PRESS RELEASE

Challenge to Government’s ‘blockers’ rhetoric

Transport Action Network is challenging the latest ‘builders not blockers’ rhetoric from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, which is denigrating local communities while dismissing genuine concerns¹.

Chris Todd, Director of Transport Action Network said:

“At last Rachel Reeves is starting to look at what really holds up development, but she is still blaming the public. Yet it’s not ‘blockers’ – citizens exercising their democratic rights – that are causing the big delays but poorly planned developments and a jammed and under resourced court system. If she’s started to address the problems in the courts, rather than remove people’s rights, that is a good thing. However, there is nothing to show that Labour will deliver better developments, especially with it desperate to approve absolutely everything.

“The Chancellor has been pictured this week at the site of the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), yet this is a development mired in delay, not because of ‘blockers’ but poorly thought out and highly damaging proposals. There have been no judicial reviews of this project, yet from Ministers’ rhetoric you would think there have been dozens. It’s also a myth that there are hundreds of thousands of pages in its planning application².

The LTC is a development that will increase traffic and congestion across the region and will provide only short-term relief to Dartford. It’s the enemy of growth³ and is going to cause seven years of construction chaos. If the Chancellor really wanted to turbo charge the economy she would invest in a public transport crossing of the Thames Estuary instead⁴. That is what is holding the region back.”

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Notes for editors

1. Chancellor takes on the blockers to get Britain building – Press release issued today by HM Treasury ↩︎
2. See second to last myth on TAN’s webpage: Myths and Facts ↩︎
3. The Lower Thames Crossing ‘smart’ motorway is the enemy of growth – TAN briefing ↩︎
4. Essex-Kent Superlinks – TAN report on alternatives to a road crossing ↩︎