§ 56. Mr. SCURRasked the Minister of Transport the terms of his communication to the London County Council with regard to the council's proposal that he should be represented on the London County Council Advisory Committee on the proposed Charing Cross Bridge?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONAS the answer would necessarily be of considerable length, I think that it would be generally convenient if I circulate, by means of the OFFICIAL REPORT, a copy of the letter of the 20th June, which I caused to be sent to the London County Council in reply to their letter of the 4th June, a copy of which I will also circulate.
§ Mr. MILLSHas the Minister further considered the suggestion that Members should be allowed an opportunity to suggest a bridge?
§ Mr. MORRISONI am not quite sure what my hon. Friend means. One matter as it now stands was referred by the London County Council to an advisory committee recently set up, and any question of other people to be consulted will be a matter for the London County Council.
§ Following are the letters:
§ COPY.
§ E.33198.
§ "The London County Council,
§ The County Hall,
§ Westminster Bridge,
§ S.E.1.
§ 4th June, 1930.
§ Sir,
§ CHARING CROSS BRIDGE SCHEME.
§ I am directed to inform you that the Council at its meeting yesterday, had under consideration the question of the further steps to be taken in the matter of the Charing Cross Bridge scheme, following the rejection of the London County Council (Charing Cross Bridge) Bill by the Select Committee of the House of Commons. After discussing a report from its Parliamentary Committee (a copy of this report is enclosed) the Council decided not to take any steps in the direction of obtaining the recommittal of the Bill by the House of Commons. The Council has further, on the recommendation of its Improvements Committee—a copy pf whose report is also enclosed—resolved as follows:
§ That, subject to the concurrence of the Minister of Transport, an advisory committee be appointed by the Council for the purpose of preparing and submitting to the Council, within nine months, an agreed scheme for a road bridge and approaches at Charing Cross; that it be an instruction to the advisory committee that the estimated net cost of such scheme must not exceed £12,500,000; that the advisory committee be constituted as follows: 418
| Authority or society. | Number of representatives. |
| Ministry of Transport | 2 |
| London County Council | 2 |
| Westminster City Council | 1 |
| Lambeth Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
| Southern Railway Company | 2 |
| Underground Electric Railway Company | 1 |
| Port of London Authority | 1 |
| Royal Fine Art Commission | 1 |
| Royal Academy | 1 |
| Royal Institute of British Architects | 1 |
| Institution of Civil Engineers | 2 |
| Surveyors' Institution | 1 |
| Town Planning Institute | 1 |
§ I am to ask that the Council may receive an assurance at the earliest possible moment of the concurrence of the Minister of Transport in the setting up of the proposed advisory committee in order that invitations may be sent to the other authorities and societies concerned to appoint representatives to serve on the committee, and that the necessary steps for convening the committee may be taken with the least possible delay.
§ I am also to ask that the Minister, in the event of his concurring in the appointment of the advisory committee, will nominate two representatives to serve thereon.
§ I am, Sir,
§ Your obedient Servant,
§ (Sgd.) MONTAGUE H. COX.
§ Clerk of the Council.
§ COPY.
§ R.L.T. 4180.
§ 20th June, 1930.
§ "Sir,
§ CHARING CROSS BRIDGE SCHEME.
§ I am directed by the Minister of Transport to refer to your letter of the 4th June, E.33198, upon the subject of the Charing Cross Bridge scheme, forwarding copies of reports of the Parliamentary Committee and the Improvements Committee, dated the 29th and 30th May, respectively, which were adopted by the Council at their meeting on the 3rd June.
§ The Minister notes that the Council have decided not to take any steps in the direction of attempting to obtain the recommittal of the Charing Cross Bridge Bill by the House of Commons, but, subject to the concurrence of the Minister, to appoint an Advisory Committee to prepare and submit to the Council, within nine months, an agreed scheme for a road bridge and approaches at Charing Cross, at an estimated cost not exceeding £12,500,000.
§ If the Advisory Committee were able to agree on a scheme and to reach such agreement in nine months, its report would be received by the Council in March. 1931. 419 Notwithstanding the agreement of the Advisory Committee, it is of course, possible that other representations may be received and that further points may arise which it would be necessary to examine. The report would then have to be considered by the Council and by the Minister, who would feel bound to consult the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee.
§ The Minister of course, appreciates that under the procedure proposed, the Council hopes, by bringing all parties into close consultation, to reduce disagreements and delays, and that it may therefore not be impossible for the Council to come to a decision to promote legislation in the Parliamentary Session of 1931/32 by the date required in its Standing Orders. It will be seen, however, that the earliest date by which the Royal Assent is likely to be secured for the Council's Bill is the Summer of 1932 or roughly two years from the present time. The Council's proposals thus involve that both the present and the next session of Parliament are lost, and the Minister cannot but confess to some concern at the time which must elapse under the Council's proposals in the most favourable circumstances before Parliamentary sanction can be secured to a Bill.
§ As the Council is aware, His Majesty's Government attach great importance to the construction of a Charing Cross Bridge at the earliest practicable date, and the Council may be sure that their anxiety to see this improvement effected continues. The Minister is not disposed to dissent from a procedure which has commended itself to the Council, but in all the circumstances he does not consider that he should himself appoint representatives to serve as Members of the Advisory Committee, since, in view of the large traffic and financial considerations involved, he must be free at the time the scheme is submitted to him to consider it upon its merits and to examine it from the financial aspect, taking into account the position of the Road Fund at that time. I am, however, to assure you that he will facilitate any investigation the Committee may undertake by putting at its disposal all the information and technical assistance available in the Ministry of Transport.
§ Mr. Morrison notes the reference in the last paragraph of the Report of the Improvements Committee to Waterloo Bridge, from which he gathers that it is not intended to deal with Waterloo Bridge until Parliamentary sanction is secured for a Road Bridge at Charing Cross. He is aware of the concern which the state of Waterloo Bridge has long caused the Council and he assumes that it has satisfied itself that the Bridge will be safe during the time contemplated by the Council before a Charing Cross Bridge Bill is passed into law.
§ I am, Sir,
§ Your obedient Servant,
§ (Signed) CYRIL HURCOMBE."