Prior departs for Henley

Much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the Supply Chain tonight!

Lord Prior, the BEIS minister championing the rail Sector Strategy, resigned from the government today.

Lord Prior brought insight, energy and enthusiasm to his role, most recently displayed when he addressed the Rail Forum conference in Derby last Thursday.

No matter!

In the words of the late, great Sir Robin Day ' just another here-today, gone-tomorrow, politician.'

So a big Eye welcome to our new Supply Chain minister the Rt Hon Lord Henley!

This from Lord Henley's biography on the government website:

Lord Henley was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 27 October 2017.

He was a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 21 December 2016 to 15 June 2017, and a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) from 21 November 2016 to 15 June 2017.

He is a Conservative member of the House of Lords.

Lord Henley served as Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction from September 2011 to September 2012. He served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2010 to 2011.

Lord Henley held a number of positions in the previous Conservative government, including Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Social Security, the Department for Employment and the Ministry of Defence. He was also Minister of State for the Department of Education and Employment. In Opposition, he served as Chief Whip, Deputy Speaker and was Opposition spokesperson for Legal Affairs and Justice.

He was educated at Clifton College, Bristol and Durham University. He was called to the Bar in 1977.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Responsibilities include:

• industrial strategy
• Lords lead on all BEIS issues
• industrial policy (with the Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry)
• technology and emerging sectors
• infrastructure/construction
• professional services
• rail supply chain
• defence
• maritime
• life sciences
• EU on-going business
• better regulation and regulatory reform
• Land Registry
• Ordnance Survey
• Companies House
• corporate minister

A long list of responsibilities, we can only hope he exhibits the same enthusiasm for the rail supply chain as his predecessor.

On the plus side, no doubt the Rt Hon Lord Henley can bend the Rt Hon Chris Grayling's ear at Privy Council meetings.

Manifesto responses - Germolene or Iodine?

This from Howard Wade...

Interesting to compare and contrast trade associations responses to the recent spate of manifestos.

Here is Rail Delivery Group  Chief Executive, Paul Plummer, who may be in danger of sleepwalking over a cliff...

"Working together, by the end of the next parliament, we will be running 6,400 extra services a week and 5,500 new carriages. On top of this, train companies are making a range of changes to improve the experience of passengers from simpler ticket buying to better information. This is all part of a £50bn-plus upgrade plan to improve journeys and to make local economies stronger and fairer, now and for the future.”

Plummer was, of course, speaking on behalf of RDG's 'train company members' (ie the TOCs and FOCs, pointedly excluding Network Rail which is gagged during Purdah).

Compare this with recently appointed Railway Industry Association Chief Exec, Darren Caplan. He pulls no punches, as many of his members are fighting for survival as Plummer's "£50 bn plus" is consumed by both Treasury and boiling frogs:

"We hope that [insert party of choice] recognise and share our concerns about the need for continuity of year-on-year funding for the rail supply sector, which faces the ongoing challenge of planned projects being postponed due to funding limits and which could ultimately lead to passenger and freight services suffering as a result. 

"The current 'Control Period 5' (CP5) will see significant reductions in spending in 2018/19, which could lead to asset degradation, reductions in sectoral employment, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises in the supply chain going bankrupt, and a negative impact on productivity. This in turn could lead to capability gaps and increased costs when the delayed work is commenced, perhaps several years into the next Control Period, CP6."

No doubt about who is speaking for the real railway industry.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Steve Strong...

Reading the words of Mr Plummer I can't help but feel that it lacks key references to 'strong and stable' and 'for the many, not the few'?

Perhaps RDG could amend their statement to read:

"This is all part of a £50bn-plus upgrade plan to improve journeys and to make local economies stable and strong; for the many, not the few.”

You are welcome!

Shaken and stirred: Graham Coombs

Eye hears that Graham Coombs is departing RIA.

After two decades as Communications Director at the Railway Industry Association (the UK's supply chain trade association) Coombs has decided he's had enough of erecting stands at exhibitions!

Speaking exclusively to Eye, Coombs said:

“I can’t grumble at a job that has taken me everywhere from Blackpool to Beijing, but it is time for a change. 20 years of supporting suppliers is more than enough for anyone.

"Now isn't it your round old man?" 

Coombs, a former BR Board Press Officer, has accumulated an astonishing 36 years of rail PR experience since he joined the Southern Region Public Relations and Publicity Office in 1981.

Colleagues who wish to see Graham off in 'old railway' style can find him on or about the RIA stand at Railtex this week.

Supply Chain to fill Election gaps?

Guido suggesting that the Conservatives may be shy sufficient candidates for the General Election.

Ever keen to assist, Eye wonders whether our very own Supply Chain might help fill the void?

But who should we send?

It needs someone with experience, someone who has fought a by-election and has form for high octane politics...

Step forward Darren Caplan, CEO of the Railway Industry Association!

Darren, a former Central Office staffer, stood for the blues in the 2010 General Election against motorcycling fan Diane Abbott.

Alas the good voters of Hackney North and Stoke Newington placed him third, but from small acorns...

Brief words on NR's SBP

The launch of NR Strategic Business Plan yesterday was pretty well received, despite Fleet Street media fixating on fares, shedding more heat than light.

No matter.

With such a vast suite of documents supporting the SBP it was perhaps inevitable that one or two howlers would slip through the editing process.

So here for readers delectation and delight are some of the best ones...

From the London North Western section of Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan:

Quite so.

And this from p28 of the London North Eastern section, which initially showed 'track changes'...

Indeed.

And finally an example of smart-alec Visual Management tools that actually conflict with the experience of those on the sharp end of the operational railway...

 Traffic lights instead of signals? Could do better.

Despite this carping, an impressive set of docos that shows quite how far the railway has come in recent years. Now let's hope the ORR says it is all affordable...

Eye salutes all those involved. 

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

You missed the endless repetition of the DafT (?) inspired guff that this is the biggest investment in the railways since the 'Victorian era'.

Frankly this is dishonest!

Am I alone in being not amused?