Information Bulletin
22 March 2005
Concerns Expressed on Regional Transport Partnership
At a Scottish Transport Studies Group Seminar on the transport bill held in Inverness on 18 March 2005, Councillor Jim Irvine asked a question on what tangible benefits would come from statutory regional transport partnerships that will not be gained from continued voluntary arrangements.
Councillor Charlie King (Highland Council), Chair of HITRANS, the existing voluntary partnership, replied to the effect that voluntary arrangements had been very successful but had come to the end of their useful life. A partnership with power needed to be put in place to take things on to the next stage and he hoped to see HITRANS quickly move on from being a Model 1 partnership to a Model 3 partnership with powers to exercise transport functions in the Highlands and Islands.
No specific examples of tangible benefits that would come from a statutory regional partnership were given at the seminar. Commenting on the view expressed by the Chair of HITRANS, Councillor Irvine said “The clear message here is that if Shetland is forced to be come part of the HITRANS partnership we will be involved in an organisation that will continually push for more regional control. Through the regional strategy, initially, and then through constitutional changes to extend their powers, we will see more and more decisions on our transport taken in Inverness and less of these decisions taken in Shetland.”