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Prepare to be wowed, I come bearing exciting political news this month: there is a new Permanent Secretary at the Department of Transport! That’s right, on 18 April 2017, Bernadette Kelly took over the role from Philip Rutnam. If you are unsure of what a Permanent Secretary does, allow me to explain. About Bernadette Kelly First things first: who is Bernadette Kelly? Before becoming the transport industry’s adviser, Bernadette Kelly had been the Director General of Rail Group since September 2015 (in my book, that puts her in good standing to tackle the challenges of her new role). She joined the Civil Service after graduation and has worked on public policy in relation to business and the economy ever since. What Does the Permanent Secretary Do? Simply put, Bernadette Kelly is responsible for the overall management of the government’s transport branch. This includes: • Managing funds She must ensure that the money which Parliament grants the transport industry is spent wisely. She is answerable to the Public Accounts Committee and Select Committees of the House of Commons. • Chairing the board She will also chair the management board, which is made up of both executive and non-executive members. What Does the Department of Transport Do? You are probably wondering what the management board she chairs does. Well, it has various responsibilities, all of which are tackled with four key goals in mind: • Boosting economic growth and opportunity It helps to maintain the road network and develop new schemes across England. Its goal is to improve both passenger and freight travel by providing policy, guidance and funding to local authorities, and also seeks to better England and Wales’ rail industry. • Improving journeys One of the transport industry’s biggest challenges is road congestion (I don’t think I need to tell you that!). On a national level, the department wants to improve journey time by investing in and maintaining the motorway and trunk road network across England. • Ensuring safety, security and sustainability The department is conscious that we need to decrease our carbon footprint and promote sustainability. One of the key ways in which this affects haulage companies is its encouragement to choose low carbon vehicles and maximise fuel efficiency (for example, by taking advantage of freight exchanges to ensure that there are no wasted journeys). Overall, it supports the transport industry by improving travel on roads and rails, as well as at sea and in the air. Its aim is to allow people and goods to move across the country efficiently and quickly. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides a valuable service, updating members with the latest information on issues affecting road safety, fuel costs, and other news from the transport industry. Matching delivery work with available vehicles, over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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