Government ditches much-criticised accessible transport adviser

The chair of the committee that advises the government on accessible transport has been told he will be replaced when his term is completed, after just three years in post.

A low-key recruitment campaign to replace Matthew Campbell-Hill (pictured) as the new chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) began last month but has received little publicity.

The deadline for applicants to replace him as DPTAC chair is now just four days away, on Monday (22 September).

Campbell-Hill’s appointment had initially been welcomed by accessible transport campaigners, with the hope that it could lead to a new era of transparency at DPTAC.

But in an interview with Disability News Service (DNS) in March 2023, shortly after his appointment, he questioned whether it was right to release research that exposed the discrimination faced by disabled passengers.

There were also concerns when he admitted making most of his journeys by car, rather than by public transport.

Campbell-Hill, a technology and media consultant and retired international wheelchair fencer, was later criticised for saying little publicly about accessible transport in the months after his appointment.

This was particularly noted during the high-profile campaign against plans to close nearly 1,000 ticket offices across England, which led to months of anger and activism from disabled people before the Conservative government eventually reversed its support for the closures.

There was also frustration at DPTAC’s decision to produce only a 543-word response to a call for evidence from the Commons transport committee on the last government’s draft rail reform bill.

Campbell-Hill argued at the time that DPTAC’s advisory role “often involves confidential discussions with the department, allowing us to provide candid advice that supports effective decision-making”, that this confidentiality was “essential to our work but can sometimes result in fewer public communications” and that DPTAC had taken “significant steps to increase transparency”.

Now the government has decided to hold an open recruitment process to find his successor, with his term due to run out early next year.

He had been appointed for an initial period of three years, with the possibility of extending that term.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said this week that, after his appointment was reviewed, ministers decided to open the role to competition.

Although DfT said there were no barriers to Campbell-Hill reapplying for the post, DNS has been told he informed fellow committee members earlier this year that he was being replaced.

DfT declined to comment on whether Campbell-Hill had been told he was being replaced and would not be reappointed.

Tony Jennings, co-founder of the Campaign for Level Boarding, said he had seen the post advertised last month but he agreed it had not been widely publicised.

And he said that DPTAC “should have been more vocal representing disabled people during the train station ticket office closure plans”.

Doug Paulley, another accessible transport campaigner, said he was glad that DfT was replacing Campbell-Hill.

He said he hoped the next chair would be someone with “significant experience of using public transport as a wheelchair-user and who believes in empowerment and transparency”.

He said: “I would love it if a feisty, knowledgeable disabled woman was appointed.

“The role of chair of DPTAC isn’t to be an establishment yes-person on a career ladder, but to provide honest and direct feedback to the government on the lived experience of disabled people and the impact of current and future policy.”

He said Campbell-Hill “just didn’t get that”.

He added: “I want some of the excellent disabled people on DPTAC who do have actual experience of travelling on public transport, who have their ear on the ground to other disabled people’s experiences, and who are actually useful, to have more of a voice.

“I hope the new chair does that, is more transparent, and works in partnership with other disabled people.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “The role of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee’s chair is vital for delivering joined up transport policy that works for disabled people.

“As the current chair’s term is set to expire in January 2026, we have started the process to appoint a successor, and are working with a top recruitment company to ensure we attract strong candidates.”

DfT said its efforts included advertising on the social media website LinkedIn and the public appointments website.

The successful candidate will be paid £450 a day for eight days’ work a month.

Campbell-Hill continues to hold two other DfT positions, as a non-executive director with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and as a member of the expert advisory panel for the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

A note from the editor:

Please consider making a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of DNS and allow it to continue producing independent, carefully-researched news stories that focus on the lives and rights of disabled people and their user-led organisations.

Please do not contribute if you cannot afford to do so, and please note that DNS is not a charity. It is run and owned by disabled journalist John Pring and has been from its launch in April 2009.

Thank you for anything you can do to support the work of DNS…