Birmingham Friends of the Earth West Midlands Transport Campaign

The Editor
The Guardian
London

Dear Sir

Re Freedom Of Information Campaign

The Alliance against the Birmingham Northern Relief Road fully supports The Guardian's campaign for Freedom of Information. This is not just about stopping an unnecessary and environmentally damaging road but also about the way in which the government past and present sells its soul to private industry. This road, if built, would be Britain's first and only toll boothed motorway. As such the concessionaires, as they are known, would be able to set the tolls at levels of their own choosing. We have been campaigning for the concession agreement signed in 1991 between the Government and Midland Expressway Limited to be placed in the public domain. Not even the public inquiry inspector was allowed to see this document! In 1998 we won in the High Court the right to see some of the agreement and the rest was at the discretion of the Government. A DETR press release in advance of the court's decision said that in future all similar agreements would be open for public scrutiny. Still, despite solicitors' letters, we have not been allowed to see the document.

We believe that we and others faced with PFI deals have a right to examine the financial details of the deals our government is doing with private business. So far in excess of £40 million of tax payers money has been spent, or has been agreed to be spent, on this supposedly private venture. How many more skeletons are there in the concession agreement for the public purse to meet. Indeed, how much would MEL have received if the road had been turned down? Maybe this was the real reason for this government's betrayal of local people when breaking its pre-election promise that labour would never build the BNRR.

Three of the MP's at your recent meeting to discuss Freedom of Information, Richard Shepard, Tony Wright and Mike O Brien all represent constituencies through which the route of this proposed road passes, yet even their good offices have so far failed to produce a result.

We enclose copies of Labour's Press release of 1994 when Frank Dobson said on a visit to North Warwickshire to Mike O Brien's constituency that Labour would not build the BNRR and the DETR press release of 1998 on open government.

Best wishes

The Alliance

For more information contact:

Chris Crean 0121 643 9117 or Gerald Kells 01922 636601