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Dr Stephen Ladyman MP
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MPs accused a minister today of ignoring the views of elected local councillors in deciding transport schemes.
Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman hit back by saying some councillors pressed for transport projects on the grounds of "civic pride" rather than value for money.
Mr Ladyman found himself having to staunchly defend Government policy when giving evidence to the House of Commons Transport Committee.
Committee members expressed anger that some light rail and tram schemes had been turned down by the Government.
Graham Stringer (Lab: Manchester Blackley) asked why Mr Ladyman thought he knew better than local people about things.
Mr Ladyman replied: "If we are providing money, then we owe it to Parliament and the people to exercise our judgment."
Mr Stringer said: "You are substituting your judgment over the judgment of elected local councillors. You are imposing your judgment on local people."
Mr Ladyman replied: "I entirely reject that."
Mr Ladyman told the committee that the Government decided on light rail schemes on value-for-money grounds.
He said that sometimes local authority political leadership had a different sense of value for money than the Government.
Mr Ladyman said that, when talking to some local councillors, he had gained the impression that they were sometimes "putting significant weight behind civic pride" in pressing for schemes to go ahead.
Committee chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody (Lab: Crewe and Nantwich) said: "Is civic pride a sin, then?"
Mr Ladyman replied: "If civic pride is something they want to assume, they need to pay for it and not see it as a transport objective."
Mr Ladyman agreed with committee members that bus passenger numbers outside London were disappointing and this was something the Government was trying to do something about.
He admitted that local authorities had little control over deregulated bus companies but could influence them by such things as the provision of bus lanes and priority routes.
Copyright Press Association 2006
