MPs call for greater scrutiny of local transport spending

Date: 6/2/2013

The Government could do more to scrutinise how transport spending is allocated by local authorities, a Committee of MPs chaired by Margaret Hodge has claimed.

According to the Public Accounts Committee, local bodies may be struggling to balance their budgets when it comes to investing in roads and light rail projects, increasing the possibility that the country will fail to meet national objectives.

"The risk is that local transport bodies, under severe financial pressure, will not take sufficiently strategic and joined-up decisions," Ms Hodge explained.

But the (LGA) Local Government Association's Peter Box argued that local authorities are best placed to allocate spending based on the needs of their communities, and that there is no need for greater Government intervention that would amount to "a retrograde step."

With transport spending accounting for a notable proportion of the budget, much emphasis is often placed on improving efficiency and maximising the potential of various projects.

Posted by Sarah Bailey

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