Lilian Greenwood MP: speeches

Speeches

• 16 Jul 2026 · Road Congestion · Hansard source

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  I am sorry to hear about the issues facing my hon. Friend’s constituents; I know how much he does to promote their interests. This Government are investing record sums in road maintenance, and we have strengthened the rules on disruptive street works by extending overrun charges to weekends and bank holidays and doubling fines. I encourage him to continue to make the case to Essex county council, which really must do something about disruption on its roads.

• 7 Jul 2026 · Draft West Midlands Combined Authority (Key Route Network) (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  I hear what the hon. Member says, but the point is that local highways authorities are best placed to make decisions about the roads in their area, and mayors and combined authorities are empowered to make decisions about their key route networks. That is the point of this instrument: it is simply to put the West Midlands Combined Authority in the same place as all other combined authorities when seeking to address the key routes in their area. To come on to the second point that the shadow Minister raised, the benefit for road users is ensuring that people enjoy safe, smooth and seamless journeys, that they are not beset by congestion, that they are able to travel safely, that that applies to all road users, whether they are motorists or cyclists or pedestrians or motorcyclists, and that buses can operate effectively. Things that key route networks look at include the suitability of very high-volume bus routes, where we know that large numbers of people are travelling using those key public transport routes, or indeed where large freight volumes are using the key route network. The shadow Minister raised a concern that perhaps this change might provide less oversight of future changes to the KRN, but I disagree. This measure streamlines the process and simply places West Midlands Combined Authority in the same position as all other strategic authorities. Deciding which roads should constitute the key routes has always been a matter for the combined authority; it is still a matter for the combined authority and it must be agreed by a majority of the constituent members, which means all those councils that I previously referred to, and the mayor. I hope that this instrument, which makes an important change, will simply simplify things for the West Midlands Combined Authority.

• 7 Jul 2026 · Draft West Midlands Combined Authority (Key Route Network) (Amendment) Order 2026 · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft West Midlands Combined Authority (Key Route Network) (Amendment) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Sir Desmond. When I said this was likely not to be a particularly controversial piece of delegated legislation, I did not really expect that the shadow Minister would be racing in at the last minute—but he is here now. These draft regulations relate to the key route network of the West Midlands Combined Authority. Let me begin by setting out what the KRN is and why it matters. Under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, every strategic authority is required to identify the most important locally managed roads in its area. Those roads form the KRN. In practice, most authorities, including WMCA, already operate such a network. The purpose is simple: a KRN ensures that the locally managed roads that carry the greatest strategic importance are planned and managed coherently across the whole region. The Government published guidance in April 2026 to support authorities in deciding which roads should be included. The KRN should include those locally managed roads that are most important for delivering the priorities set out in the local transport plan. Authorities should consider issues such as traffic volume, bus use, active travel routes and freight movements. In mayoral combined authorities, the KRN is agreed by a resolution of the authority following a proposal by the mayor. In the west midlands, the KRN covers around 605 km of road. That is roughly 7% of the network, yet it carries half of all traffic. WMCA oversees the strategic direction of the network, but the constituent councils of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton remain the local highways authorities and retain responsibility for day-to-day management, maintenance and safety of the KRN roads. WMCA does, however, share certain powers with them, including those relating to agreements with National Highways, road safety promotion and street works permit schemes. The 2026 Act also gave mayors powers of direction over KRN roads. That is a carefully limited power, intended for use only when necessary to deliver measures already set out in an agreed strategy, such as the local transport plan. It ensures that strategic ambitions for the region can be implemented consistently across local boundaries. The benefits of a well-managed KRN are clear: smoother traffic flow, reduced congestion, and the ability to introduce targeted interventions that improve infrastructure and bus reliability. It is a tool designed to help places to plan for the future and to respond to changing travel patterns. The Committee will be aware that travel patterns have changed, particularly since the pandemic. It is prudent for all strategic authorities to keep their KRN under review and to update it when the existing list of roads no longer reflects local priorities. For other authorities, updating the KRN is straightforward: they simply revise the list on their website. However, WMCA faces a unique challenge. Its KRN was written directly into legislation, the West Midlands Combined Authority (Functions and Amendment) Order 2017, in which the roads are described as combined authority roads. That was, of course, under a previous Government. In 2017, embedding the KRN in legislation provided clarity and stability, since WMCA was then newly established; but nine years later, the rigidity of having the KRN set out in legislation is a barrier to change. West Midlands Combined Authority is preparing a new local transport plan and wishes to update its KRN accordingly, yet doing so currently requires WMCA to ask the Department for Transport to legislate each time it wants to make a change. No other strategic authority faces that constraint, and I am sure the Committee will agree that it is not an efficient way of doing things. Following discussions with my officials, WMCA has written to the Secretary of State, requesting that the Government bring forward this instrument. A public consultation was held and 69% of respondents supported the proposal. The regulations remove the list of KRN roads from the 2017 order; once they are approved, WMCA will be able to update its KRN in the same way as every other strategic authority, allowing the region to respond more flexibly to evolving travel patterns and to deliver better outcomes for road users. This is a practical and proportionate change that supports devolution, improves processes for WMCA and ultimately benefits road users. I commend the regulations to the Committee.