The LGA's media office provides the national voice of local government in England and Wales on the major issues of the day for national, regional and local press.
“Ahead of the forthcoming Spending Review, we are urging government to give councils control over the Bus Service Operators’ Grant, and properly fund national free bus pass schemes, which could help us maintain our essential bus services, reduce congestion and protect vital routes.”
“Bus services have a critical role to play in the national recovery from COVID-19 and beyond, through supporting local economies, tackling poor air quality and congestion and reaching the country’s net-zero carbon targets by 2050."
Cllr Martin Tett, the Local Government Association’s Transport spokesman, responds to guidance published today by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, calling for councils to encourage people to be more active.
“Councils share the concerns of all road users with the state of our roads and are doing all they can to tackle the £14 billion backlog of road repairs, including learning from and adopting innovative techniques."
The LGA has long-called for more public transport funding so it is pleasing to see this echoed by an overwhelming majority of motorists who would use more public transport if it was better.
“Bridges are a vital part of our highways infrastructure that connect communities and business. Councils are doing their best to ensure they are well maintained and withstand extreme weather. However, this is becoming increasingly challenging in the face of a backlog of nearly £10 billion to bring our roads up to scratch.”
Councils are on the side of all road users, fixing a pothole every 17 seconds and want to work with government to tackle our national road repairs backlog.
“Keeping roads safe for all users is one of the most important jobs councils do and is reflected in the fact that local authorities are fixing a pothole every 21 seconds.
“However, only long-term, consistent and fairer government investment in local road maintenance can allow councils to embark on the widespread improvement of our roads that is desperately needed. Spending 52 times more on maintaining our national roads when very few journeys begin and end on a motorway or trunk road will only serve to help motorists reach increased delays and congestion on local roads more quickly.
“The LGA