Andy Street calls for long-term cash so West Midlands can make own decisions about transport

The West Midlands Mayor has urged ministers to make regions responsible for their own carbon emissions from transport as part of plans to tackle the climate emergency.

He says greater transport devolution to the UK's regions – including a long-term funding settlement and the ability to speed up the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charge points – will help cut carbon emissions.

Speaking at Midlands Connect’s pre-COP26 conference, the Mayor said: “The Government is committed to tackling the climate emergency and so are we, but we could do so much more to speed things up – particularly when it comes to transport.

"The West Midlands is sorely lacking in EV infrastructure, and the constant need to ask London to fund transport projects is cumbersome and slowing down our plans.

"I want to work with government to address these issues and accelerate our response to climate change.”

Mr Street has overseen record investment in public transport over the past four years, but he says cash for schemes including Metro extensions and zero-emissions buses has "come the hard way" through putting business cases to the Government.

He said: “It isn’t right that we have civil servants in London deciding if we can build a bus stop or extend a tram line, they do not know the West Midlands like our local leaders do.

"With a long-term funding settlement we will have the cash to invest in the schemes we know are best for the region and its residents, with Government holding us to account for how the money is spent.

“This change would be critical, particularly in the context of tackling the climate change emergency, as it means we can super-charge our plans for cleaner buses, trains, and trams, as well as more active travel options such as our bikes and e-scooters. The more viable options people have, the more likely we are to see the polluting car left at home.

“I am confident we can make it happen, as through the £4 billion plus intra-city transport fund the Government has shown its willingness to move to a more devolved funding model.”

An ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) strategy for the region is due to be published next month, featuring plans to create a network of rapid charging stations across key routes.

Mr Street added: "The West Midlands wants to become a leading global region for state-of-the-art battery research and production for electric vehicles – including building the UK’s first proper Gigafactory.

"But we are not prepared for a mass rollout of EV on the ground, and we cannot persuade people en-masse to make the switch from petrol or diesel vehicles to electric when they’re worried about having nowhere to charge their cars.

"We’ve had some positive initial discussions, but we need ministers to re-engage and work with us to bring our plans to life."

In a keynote speech at next month’s UK100 International Net Zero Leadership conference in Birmingham Mr Street is expected to make the case for an energy devolution deal.