As part of the devolution deal which would see a new East Midlands Mayor appointed (and the setting up of a Combined Authority similar to elsewhere in the country), overall responsibility of Nottingham Express Transit could move from Nottingham City Council it has been reported. However, any move would not be immediate and would likely not take place until at least 2034 when the current PFI contract expires.
As part of the PFI contract – which is held by Tramlink Nottingham – the City Council are responsible for the network and this includes financial commitments. These include annual payments made to the tram operator for running and maintaining the service and they are mainly paid for through PFI payments from the government.
The expectation of the new Combined Authority is that it will have responsibility for managing transport in the region (amongst other key areas) and will receive funding from the government to allow them to do this.
But because of the ongoing PFI deal – which still has 11 years to run – this will not initially include the trams. This is because of the significant risks which would still need to be guaranteed by the City Council. As a result it has been agreed with the Government that the current NET system will not be included in the devolution deal. It is pointed out, however, that this will not stop the Combined Authority planning for the future development of the network.
Residents in the East Midlands will be voting in May for their first regional mayor.
Whato all,
Will this also mean the end of Nottingham City Transport, one of the last municipal transport organisations left in the county? It’s the one thing the City Council has got right. Albeit I believe the Council only has a 50% share.