Agenda item

The Leader of the Council provided the Council with an update of business discussed by Cabinet on 13 September and 18 October 2017 (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Chairman informed Council that one question on the Cabinet report had been received.  Councillor Martin asked the following question:

‘Transport for the North, as a new Sub-National Transport Body, may have the tendency to become obsessed with Newcastle, Sunderland, and the Metro system. The danger is that County Durham will continue to lose out on buses and roads due to its rural nature, and towns like Chester-le-Street and Bishop Auckland that are in great need of an hourly rail service to improve the local economy will be neglected in favour of ever more trains linking Newcastle to London at speed. How will cabinet ensure Transport for the North will take an interest in, and allocate resources to, County Durham in an equal manner to other parts of the region?’

Councillor C Marshall, Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration thanked Councillor Martin for his question and for submitting it in advance of the meeting to enable a full reply to be given.

Transport for the North covered all of the Northern Regions, the North West, Yorkshire and the North East.  It was becoming the Government’s preferred vehicle for looking at the major strategic transport issues for the North of England.  As such, it was vital that Durham was able to feed in the strategic transport issues around road and rail that affected the County and ensure they were picked up as priorities for the North East and then the wider North.

The Council was able to do that through its position on the North East Combined Authority, where it continued to promote the main road corridors, the A1, A19, A66 and the A690, as well as the rail links on the East Coast Main Line and the Durham Coast Line.  In addition to influencing the strategic transport agenda, the Council retained full control of locally commissioned bus services, and would continue to work with the operators to improve the coverage from commercial services.

Transport was at the heart of the Council’s economic strategy for County Durham, and the Council would continue to maximise all opportunities to influence decision-making and bring in new investment for the benefit of local residents and businesses.