Parliamentary scrutiny of road, rail and aviation issues will now be overseen by Lilian Greenwood MP who has been elected to chair the Transport Select Committee.

 

She takes over from previous chair Louise Ellman who stood down after nine years in the post.

 

“I am delighted to have been elected to this important post and look forward to meeting colleagues and creating a collegiate but challenging Committee,” Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South, said.

 

“The Department for Transport needs effective and fairhanded scrutiny. In the months and years ahead, I hope the Committee will take a closer look at the transport issues that impact all areas of the UK, rural and urban.”

 

Following her appointment Lilian Greenwood pledged to take a look at Heathrow expansion, High Speed 3 and Crossrail 2 all of which face decisions that are “seriously overdue” as well as cross border issues in the devolved nations which “remain unresolved”.

 

She also expressed a desire to address “serious doubts” over the ability of Highways England and Network Rail to deliver their road and rail investment schemes and noted that there is already pressure from the Treasury to reign back on existing commitments. She added that the Committee will have an important role in challenging the Government to keep pace with new technology.

 

Lilian Greenwood served as Shadow Transport Secretary from 2015 to 2016 and was previously a Shadow Transport Minister for four years. Four other Labour MPs put themselves forward for the position of committee chair: Geraint Davies, Clive Efford, Bridget Phillipson and Gavin Shuker.

 

The Local Government Technical Advisers Group vice chair John Elliott – who has given evidence to the Transport Select Committee in the past –  welcomed Lilian Greenwood’s appointment. He said: “We are hoping a little bit more attention is paid to challenge evidence and policy.” But he added: “We would not want to lose Louise Ellman’s ability to look at things that affect the ordinary person.”

 

Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety executive director David Davies, who worked for the Committee for six years and later appeared before it to give evidence, described Louise Ellman as “a respected chair, hard working and conscientious, fair but firm with witnesses and clear in her media statements”.

 

He said: “The Transport Committee was innovative. It held evidence sessions away from Westminster, including Hull and Birmingham, and was the first Select Committee to have witnesses from the Youth Parliament. Louise cared deeply about regional economic development, safety and fairness.”

 

David Davies added his congratulations to Lilian Greenwood on being elected as chair of the committee. “As a former Shadow Transport Minister she knows her brief and has a good track record of scrutinising Government Ministers. I expect she and the Committee will hold the Department for Transport Ministers’ collective feet to the fire on many important issues in the future.” 

 

(Photo: Transport Select Committee)