SURREY County Council has added its voice to that of county leaders across the South East in complaining about what they term the 'Great Transport Robbery'. They say "ministers have lost the plot" and their anger is directed at two government departments. A double whammy of lost grant and the refusal of the Department for Communities and Local Government to support funding promised by the Department for Transport has meant councils are likely to have to cut road resurfacing, bridge improvement work, and safety maintenance, which would otherwise have gone ahead. The Department of Transport trumpeted a £649m boost in funding for transport in the South East, only for it to emerge "in the small print" that less than a ninth of that amount will actually reach them. Because of the way the funding system, operated by the Department for Communities and Local Government, penalises them, the seven South East Counties will actually have just £71 million to spend over the next three years – on maintaining highways, repairing bridges, reducing overcrowding and congestion, improving safety and encouraging greener travelling, it is claimed. Chairman of the leaders group and leader of West Sussex County Council, Henry Smith, said: "The great transport robbery reveals just how out of touch the government is with reality. "The Prime Minister and his ministers insist that the South East builds more houses, but they don't provide the support we need, while businesses and those who live, work, or travel through the South East struggle against daily congestion and overcrowding." "Financing the government's almost worthless funding allocations leaves the counties facing a stark choice between cutting spending elsewhere, increasing council tax, or cancelling much needed transport improvements," declared the leaders group. In Surrey County Council's case, the council gave a cautious welcome at the end of last month to the £81 million it expected to have available over the next three years for capital spending on transport. But the sting in the tail is that of this £81 million, only £12 million is being provided as a cash grant. The remainder, a massive £69 million, is 'permission to borrow', which means that Surrey will have to continue to borrow large sums each year to make up the shortfall and repay the cost from its own resources. Over recent years, the government has steadily reduced the amount of cash that it provides to Surrey County Council for transport spending. Surrey's executive member for transport David Munro, said: "The government announcement looks like good news, but the figures hide the real costs to Surrey residents. "When we picked through the government's figures and realised we would only get £3.7 million of real money next year it was disappointing to say the least. "Roads are a top priority for the county council. We are trying to do more while getting less in funding, but this announcement means that we will have to work hard to ensure our services continue to improve." With Government funding for waste and adult social care also failing to keep pace with demand and threats to cap councils that increase council tax by more than 5 per cent, the region will miss out on much- needed infrastructure investment and passengers, drivers, and businesses throughout the region, face higher costs, more congestion, and overcrowding. Mr Smith commented: "As a Doncaster MP, Rosie Winterton (Transport Minister) could be forgiven for not understanding just how severely her government penalises the South East. "Hard-working families and businesses in the South East bankroll the rest of the UK, but time and time again miss out on government spending. "We are doing our bit by being among the best and most efficient councils, but Whitehall needs to take a more coherent approach, so that together we can help more families and businesses prosper in the South East."
