Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review the statutory guidance on civil parking enforcement to strengthen protections for (a) disabled people, (b) children and (c) other vulnerable patients.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no plans to review the statutory guidance on civil parking enforcement. There is already a duty for public authorities to promote equality under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that the needs of people with protected characteristics are met. The Department for Transport encourages local authorities to consult with representatives of various user groups, such as local disability groups, to help inform the design of local streets.
Local authorities are not only responsible for providing disabled parking facilities, but for enforcing the parking restrictions which they have put in place using their civil parking enforcement powers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making number plate cloning a criminal offence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is already a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of up to £1000, to supply a number plate without checking if the purchaser is entitled to use the registration number. It is also an offence to use a cloned number plate on a vehicle which on conviction, can lead to an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of transport infrastructure investment announced in the Spending Review 2025 on Surrey.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are yet to announce the regional allocations for the majority of the transport funding announced in the Spending Review. This will be announced in due course. We have informed Surrey County Council of their allocation of the Local Transport Grant which is £38.19 million for the period from April 2026 to April 2030 for local transport improvements.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to modernise public transport technology for buses in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to delivering better bus services for passengers, and has confirmed investment of £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £712 million allocated to local authorities which can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including modernising the technology used to support bus services. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12.1 million of this funding.
The Department for Transport is also working with representatives from the bus industry, Midlands Connect and Transport for the West Midlands to develop a national technology solution to facilitate multi-operator ticketing on buses and trams, focusing on contactless bank card payments and enabling fares capping outside of London, which could help to modernise public transport technology in Surrey Heath.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in buses at the Spending Review by confirming around £900 million of revenue funding each year to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
The Spending Review also confirmed £2.3 billion through the Local Transport Grant over the Spending Review period for local transport improvements in places outside areas receiving Transport for City Regions settlements, which could include supporting improvements to bus technology and infrastructure. Surrey County Council have been allocated £38.2 million of this funding.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to provide safe walking routes for children to schools in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is for local authorities to decide on where to prioritise investment in their local transport networks. Surrey County Council is in the process of developing Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plans (LCWIPs) across the county, including one for Surrey Heath Borough. LCWIPs help local authorities to make a strong case for future investment in active travel infrastructure.
Active Travel England recently announced funding allocations to local authorities through the Consolidated Active Travel Fund. Surrey County Council’s has been awarded almost £4.4 million in revenue and capital funding to support the delivery of high-quality walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure as well as capability building measures and behaviour changes activities.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure South Western Railway services remain efficient during the transition to Great British Railways in the Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
South Western Railway (SWR) services transferred into public ownership on 25 May. This was a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers. The Department will hold the new publicly owned SWR to account through the new services agreement for operations. This will be under the leadership of Lawrence Bowman who as Managing Director will bring infrastructure and SWR operations closer together to ensure that services remain efficient and deliver value for taxpayers.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus connectivity in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of bus service provision in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on modes of transport used by commuters in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department holds information on the usual method of travel to work from the Travel to work, England and Wales: Census 2021 publication by the Office for National Statistics. According to this data, 46% of people in employment in the Surrey Heath constituency in 2021 usually travelled to work by driving a car or van. This was followed by 40% working mainly at or from home, and 5% on foot.
Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the travel to work topic.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department provides for transport projects in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since the beginning of this parliament, the Department has provided the following transport funding to Surrey County Council:
How these funds are allocated within Surrey is a matter for Surrey County Council.