Senior TC Bell to step down in 2017 while Wales gets own TC

Senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell has announced she will step down from her post next year, while Nick Jones is relinquishing the West Midlands traffic commissioner (TC) role to become full-time TC for Wales at the start of October.

Fellow TCs Sarah Bell (West of England), Nick Denton (London and the South East of England) and Kevin Rooney (North East England) will be redeployed from 31 October to fill the gap created by Mr Jones’ move.

Mr Denton will be redeployed as the TC for the West Midlands, based in Birmingham. Miss Bell will become the TC for London and the South East of England, based in Eastbourne, and Mr Rooney will be redeployed as TC for the West of England, based in Bristol. Mr Rooney will also retain his role as TC for the North East in the interim.

The changes will officially take effect from 31 October, with transitional arrangements during that month to ensure that licensing and regulatory activities are not affected.

Mr Jones has long made his frustrations over his split role known. In his annual report for 2014-15, he pointed out that funding allocated to the eight traffic areas “is supposedly based on the workload of the seven individual TCs”.

“This means that there is no specific allocation for Wales and it is treated as if it were part of the West Midlands of England,” he went on.

“As a result there is no separate financial provision for communication with trade associations in Wales or liaison with the Welsh government; nor is there any allowance for the cost of hearings outside of the Birmingham office.

“The lack of any financial provision for compliance with the legislation relating to the Welsh language has been an ongoing concern which will eventually lead to interesting challenges.

“The historic approach to administration has meant that the interests of Welsh operators and the safety and convenience of the public in Wales has not been given the primacy it deserves.”

Following the decision to separate Mr Jones’ role into two distinct posts, Welsh government economy and infrastructure secretary Ken Skates said: “Since my appointment it’s been clear in by discussions with local authorities and others that there was real appetite for increased capacity for the TC for Wales. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to move quickly to make this a reality.

“Having a full-time TC based in Wales, and, in due course, bilingual support staff also based in Wales, as opposed to Birmingham, means increased and more effective engagement with those who provide and maintain our transport networks here in Wales.”

Senior TC Beverley Bell said: “I congratulate my colleague, Mr Jones, on his appointment as the first, full-time TC for Wales. His commitment to proper regulation in the country is well established and I know his knowledge and expertise will be vital in setting up a full-time service for operators and the travelling public.

“I am also confident that the redeployment of my fellow commissioners – Mr Denton, Miss Bell and Mr Rooney – will ensure these three diverse regions continue to be regulated efficiently, effectively and proportionately.”

Mrs Bell has had her term as senior TC for Great Britain extended until Spring 2017, but will then stand down from that position and from her role as TC for the North-West of England.

During her time as STC, Mrs Bell has robustly defended the independence of the TCs from enforcement body VOSA (now DVSA), and criticised VOSA in front of the House of Commons transport committee for concentrating its enforcement efforts on “nice but incompetent operators” and ignoring the “serially non-compliant”.

Mrs Bell said: “I am delighted to serve as senior TC and look forward to working with the Department and my fellow Commissioners as we work through the changes that will follow as a result of the Triennial Review.

“Over the past four years, TCs have dealt with a range of significant issues arising in the operator licensing regime but there is still more to be done.

“Over the next 12 months we will concentrate on continuing to deliver our key objectives of reducing the burden on the compliant industry and targeting the serially and seriously non-compliant to ensure our twin objectives of the promotion of road safety and fair competition.”

She continued: “In reflecting on my work as senior TC, I feel that real progress has been made in challenging times for TCs and operators alike. I consider that, next Spring, the time will be right for the future challenges of fee and legislative reform to be taken forward under new leadership.

“Consequently, I also intend to step down from my post as TC for the North-West of England at the same time.

“Since my appointment as TC I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this important role and there is no doubt that I shall miss the cut and thrust of the public inquiry room as well as attending stakeholder events.

“Each case is unique and I have always tried to strike a balance between knowing when an operator or driver needs to be put back on the road to compliance, and cases where the operator or driver poses the greatest risk to road safety and fair competition and needs to be excluded from the industry.”