Fighting talk sets tone of transport launch

East Midlands mayor Claire Ward says she’s ready to “go to battle” to secure transport improvements for the region, at the launch of a 15-year public transport plan in Mansfield today.

Ward pitched up in a Stagecoach double-decker bus to launch a public consultation on the Mayor’s Transport Plan, early proposals to improve the frequency and reliability of public transport services, and improve roads for commuters.

Compared with somewhat brasher regional neighbours in the West Midlands, the underfunded infrastructure of the East means the growth potential of the region has traditionally been spoken about rather more quietly.

Now hoping to raise the volume a little, the East Midlands’ mayor believes a £2bn transport investment package, coupled with an economic growth strategy launched earlier this month, could be the key to fuelling an economic renaissance in the region.

“That’s a massive job, and ahead of that I’m keen to get people’s views on the big picture as we start to design our transport system and spend that £2bn,” she told Place Midlands.

“Public transport should be an affordable and accessible choice for people. It’s not an attempt to force people to leave their cars behind; I want them to have a choice about how they travel around this region.

“We have great services in the cities, both with Nottingham and its fantastic bus and tram public transport system, and there’s also great levels of support for buses in the city of Derby. But for many communities, it’s really difficult to be able to get out to access skills or our jobs or even just entertainment in the evening or at the weekend, so connecting communities is important.”

Following 12 weeks of consultation, which will include a number of in-person events as well as an online portal, final proposals will form the basis of a region-wide Local Transport Plan, a combined vision spanning the four local authority areas making up Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward launched a 12-week consultation on transport plans at Mansfield bus station. Credit: EMCCA

The policy is set to be adopted after the combined authority inherits responsibility for local transport services next year.

In a round of combative language leading up to the launch, Ward framed six ambitions for her new transport policy as “key fights”, which range from taking on congestion in towns and cities to providing better bus services for rural villages.

“I will always battle for this region to get the funding that we need and we deserve, and we’re the lowest funded traditionally, of any of the regions when it comes to transport infrastructure.

“I’ve talked about that battle between how we make sure that we’ve got the kind of region we want to live in, without sitting in traffic jams. So how do we do that, but also recognise that people want to have a choice about using their cars?

“How do we make sure that we are taking in the challenges for young people? We all love our kids, but what we don’t love is being mum and dad taxis all the time. Particularly for young adults, it’s really important that our youngsters are able to get around this region on safe, reliable, affordable public transport.

“So yes, there are fights to take place, because otherwise we’re stuck in a rut, and I want us out of that and thinking about the future.”

Providing a kickstart to any transport development plans, and running in tandem with long-term visions for the region’s public transport, will be a £2bn Transport for City Regions settlement from central government, spanning until 2023.

Around £1.1bn of that figure will be allocated to capital spending, which could be allocated to major infrastructure projects such as new roads and railway stations to connect the region’s burgeoning transport and logistics businesses with the rest of the country.

From rural bus routes to freight corridors serving Britain’s biggest logistics hubs, Ward says her emerging transport strategy will help drive a “greener, better connected” future for the East Midlands.

But can transport really be the economic lever she hopes — and how will she ensure no community gets left behind?

“These are big ambitions, but I’m not afraid of the challenge. Some things will take time, but others can change quickly if we focus our efforts in the right places,” she added.

“This [policy] is so crucial to growing this region, and what I’m saying to people is, for the first time, we are bringing together all of these different things, transport, economic development, the inclusive growth strategy, our skills, our homes, plans, all of that’s being brought together in one place under a regional plan with a mayor leading a combined authority. This is our chance to make a difference. ”

The consultation can be accessed via the Mayor’s website, and runs until 8 February.