following the election this year and is now one of five Tory MPs on the 11-seat Transport Committee chaired by Louise Ellman.
In an exclusive interview with CM he called on the road transport industry to put forward its opinions, views and questions for every committee meeting via CM, roadtransport.com or the industry's trade associations.
"Without wishing to receive a tonne of correspondence from every logistics company. I would be happy if the press and the various associations let me know their views ahead of relevant committee meetings," he says.
It seems to me that the free-market choice is road transport. People want to use the roads for freight. and for passenger transport, and we want to get the economics of that right."
Committees are vital for forming policy and holding government departments to account.
Jack Semple, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, says the committee has a -big issue" to tackle when it comes to funding Britain's road infrastructure.
"When [the Transport Committee] was interviewing [Secretary of State for Transport] Philip Hammond it very much focused on rail. But I would say that the select committee in the past has not been uninterested in road freight issues by any means; it has been quite perceptive."
The Freight Transport Association says it welcomed the ear of any MP willing to engage closely with the industry and it was set to meet Baker in January. However, public affairs manager Mike Webb cautions that it had concerns with the focus on road as it was a "multi-modal organisation".
"There are four issues that we wish to see the committee address: the impact of government aviation policy, Channel Tunnel freight movements, safer truck stop provision and the management structure of the MT and its executive agencies. We will be feeding that in."