New government legislation to nationalise Britain’s railways and give councils new powers to franchise local bus services have been “warmly welcomed” by the mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
David Skaith, who leads the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and will be in charge of coordinating transport across the region, told The Press the measures support his ambitions of a "connected and thriving economy" for the region.
“That means making sure that transport is affordable, sustainable and connects the people of York and North Yorkshire to the opportunities inside the region and further afield," he added.
Mr Skaith was reacting to Labour's new bills – including the Better Buses Bill and Railways Bill – introduced in the King’s Speech on Wednesday (July 17).
The Better Buses Bill is aimed at giving local authorities in England the power to franchise local bus services, by removing barriers that mean only metro mayors can currently do this.
This will enable local leaders to deliver better bus networks reflecting the needs of communities relying on them, according to the government.
The Bill will also attempt to provide enhanced accountability of bus operators, and give councils more control and flexibility over bus funding.
Reacting to the announcement on buses, Cllr Pete Kilbane, deputy leader of City of York Council which – along with North Yorkshire Council – is working in partnership with the Combined Authority, told The Press: "We will use whatever powers available to us to make sure people have a bus service that connects them to work and leisure.”
Train companies to be brought under public ownership under proposals
Meanwhile, the Railways Bill will ensure appointing a public sector train operator as existing contracts expire will be the default position rather than a last resort.
The government said this will avoid the need to pay compensation to current operators and will save taxpayers millions of pounds each year that are paid out in fees to private train companies.
Four of the Department for Transport’s rail contracts are already operated in the public sector after private companies were stripped of control because of poor performance.
These are York-based LNER, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express.
Of the remaining 10, their contracts can be ended at various points between September 2024 and October 2027.
The Railways Bill will also lead to the introduction of Great British Railways (GBR) – a planned state-owned company to oversee rail transport in Britain (excluding Transport for London) – which was first proposed by the Conservative government in May 2021.
This will bring together the management of rail infrastructure and delivery of passenger services into a single public body.
Bills show government's commitment to devolution and confidence in mayors, says David Skaith
Mr Skaith said: “It’s obviously early days, but these bills signal the government’s commitment to devolution and the confidence in UK mayor’s to act as their enablers for delivery.
“We are currently in the very early stages of development for our strategic transport plans, and my aim is that they will be ambitious and informed by the local consultations and plans already in place for the city of York and in North Yorkshire.”
Mr Skaith’s office was given access to some of the money and powers previously held by central government following his appointment as North Yorkshire’s first ever mayor in May. This process is known as devolution.
“On transport specifically, my role as mayor is to ensure that we have a strategic and coordinated approach to transport across the whole of York and North Yorkshire,” Mr Skaith explained.
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