The Government reshuffle after the General Election resulted in a new Minister with responsibility for buses. Jesse Norman MP takes the mantle from Andrew Jones, who has moved to the Treasury.
CPT has had an excellent professional and helpful working relationship with Ministers of all political persuasions over many years, and I know that CPT has already contacted Mr Norman to introduce him to the coach and bus sector.
As well as the day-to-day policy and operational issues, the secondary legislation that will flow from the Bus Services Act will be on his agenda.
CPT will also be looking to meet Therese Coffey at DEFRA to again press home the point that high-quality coach and bus services can play a huge role in encouraging modal shift and therefore reduce emissions.
We part of the solution, not just one of the causes.
The Parliamentary Select Committees will be appointed and CPT will be contacting the appropriate Chairs and members to highlight the benefits of coach and bus travel.
Play your part
As operators we can play our part by introducing ourselves to our local MPs. Tell them who you are, what you do and how you serve the community. CPT will be helping its members do just that.
The key to meetings with Ministers, and indeed any decision maker, is not to go in and thump the table and tell them what they are doing wrong, tempting though that may be. Yes, be cross; very cross if necessary, and the industry’s concerns must be made clear.
But it is far better to then offer solutions, agree to pursue the issue in depth at official level. The last time someone shouted at you, did you feel like having any further engagement with them?
Time with Ministers is precious and must be used productively and to our advantage.
Once the final Government appointments have been made and Parliament returns for business, we shall start to see some movement on the issues that stalled when the General Election was called.
Over the last month I have attended a number of CPT regional meetings and events as far afield as Exeter, Milton Keynes and Newcastle. One of the regional meetings was open to non-CPT members and I know that having seen the breadth of issues discussed coupled with the professional in depth knowledge of the CPT team, becoming a member of the trade association is a no-brainer.
I also had the pleasure of attending one of the Epsom Coaches ‘farewell to the industry’ events hosted by Steve Whiteway and his team. Steve has been a huge ambassador for our industry and I’m sure all readers wish him, and his team, well in their new endeavours.
Help me raise cash
I conclude with a cheeky plea for some sponsorship. Well-known charity Transaid provides support for transport projects across Africa. I shall join a number of industry chums on a cycle ride from London to Paris in September. I would be delighted if you could spare a few pounds to sponsor me at my JustGiving page here
