Sunak's DfT Ministerial Team

[Master29]

Because you/we voted them in in 2019 for 5 years, and after Brexit, Covid and Ukraine we are in recession and they are responsible for moving the country forwards, at least until the next election.

More people may support the unions than not, but that doesn't mean they will get what they want, any more than any of us will be happy with the economic settlement.
An inflation-matching pay settlement, no changes to T&Cs and no redundancies, on 80% of 2019 revenue, is just not going to happen.
(Just my 5p).

No offence toward you intended but what you`ve put here is exactly why I don't think it really matter who's there. It may just as well be Bodgit and Scarper builders as far as I`m concerned as most of the rhetoric is meaningless.

 

[pepperpot80]

There's a clear shift to ensuring competence rather than stardom in this re-shuffle for DfT. It's heartening to see Baroness Vere remain in post for local transport (i.e. buses and taxis), aviation and maritime affairs, and significant experience brought to the top job - Huw Merriman has been a challenging and knowledgeable TSC Chair as others have stated.

Those wishing for graded pay scales may wish to look at recent rumblings about parliamentary staff salary issues and also recall that transport & governemnt graded salaries tend to come with complex and chunky allowance systems bolted on to allow for obfuscation of salaries and increases thereof.

In the end the unions will likely get most of what they want - continued withdrawal of labour will continue to harm the economy, and make recovery more difficult, and as ever, investment in core utilities pays back - core principles of macroeconomics don't change on a whim. The deals will be done quietly, there will be much left unsaid, and somehow all parties will walk away with victories on all sides: it's the nature of negotiation.

 

[Man of Kent]

It's heartening to see Baroness Vere remain in post for local transport (i.e. buses and taxis), aviation and maritime affairs,

Unfortunately not. The DfT website appears to have been updated this morning, and now shows

Baroness Vere of Norbiton is responsible for:

• aviation
• maritime
• security, including Ukraine
• civil contingencies
• Kent
• international
• women’s safety
• accessibility

and

Richard Holden has responsibility for:

• roads and motoring, including DVLA, DVSA, VCA
• regions and devolution
• local transport, including buses, taxis, light rail
• union connectivity
• haulage
• Future of Freight
• London (incl. Crossrail, Transport for London)
• accessibility (cross-cutting responsibility)

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

To add to the above (from the photos on the DfT front page):
Huw Merriman is Rail and HS2
Jesse Norman is Decarbonisation and Technology

The detailed DfT organisation chart (showing departments and senior staff) hasn't been updated, still showing Anne-Marie Trevelyan in charge.

 

[Thirteen]

To add to the above (from the photos on the DfT front page):
Huw Merriman is Rail and HS2
Jesse Norman is Decarbonisation and Technology

The detailed DfT organisation chart (showing departments and senior staff) hasn't been updated, still showing Anne-Marie Trevelyan in charge.

I knew Merriman would get Rail, will be interesting to see if he get involved with trying to sort out the current disputes.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

By far the most important skills this team need to have is expert handling of the Treasury, closely followed by being able to give bad news in a way that will be accepted by local politicians.

+1 from me

 

[Kilopylae]

Because you/we voted them in in 2019 for 5 years, and after Brexit, Covid and Ukraine we are in recession and they are responsible for moving the country forwards, at least until the next election.

We've given them enough chances that you'll forgive me for not being charitable about their desire to do that.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton is responsible for:

• ...
• Kent
• ...

That seems a bit random; is there anything special about Kent?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

We've given them enough chances that you'll forgive me for not being charitable about their desire to do that.


That seems a bit random; is there anything special about Kent?

Ports (Dover, Channel Tunnel) and Operation Stack?

 

[Kilopylae]

Oh yes, I had my brain on 'rail mode' and had pretty much forgotten about Operation Stack! That and Dover will probably be it.

 

[zwk500]

Oh yes, I had my brain on 'rail mode' and had pretty much forgotten about Operation Stack! That and Dover will probably be it.

Rail in Kent is also special for HS1 and Eurotunnel, the only fixed link to France.

 

[Kilopylae]

Rail in Kent is also special for HS1 and Eurotunnel, the only fixed link to France.

If it was really that, you'd expect it to be given as 'HS1' or just a special 'Eurotunnel' brief, not just as 'Kent'

 

[zwk500]

If it was really that, you'd expect it to be given as 'HS1' or just a special 'Eurotunnel' brief, not just as 'Kent'

It's part of the overall 'Kent' brief which is really 'Cross-Channel Traffic' - including Le Shuttle, The Tunnel itself, Dover, Operation Stack, Small boat crossings, etc.

 

[Bald Rick]

In the end the unions will likely get most of what they want

If they actually said what they wanted, that might help.

 

[childwallblues]

I agree with the basis of that but I am interested in the DfT aims to improve revenue and revenue collection. Buying new trains without end gangways (WMR and TfW apart) gives the passengers free reign to avoid buying tickets. Having guards sat in back cabs and not checking their pax tickets is also letting revenue go. What are thew DfT doing about it ?

It is quite obvious Peter Wilkinson doesn't want to pay railway staff any increases. He said it five years ago in Croydon. However, not paying railway staff any salary increase whilst inflation is at 10% and energy is through the roof is also immoral, particularly when MPs got their increases every year without productivity demands.

I travelled on three trains on Friday
0525 Liverpool Lime Street-Euston (to Stafford)
0633 Stafford-Birmingham New Street
1404 Birmingham New Street-Liverpool South Parkway
and had my ticket checked on all three

 

[Dr Day]

• regions and devolution
• local transport, including buses, taxis, light rail
• union connectivity

These might be in Richard Holden's brief, but will include a lot of rail issues too.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Despite being sacked as Secretary of State for Transport on 6 September Grant Schapps today announced that the much-vaunted "Northern Powerhouse Rail" programme has been downgraded. His successor Anne-Marie Trevelyan was absolutely useless and did practically nothing. The current post-holder Mark Harper (who?) hasn't said or done much yet. What a shambles!