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BVRLA slams transport ministry revolving door
Date: 08 June 2009
Rental and leasing trade association the BVRLA has slammed the Government's approach to the country's top transport job.
Lord Adonis was appointed as the new secretary of state for transport on Friday after Geoff Hoon resigned, but it is the frequency of new appointments that worries the BVRLA, with the new man becoming the fifth transport secretary in three years and 13th in the last 20 years.
"Like the electric cars the Government is so keen to see on Britain's roads, Labour's transport appointments just don't have the mileage for the job," said BVRLA chief executive john Lewis. "It is disheartening to see yet another personnel change at the head of the Department for Transport, but we can at least be thankful that someone has been promoted from within.
Lord Adonis was previously transport minister with responsibility for national networks (strategic road network and rail), environment and climate change and cleaner fuels and vehicles.
"We hope that the obvious enthusiasm Lord Adonis has for the rail industry will be widened to include all his new transport responsibilities. The UK's beleaguered road users deserve nothing less," said Lewis.
The AA also criticised the frequency of changes. "We believe that Geoff Hoon had got to grips with the transport brief very quickly and was doing a good job. It is a great shame that once again the revolving door at the Department for Transport is spinning," said AA president Edmund King. "Transport is an essential and complex brief but in the last two decades no one has stayed long enough to implement coherent policies. Geoff Hoon showed realism in understanding the importance of road transport and road safety and will be missed."
