Transport

Local Government Association asks all parties to commit to further devo rollout in their election manifestos

Ministerial direction was required by DfT perm sec to provide funds for project

National Audit Office investigation finds £120m-plus spent in south-east has so far led to just one train operator introducing flexible part-time season tickets

Rail Group DG takes up post at the Department for Transport, increasing number of female departmental chiefs to five

Senior figure in Manchester devolution deal says Brexit shows centralised UK has not served country well

David Prout announces departure a month after legislation for £56bn project's first phase gets Royal Assent

Public Accounts Committee says accountability system for major electrification programme was too complex, and casts doubt on cost estimates even after £1.2bn increase

New report suggests a proportional headcount that is half the civil service-wide average

Mark Thurston to leave engineering consultancy giant CH2M for new £650k a-year role

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top officials to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites. Philip Rutnam, Department for Transport permanent secretary and the civil service's disability champion, takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor calls for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to take urgent action, after a report by the watchdog finds that the DVLA has wrongly denied people with certain medical conditions and disabilities the right to drive

Watchdog voices “deep concern” over department’s rejection of recommendations to track down drivers with wrongly-revoked licenses

Transport permanent secretary Philip Rutnam's request for a ministerial direction over funding guarantees for the controversial project to build a new bridge over the Thames brings the total number of directions since last May to seven - more than twice the number under the coalition government

Former Highways England boss Graham Dalton joins Ministry of Defence’s property division

New deputy director for international trade to lead a team promoting UK's transport industry in a post-Brexit world

Pia Wilkes returning to the agency responsible for testing safety and emissions of vehicles after four years in the private sector

High speed rail project faces "volatile" costs and skills shortages, Public Accounts Committee says, as the group of MPs urge government to finalise decisions on route

National Infrastructure Commission chief executive Phil Graham tells CSW it is “disappointing” that the government has “taken so long” to decide on airport expansion

Royal Statistical Society praises Transport department for "honest" and "innovative" presentation of official statistics

"I cannot now foresee an announcement until at least October," says transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin

Unions welcomed Court of Appeal decision backing 2015 ruling that amendments to DfT's staff handbook were unlawful

Infrastructure and Projects Authority says strong public sector involvement coupled with move away from traditional government structures has been a important factor in the success of capital projects like London 2012 and Crossrail

MPs have criticised a culture of “defensive communication and misinformation” at HS2

Transport department has improved its ability to let rail franchises, MPs say, but still lacks the capability to manage them, and does not have a “coherent strategic vision” for the rail system