Local Transport Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 2A: 2A: Clause 9, page 11, line 16, at end insert— ““(c) plans and strategies published by any relevant rail infrastructure manager,”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, in moving the amendment I shall speak also to Amendment No. 2B. We have decided to come back with this amendment to emphasise our view that transport should be integrated if it is to be effective. These amendments seek to make it a requirement for a local authority to consult rail plans and strategies when producing their local transport plans. It is intriguing that at some points the Bill provides a near-exhaustive list of consultation requirements, yet sometimes it is argued that this matter would better be left for guidance. I cannot see why a requirement to consult organisations such as Network Rail should be opposed. Having this requirement in the Bill would be consistent with the tone of this clause. Due consideration needs to be given to rail capacity to ensure that authorities are well informed when devising their policies and plans and know that this is a clear expectation in the route to integrated transport. I mentioned previously that route utilisation strategies are central to the forward planning activity of the rail industry. They set out the current capacity, passenger and freight demand, operational performance and cost predictions. If transport is to be effectively considered as a whole, there is surely an argument to have a sound link between rail policies and plans produced by local transport authorities. During Committee, the noble Baroness, Lady Crawley, implied that the Government did not want to take the decision to add a long list of consultation requirements in the Bill for fear that they would become increasingly out of date. I cannot see how that argument holds for something like rail, even though the names may change, which seems fairly permanent. We need a firm relationship between road and rail. Accepting the amendment would also provide some encouragement that the Government took the same positive view of integrated transport. I beg to move.