Memorandum submitted by The RAC Foundation
for Motoring
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The RAC Foundation for Motoring is an
independent charity established to promote and conduct research
into the environmental, economic, mobility and safety issues relating
to use of motor vehicles. Our vision is to advocate innovative
transport solutions for safer roads, safer drivers, greener cars,
improved mobility and a fair deal for motorists.
1.2 The Foundation welcomes the Committee's
inquiry into the future role of Regional Development Agencies
(RDA), which is timely. England requires housing, education, employment
and transport transformation to accommodate the country's rapidly
growing population and RDAs have a crucial and increasing role
to play in this process, which must be adequately supported by
policy and financial provision.
1.3 If RDAs are to take on a wider remit,
which includes roads, they should be required to work within a
comprehensive national roads policy framework, and be provided
with adequate funding to meet these new responsibilities.
2. THE NEED
FOR A
LEVEL OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
BUSINESS AND
REGENERATION POLICY
BETWEEN CENTRAL
AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
2.1 RDAs provide an essential link between
central and local government to encourage economic, business and
regeneration policy. However, problems come when the relevant
finances are not allocated to RDAs to perform their functions
adequately. Where transport is concerned this was seen to be the
case in the recently published A12 inquiry (Essex County Council,
2008), where the road in question did not receive adequate attention
from any one authority body.
2.2 If RDAs are to continue to provide a
link between central and local government, commensurate funding
to support this role must be forthcoming. This is particularly
vital if transport is to be included in the RDAs future, expanded
remit, as transport, by its nature extends across local government
boundaries, with distinct regional and national requirements.
These are well documented in the RAC Foundation's (2007) Roads
and Reality Report as well as in the Eddington Transport Study
(2006).
3. THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF RDAS
AND THEIR
ROLE IN
ADDING VALUE
3.1 Due to limited funding streams for RDAs
their effectiveness to date has been limited. There is significant
potential for these bodies to add value at the regional level
where transport is concerned, but this must not be at the expense
of a coherent strategic road network, which meets regional and
national needs cost effectively.
3.2 The RAC Foundation (2007) "Roads
and Reality" report concluded that; "The Eddington Report
has outlined the importance of overcoming the difficult challenges
which those responsible for planning and developing the transport
systems must face if transport is to support economic growth and
provide for increasing demand. For this job to be done successfully
there must be clarity of responsibility at all levels for the
bodies involved in planning and delivery with simple and effective
arrangements for liaison". Present arrangements do not meet
these criteria: this has also been highlighted within the Nichols
report.
4. RDA EXPERTISE
4.1 Skills are a concern that reaches across
all sectors and is particularly acute in planning. If RDAs are
to maintain their position, it is essential that employment packages
be provided in a way that attracts skilled employees.
5. THE EXTENT
AND NEED
FOR OVERSEAS
ACTIVITIES
5.1 It is important for bodies such as RDAs
to experience and share best practice amongst colleagues, but
from a regional perspective it is unlikely that comprehensive
overseas activities will be the best use of funds available for
improving the economic vitality of the regions. Attracting new
business and funding to an area is undoubtedly important, but
this must be in proportion and is a function possibly best dealt
with at a national rather than a regional policy level.
6. CONSEQUENCES
OF EXPANDING
THE RDA REMIT
TO INCLUDE
NEW FUNCTIONS
6.1 Expanding RDA functions to take on the
current role of the regional assemblies to address the totality
of issues affecting a region is welcome, but the capacity of the
system to deal with these new remits must be in place and appropriate.
6.2 If RDAs are given extended functions
it is essential that central government does not simply defer
difficult decisions about national policies and infrastructure
to RDAs on the pretence that such decisions are "regional
matters". The RDAs will only work properly if they carry
out their work within a clear national framework and, for roads,
this requires a comprehensive national road network and policies
to which a regional dimension can be added, without detracting
from or obstructing national projects or policies.
6.3 For the network of major roads to operate
as effectively as possible, planning and management must reflect
all of the local, regional and national concerns. Recent moves
towards devolving decisions about investment for regional strategic
roads to regional bodies has tended to mean that the national
dimension of strategic road planning has not been adequately considered,
therefore working against the objective that the investments with
the highest returns get the highest priority.
6.4 The impact of further devolving transport
to the regions, without adequate finances and a national view
on strategic priorities should be approached with caution. RDAs
must have the resources and financial freedoms to match their
responsibilities. Current attempts to build Regional Infrastructure
Funds suggest that this is not currently the case.
6.5 If National Road Pricing were to become
a reality, there would be a powerful case for setting up a National
Roads Corporation or similar organisation, to distribute and manage
the collected finances appropriately, with a strategic eye on
capacity provision.
7. THE ACCOUNTABILITY
OF RDAS
7.1 Accountability and transparency is essential
to the effective running of RDAs. They must be, as is now the
case, accountable to central Government, but with enough jurisdiction
and financial independence to make decisions on projects and funding
with most relevance to the region. With the imminent demise of
Regional Assemblies the issue of "democratic accountability"
of RDAs must be investigated and resolved.
8. RDA PERFORMANCE
MEASUREMENT
8.1 The RAC Foundation is not equipped to
provide detailed analysis or comment on the benefits or failings
of existing performance management processes in RDAs. By way of
general comment, it is important that the measurements in place
adequately reflect the changing nature of the respective region
and that they are meaningful and comparable.
19 September 2008
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