Tom Levitt's weekly Column
Posted by Tom Levitt, MP for High Peak, at 13:42, Wed 17 December 2008:
This is my weekly column for 15 December 2008. You can find more about my work at www.tomlevitt.org.uk or by emailing me directly at tomlevittmp@parliament.uk, where priority is always given to emails from High Peak constituents.
Congestion Charging: the Aftermath
It is difficult to believe that Manchester has said ‘no’ to a £3 billion investment in better public transport, cleaner air and faster movement around Britain’s second most congested city. The scheme was intended to change behaviour rather than raise money as four out of five motorists would not have had to pay.
It is clearly easier to encourage folk to vote ‘no’ than ‘yes’ in any situation unless the ‘yes’ proposition is very clear and unambiguously good.
Britain has only ever had one national referendum. In 1975, most politicians were united and the idea was simple: in or out of the Common Market. Devolution to Wales was won by a hair’s breadth though most Scots found the idea straightforward. But both Edinburgh and Manchester rejected road charging and the referenda on regional government have died a death. In Stoke they recently changed their whole system of local government on a poll of less than one in five electors.
I suspect that the next referendum is a long way away. In Manchester ten councils could not agree so they kicked the issue into the long grass. In London, Mayor Livingstone took the decision on congestion charging and was right to do so.
In High Peak our longer and more frequent trains may not now come. The future of Gamesley Halt and New Mills Park and Ride are in jeopardy. There is no prospect of High Peak’s motorists enjoying a cleaner, quicker, less stressful journey into work soon. All of these improvements were due to happen in the four years before the charge came in.
One woman on television said “I didn’t think they would do it so I voted against it.” Politicians must engage better with voters 365 days each year and not just on election or referendum day, to stop such bizarre arguments winning the day.
Comments
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Posted by Jonathan Haggart, 11:10, Thu 8 January 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
As someone who travels to Manchester on the train from Glossop each day to work, and having done so for the past 18 years, you may be surprised to learn that I was dead against this charge. So why was this.
Firstly, you may find arguments like "I didn't think they would do it" bizarre, but there is every right not to trust the word of the wooly proposals. Weren't Manchester's commuters supposed to have the Metrolink to the City of Manchester Stadium by the Commonwealth Games. They are still waiting. There was a 10 year public transport plan that Mr Prescott was working to...nothing has changed.
Secondly, the area of charge was just too large. In addition, the argument about 'clean air' was a smokescreen. There are more people catching trains anyway as people desert the roads. This is about revenue raising and nothing more. If you want clean air, offer a carrot, don't keep finding sticks.
Then, of course, who were to be the real beneficiaries of this charge. The Brian Souters of this world, owners of bus and train companies who, you'll recall, increased fares for the fuel rises of 2008 (despite having long term deals to buy fuel at a lower price) and have yet to reduce them. These people are not in it for public service, they are in it for profit. And whilst we might see and extra carriage on our morning train, their gravy version would have extended even more.
But the clincher for me is this. We all pay taxes already to the government, who chooses to spend it as they see fit. This Government decided that billions spent on an illegal war in Iraq was more important than the transport infrastructure of this country. That is their choice, and to then come to the public and ask for a backhander is wrong. If you want the money, raise taxes and let the public decide at the ballot box that really matter.
Posted by Mostyn Bullock, 15:23, Thu 8 January 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
More waffle from our MP.
I live in the High Peak, commute 20 miles by car to Manchester and didn't get the chance to vote.
I can walk to the train station but frankly the return service from Manchester and the separate costs of the train and metrolink means that it just isn't a viable option.
If I hadn't stopped believing much of what politicians in office spout then had I been allowed a vote then I would have voted yes.
People are fed up with broken promises and the track record of British Government is woeful in terms of providing properly viable public transport (i.e. a reliable service at a cost which actually convinces people that getting out of the car is not actually going to hit them in the pocket).
People want joined-up public transport services, not to be punished if they don't use expensive and fragmented franchises run for shareholder profit. After all, that is all that we have got in recent times.
Invest public money in publically owned and run transport services that return their proceeds to the services rather than to speculators' hedge funds or to people like Richard Branson to go ballooning with (incidentally RB the toilets on your trains still stink) and then you might convince an electorate to vote for road charging.
Take a trip down the river Thames at night. If the government was serious about the environment then they'd ensure that big business turned the lights off in their corporate HQs at night rather than handing them billions so that their incompetent Directors can afford to maintain their lifestyles.
Posted by David Cubbin, 20:19, Thu 8 January 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
The great thing about living in a democracy Mr Levitt is that ocasionally, when the politicians see fit we the masses are given the chance to let you know what we think and on this ocassion you have been proved wrong. Deal with it and move on.
We are all as motorists sick and tired of being taxed every which way but reserve the freedom to choose to own a motorised vehicle. The green issue just doesn't wash anymore and is all too often used as a scare tactic to threaten the populace and the repeated threats of a 'major terrorist threat' to try and subjugate us into believing the government propoganda is simply unbelievable.
You wonder why there are reducing turnouts at the polls - it's simply because politicians are no longer credible and keep regurgitating the same old hollow promises.
As I said earlier - move on and LISTEN to what we have said!