Announcing £560m funding for sustainable local transport, Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Transport said his message to local authorities is to “look very carefully at the White Paper and bidding guidance because there is a significant amount of money there to be accessed at a time when money is in short supply.” Speaking at the School Transport conference, Baker said that the there is likely to be a quick payback on the investment and that it supported a strategy to create growth and cut carbon.