ISSUED ON BEHALF OF NEW WEST OF SCOTLAND REGIONAL TRANSPORT PARTNERSHIP

12 December 2005

New Regional Transport Partnership for West of Scotland now "up and running"

Three councillors have just been appointed to head up the new regional transport partnership for the west of Scotland.

Glasgow Councillor Alistair Watson will chair the new body and deputy chairs will be South Lanarkshire Councillor David McLachlan and North Lanarkshire Councillor Tom Selfridge.

Their appointments were approved at the first meeting today (12 December) of the new regional transport partnership, which takes over from Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) and Westrans next April.

"After the new Transport Scotland legislation and months of discussion with ministers and the Scottish Executive, the new regional transport partnership for the west of Scotland is now up and running", says Councillor Watson, who for the last three years has chaired the SPT.

"The west of Scotland transport partnership is the biggest of the seven new partnerships in Scotland. It will have an annual revenue budget from April next year of over £39 million and will serve the residents in 12 council areas from Argyll and Bute to South Ayrshire.

"Our task now is to ensure the transfer goes smoothly and the new regional transport partnership builds on the regional transport strategy developed by SPT and Westrans.

"We will be taking forward the two major rail projects, Crossrail and the Glasgow Airport Rail Link , the development of major interchanges at Partick and Motherwell, as well as projects for better bus timetable information and joint through ticketing", added Councillor Watson.

Most of the functions of Strathclyde Passenger Transport will transfer to the new partnership body, including the operating of the Glasgow Subway and the Renfrew Ferry.

It is expected that all of SPT's staff and the five staff at Westrans will transfer to the new partnership body on lst April 2006. A new post of chief executive will be advertised in January.

On the partnership body there are twenty councillors nominated from the 12 west of Scotland councils and up to nine additional members who are still to be appointed by Scottish Ministers.

The twenty councillors are Duncan McIntyre (Argyll & Bute), Eric Ross (East Ayrshire), Julie Southcott (East Dunbartonshire), Alan Lafferty (East Renfrewshire), Irene Graham, Jim McNally, John Mason, Alan Stewart, Alistair Watson (Glasgow), Eric Forbes (Inverclyde), Sam Taylor (North Ayrshire), David Fagan, Barry McCulloch, Tom Selfridge (North Lanarkshire), John McDowell (Renfrewshire), Bobby Campbell (South Ayrshire), Eileen Logan, David McLachlan, Chris Thompson (South Lanarkshire), and Linda McColl (West Dunbartonshire).

ends

For further information contact:
Councillor Alistair Watson, chair west of Scotland transport partnership