Rumours of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle abound.
Indeed, in this volatile political climate it may even have happened by the time you read this.
Reshuffle rumours are always great fun, but generally highly inaccurate. Over the years I’ve learned that the best approach is to ignore them, wait to see if a reshuffle actually happens, and then assess the landscape afterwards.
It highlights that Secretaries of State – and their junior ministers – are transitory beasts rarely in post for more than a couple of years or so. We may soon say goodbye to Chris Grayling and welcome in a new Transport Secretary, with the relentless round of briefing meetings and introductory visits take place to bring him or her up to speed.
Not that a new Transport Secretary should hold any fears for the coach and bus industry, especially now the Bus Services Act is in place and the tiresome debates about franchising are behind us. Or are they?
They have died away in Westminster, but in councils across the land councillors and officers will mull over the merits of franchising from time to time. The threat of franchising may be no bad thing to keep bus operators honest, but if I was an operator I would want to see this wretched debate put to bed once and for all.
And, there is one relatively easy way of doing that.
Every operator should want a formal partnership agreement with its local authority in place as soon as possible. Yet, unless I’m missing something, I haven’t seen a stampede of operators knocking on town hall doors to negotiate strong, long-term partnership agreements.
A number are in place, or have recently been renewed and updated. But the constant refrain from the industry for years has been that partnership agreements between operators and local authorities are the best way forward.
So why isn’t every operator demanding their respective local authorities come to the table and agree partnership deals?
Shouldn’t there be partnership agreements in place everywhere if they are such good things?
It may be that in some areas a partnership agreement may be unnecessary, but to my mind that should be the exception not the norm.
Or have I missed something? I’m happy to be corrected if operator after operator is deep in negotiation with their local authorities. Let’s hope so, but I fear they may not be.
The surest insurance policy against franchising, and against a new Secretary of State reigniting a debate about bus policy, is a partnership agreement. Everyone’s a winner with a partnership agreement. Let’s hope that by this time next year we will be awash with them.
