Paul Corfield wrote:


I can recommend a read of the minutes of the newly re-established Panels
for TfL. Lots of detail that you don't see in the Board minutes or
Commissioners report.


Further to this, and with due regard to Paul's position, it does appear
that the former Rail Transport Advisory Panel and Underground Advisory
Panel disappeared with the advent of Boris (the RTAP's last Agenda from
13/2/2008 hopefully states 'Date Of Next Meeting: Tuesday 20 May at
2.00pm').

They then mysteriously reappear after a Board decision in late September
2008, with meetings held on 26/2/2009, 20/5/2009 and 10/7/2009.

Now, three things should be noted from this: first off, someone in
Boris's team thought that the Panels weren't worth keeping and canned
them in May 2008. The timing of the Board meeting that reinstated them
strongly suggests that it was Tim Parker who binned them, as he resigned
in mid-August 2008, and it sounds like his sort of thing (cut and cut
with no understanding). We therefore lost getting on for a year of TfL
being run under a system that both Mayors now seem to think is
appropriate, which can't be good really.

The second thing that is noticeable is that it's no longer considered
necessary to consider rail and underground separately, which possibly
gives some indication of the priority given to them in the current
administration. Backing this view, the Surface Panel (roads n stuff) is
chaired by Steve Norris, while the Rail and Underground one gets Chris
Garnett. Well, at least it's not 'Jarvis' Norris - he's not someone you
want to see near your railway.

The third thing is that there are four panels, and Daniel Moylan is on
every single one, which answers the question 'who's in charge here,
then?'. Big road nut of course, Moylan is.

Tom