UTILITIES' FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT WORKS

EDM number 1354 in 1994-95, proposed by Kevin Barron on 05/07/1995.

That this House deplores attempts by the utilities to reduce their modest contribution to the costs of diversionary works by transport and highway authorities where the utilities' equipment needs to be moved to allow the development of public transport infrastructure; understands that the utilities derive considerable benefit from this work in gaining access to their equipment in order to upgrade it, in many cases when such upgrading is long overdue; understands the current split in contributions to be 18:82 with the utilities bearing the lesser ratio; is surprised that change is proposed now because circumstances have not materially changed to warrant it; views with concern the prospect that new local transport initiatives may no longer be economically viable if the utilities were to be successful in their attempt to transfer costs from themselves to public sector authorities; and calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to resist all attempts by the utilities to abandon their responsibilities in this area.

This motion has been signed by a total of 45 MPs.