§ Mr. HindTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the strengthening of bridge structures on local roads, and about the possible reclassification of local structural maintenance expenditure as capital.
§ Mr. AtkinsHitherto, expenditure by local authorities in England on structural maintenance has been treated as current expenditure in the local government finance regime just like that on routine maintenance. Structural maintenance by central Government is, however, treated as capital, as is such maintenance by local authorities in Scotland. The appropriateness of this classification has 259W been reconsidered in the light of the recommendations of the Audit Commission, and of the implications of the need to have a national network of roads able to carry 40 tonne lorries from 1 January 1999. In accordance with what is proposed in the Local Government and Housing Bill 1989 it is proposed that structural maintenance should be treated as capital by local authorities, become subject to the capital finance regime, and eligible for transport supplementary grant.
The immediate transfer of all structural maintenance would involve a substantial readjustment of local authorities' financing and accounting practices and a major adjustment to the TSG system. It is therefore proposed that the transfer should be phased over a period of years. In 1991–92—the first practicable year—£90 million would be transferred. This would he sufficient in the Government's view to cover all structural maintenance and renewal expenditure on bridges necessary in 1991–92 as part of a programme to enable the 1999 EC deadline for heavier lorries to be met without bridge restriction on any key routes. It is envisaged that the programme should be continued with the transfer of a further £100 million in 1992–93; the Government consider this sufficient to restore major road carriageways to a satisfactory condition in order to meet the increased traffic flows and heavier lorries expected by the second half of the 1990s. There will be further transfers in later years.
The transfer would take the form of an addition to TSG, and an addition to credit approvals each covering half of the total transfer. The latter would feed through into standard spending assessment for the financing costs of capital expenditure. They would be balanced by a reduction in standard spending grant equivalent to the full amount of the transfer. The standard spending assessment total for road maintenance would similarly be reduced by the full amount of the transfer and the weighting for traffic in the assessment formula could be adjusted if necessary to reflect the change. The transfer is intended to be neutral in overall public expenditure terms; there is no reason why total local authority spending or community charges should be affected by this switch in accounting practices.
Next year's TPP circular will give local authorities guidance on the way in which the first tranche will be
Date Station closed on specified line Duration of closure Reason 4 October 1989 Metropolitan 22 minutes Insufficient staff to meet statutory requirements 6 October 1989 Northern, Victoria, Piccadilly lines 18 minutes Congestion 9 October 1989 All lines 25 minutes Congestion 20 October 1989 Northern 30 minutes Safety check by LFCDA 25 October 1989 Piccadilly, Victoria 82 minutes Bomb alert 26 October 1989 Metropolitan 37 minutes Insufficient staff to meet statutory requirements 26 October 1989 Northern, Victoria 47 minutes Insufficient staff to meet statutory requirements 27 October 1989 Northern, Metropolitan 15 minutes Bomb alert 27 October 1989 Piccadilly 5 minutes Safety check by LFCDA 28 October 1989 All lines 79 minutes Safety check by LFCDA 1 November 1989 Victoria 15 minutes Congestion 3 November 1989 Metropolitan 20 minutes Congestion 4 November 1989 Metropolitan 118 minutes Insufficient staff to meet statutory requirements 12 November 1989 Metropolitan 45 minutes Insufficient staff to meet statutory requirements