The King has confirmed that the new Government will take action to tackle the skills crisis in England and bring forward legislation to bring bus and rail services more closely under public control.
At the State Opening of Parliament, King Charles told assembled peers and MPs that his Government will establish a body to be known as Skills England, and reform the Apprenticeship Levy.
A briefing document states that Skills England will ‘bring together businesses, providers, unions, mayoral combined authorities and national government to ensure we have the highly trained workforce that England needs’.
The King also said: ‘A Bill will be introduced to allow local leaders to take control of their local bus services. My ministers will bring forward legislation to improve the railways by reforming rail franchising, establishing Great British Railways and bringing train operators into public ownership.'
The Government said a Better Buses Bill will deliver Labour’s manifesto commitment to reform the bus system in England by delivering new powers for local leaders to franchise local bus services and lifting the restriction on the creation of new publicly-owned bus operators.
The Government would also ‘step in’ to safeguard local bus networks by providing more accountability over bus operators and ensuring that standards are raised across the country and give local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding.
A GB-wide Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill, would enable ministers to bring contracts into public ownership as they come to an end or ‘if operators fail to meet their commitments’ and bring the management of the network and delivery of passenger services together in a single public body, Great British Railways.
The King said that these and other policies ‘will enhance Britain’s position as a leading industrial nation and enable the country to take advantage of new opportunities that can promote growth and wealth creation’.
AA president Edmund King said: ‘We welcome the Better Buses Bill as this could help ease congestion on roads across the country.
‘We believe the Bill could improve connectivity in urban areas, especially if successful Park & Ride schemes, such as those in Oxford and Cambridge, can be used as a blueprint of best practice.
He added: ‘With the motor industry evolving at a rapid rate with the rise of electric vehicles, connected and autonomous vehicles, it is vital that the future workforce is upskilled.
‘The creation of Skills England can help encourage apprentices to the automotive sector and help unlock their potential.’
Jason Prince, director of the Urban Transport Group, said: 'The King’s Speech sends a strong signal of intent that this government is serious about transforming our transport sector.'
In a section of the speech climate change, the King said a Bill will be introduced to support sustainable aviation fuel production.
