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Neil, that's an interesting read above.
In my representation, there has never been a distinction between British and foreign lorries, they'd all pay the same.
The Government has recently hinted it would reduce/abolish road tax so as to charge road tolls.
However, the estimated figures presented as a possible total revenue from lorries is far too small, the actual figure would have to be much higher than that, bit this I've explained carefully in my representation.
My point to the DfT is that these revenues should be divided between Central and Local Government, otherwise we can forget all forms of Localism, which would just become a dead letter, a defunct idea of no use at all to us.
As the Government has made Localism a basic part of its strategy for the future, and this happened to correspond with what I was also working on in 2009 when I was living in Eastern Dover, I consider myself as seeing eye to eye with Gov. on Localism, which however needs to be implemented through economic measures too, and this MUST mean a higher share of revenue going to local Gov, and a bit less to Central Gov.
Therefore, I DO NOT envisage the Government deciding to introduce a road toll whereby all the revenue goes only to the Treasury, but rather accepting my proposal, whereby a road toll can be a Port Toll where there are commercial ports, and the revenue is distributed, as I suggested, between both Central and Local Authority.
The reason, Neil, why I am confident that my proposal will be accepted, is that, otherwise, the Government might as well pick up the Loacalism Act and fling it in the waste-paper bin, as we'd only be sticking to the old dinosaur system of Central Government cashes in almost all monies and redistributes them, loosing half of the money in the process through lack of accountability.
A basic part of the Localism Bill, Neil, is that Local Government is an arm of Central Government in implementing its policies.
Therefore, my whole representation, which envisages Port Tolls to be divided centrally and locally, and a transfer of the Port form Central (DfT) to Local Gov. authority, is completely in line with the Localism strategy of the Government.
Adding to this, my freight by rail proposal for a T2 at Western Docks is also in line with Government policy, which requires a reduction, and not an increase, in carbon emissions.
I feel confident that my representation will be accepted in full, otherwise the Government would have to renege its very own identity and everything it ever stood for!
As stated, my representation is comprehensive, well-thought out and 100% in line with Gov. policy on everything it mentions.