§ 21. Miss Maynardasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the statutory powers of local authorities to pay subsidies to rail and bus services to give effect to their statutory duty to operate passengers transport policies in their areas.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeYes, I am satisfied that local authorities do have adequate powers for these purposes. I shall watch with interest the judgment in another place as to whether the GLC has used these powers lawfully.
§ Miss MaynardDoes the Minister consider that the South Yorkshire county council and other local authorities have a duty to run their transport systems on a break-even basis? Is that a mandatory provision? Does he agree that elected representatives are mandated by their election pledges if they have made a firm commitment on these issues?
§ Mr. ClarkeI cannot pronounce on the law, but the law as it applies to South Yorkshire will be different from the law applying to other authorities. Election pledges are important, but parties should not make pledges that are unlawful. Our criticism is that South Yorkshire has decided to freeze its fares at the 1976 level for all time, which is heading it into an ever-increasing burden of expense, especially for the ratepayers. There is no evidence to suggest that it produces any relief in traffic congestion or other improvements to justify the enormous burden on local industry and employment.