THE Parliamentary Transport Select Committee released its report into “strategic river crossings” on Tuesday (17 March) and Thurrock Council Leader, Cllr John Kent admitted “some disappointment” with it.
The report does back up much of what Cllr Kent told the committee when he gave evidence in January and does call on the government to work more closely with local councils.
But, says Cllr Kent, “the report simply summarises what people told it in evidence” and “doesn’t demand that government changes the way it works, or that it examines other options”.
He said: “I can’t say I am surprised by the report, but I have some disappointment. I was hoping for more.”
In respect of the Lower Thames Crossing, the report states: “We are disappointed that the Department has made such little progress on delivering a new crossing during this Parliament. We believe the Minister must show more leadership in finding a consensus between the affected local authorities.”
Noting there were originally five options, the report adds: “Those options have now been reduced to two, options A and C (plus one variant of Option C). It is disappointing that it has taken the Government nearly five years to do so. Furthermore, those options are to be consulted upon again in late 2015 or early 2016 once the Highways Agency has conducted further work on them.”
It continues: “The DfT has stated that it wishes to build consensus between local authorities before making a final decision. However, reaching that consensus has proven difficult as the positive and negative impacts of new crossings fall unequally on different areas.
“Representatives from Kent and Essex County Council told us that they supported Option C [… however the district councils that would host Option C, Gravesham and Thurrock, disputed that Option C was the best scheme to deliver those aims and stated that other locations for a crossing were more suitable.”
In addition, delaying any decision until after the General Election had led “Kent County Council to doubt whether the next Government will retain the policy” while “Thurrock recommended that the DfT could provide more certainty to local authorities by working more closely with them”.
Cllr Kent said: “When I was giving evidence in January, the committee seems focused solely on finding a consensus. I’m happy to work towards a consensus so long as others – the counties and the government – are as open with us about their proposals as we are with them. Consensus, by definition, is a two-way process.”
