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Last week the Department for Transport announced that 23 local government proposed transport schemes were being added to the 22 already in the "Development Pool", that is, a list of schemes that will be eligible to bid for a central sum of money. This brings the total funding request of the 45 schemes to £950 million: rather dramatically more than the £630 available. That means a lot of local government effort and expense between now and September 2011, when best and final bids are required, for schemes whose fate is to be not funded. Is there any advantage in delaying decisions in this way, as if clarity will somehow emerge between now and September?

The "best and final bids", one rather suspects, may achieve further cost-cutting in some cases through removal of mitigating development, let's say noise reduction measures or screening through landscaping in the case of a new road.