Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in relation to the meeting of the Northern Transport Acceleration Council on 9 December, (1) what was the agenda, (2) who attended the meeting and which bodies they represented, (3) what decisions were made, (4) whether the meeting was streamed, (5) whether the minutes have been published, and (5) was a press statement issued; and when the next meeting of the Northern Transport Acceleration Council will take place.
The Northern Transport Acceleration Council provides the North’s leaders with regular and more direct access to Ministers to discuss priority transport and infrastructure projects. The agenda items for the meeting on the 9 December included the outcome of the recent Spending Review, the role of the Department’s Acceleration Unit, reform to the Green Book and the Integrated Rail Plan.
The meeting was chaired by the Secretary of State and was attended by Transport Ministers as well as representatives from each of the local transport authorities in the North, John Cridland in his capacity as President of the Council and the Chair of NP11.
The Northern Transport Acceleration Council is an advisory forum and whilst it is intended to speed up key decision making, the Council itself does not have decision-making powers.
A press statement was issued with regards to the Northern Transport Acceleration Council, however the meeting was not streamed nor have the minutes been published. A date for the next Council meeting has not yet been arranged.