(19 Sep 2024, 3:58 pm)Storx wrote I don't want to go into it to much as this isn't a politics forum but it's all about how this stuff is announced. 

Ah, but you've opened up by making a political point!

(17 Sep 2024, 5:24 pm)Storx wrote Well least we know public transport is f**ked in the North East until 2040 unless Labour are given the boot out the mayoral position.

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the current Mayor or the leader of Gateshead Council, but let's not pretend that the Tories or Lib Dems have done anything for the region either. Both were the architects of austerity, then the 9 years of Tory Government that followed has really delivered bugger all, other than the Northumberland Line.

(19 Sep 2024, 3:58 pm)Storx wrote To me announcing £8bn in transport improvements should be that not doing the maintenance of assets. 

These should be coming from the council budgets. It's not funds when it's the money you took off the council budget a year earlier and is just giving credit to Westminster for giving the money back you should've had anyway.

I tend to agree, in an ideal world, but we don't live in one.

Councils simply haven't got the budgets. Sunderland, for example, are operating on a budget with a real-terms reduction of around 30% since 2009, and it's a similar story at other councils. Council tax only covers about 13% of their income. Close to 2/3 of income is from UK Government.

We've also just entered a devolution deal, with an elected Mayor that has control over transport for the region. What would be the point of still issuing grants to individual councils, as oppose to having one joined-up plan to deliver improvements regionwide?

As I say, in an ideal world, Councils would have the budget to carry out these works routinely. They don't, so the option is either try and bid for the funding in the mechanisms available (e.g. through consultation and by delivering an LTP), or ignore the problems completely.