The role of reporting mechanisms in transport policy implementation by local authorities in England

The UK Transport Act 2000 made a number of reforms, requiring all local transport authorities in England, outside of London, to produce a local transport plan (LTP). A separate annual delivery report was also required to show how the LTP was progressing, however this system of close monitoring was abandoned in 2008. This paper analyses and compares the LTP 2001–2006 and the LTP Delivery Report for three UK cities in order to obtain an insight into the importance of reporting in the implementation of local transport policy. Analysis of why some policies were not implemented successfully is based on the application of a new hybrid theory of policy implementation combining top-down and bottom-up perspectives. Findings reveal that the reporting process in the three case cities misses some key information which limits the ability of local authorities to monitor their policy implementation. Moreover, applying the hybrid theory reveals that even in cases of good reporting, some important elements needed to evaluate the implementation of transport policy are lacking. The paper provides recommendations for effective implementation and better decision making that will aid local authority staff.