Agenda item

Mr Hunt CC asked the following questions of the Chairman:

 

“The current target for the achievement of Workplace Travel Plans is the Local Transport Plan (LTP2) target that, “50% of all employers with more than 250 staff shall have a Travel Plan by 2011" and in September 2008 the Director reported to the Environment Scrutiny Committee that we were on track to meet this target.

 

Would the Chairman:-

 

1.         Report on progress and provide a list of those employers who have delivered Travel Plans to date?

 

2.                  Tell the Commission which of these have reported progress since implementation, in terms of increased use of public transport, cycling and walking, and if there are any particularly excellent exemplars we could champion?

 

3.                  Schedule a report back to the Commission to indicate the level of success we have had by the 2011 milestone, and further monitoring and development anticipated?”

 

The Chairman replied as follows:

 

“1         Good progress has been made and by the end of March a total of 47 'major employers' in Leicestershire had adopted travel plans as follows:

 

Employer / Organisation Name	Nos Emplyd	District	Year 1st included in APR (Year ending)	PlgPermNo or Voluntary
Alliance & Leicester, Carlton Park	1200	BL	2010	V
Antalis, Interlink Pk	300	NW	2008	2005/1857/07
Argos, Fosse Park	270	BL	2004	2002/0807/01
Asda, Thurmaston	280	CH	2001	1998/0433/02
Ashfield Healthcare, Ashby	1200	NW	2007	2004/1583/07
AstraZeneca, Loughborough	1300	CH	2003	V
Babcock HSC, Pegasus Pk	350	NW	2004	2001/1172/07
Blaby DC, Narborough	360	BL	2009	V
BT Rolatruc, Meridian	250	BL	2007	2004/0574/01
Caterpillar (UK) + Cat Logistics, Desford	1650	HI	2001	1998/0965/04
CaterpillarLogistics/Quinton Hazell, Hinckley	315	HI	2007	2006/0362/04
Centrica/British Gas Business, Grove Pk	1000	BL	2005	2002/0707/01
Charnwood BC, Loughborough	760	CH	2001	V
Dimensions, Willow Fm, Cas Don	250	NW	2010	2007/1128/07
Dunelm, Syston	250	CH	2006	2006/3459/02
Dunlop Bestobell, Shepshed	260	CH	2006	2005/0696/02
E2Save, Loughborough	250	CH	2007	2006/3597/02
East Midlands Airport Ltd	250	NW	2002	V
EME/Powergen, Pegasus Pk, EMA	500	NW	2002	1999/0175/07
FloGas, Syston	1000	CH	2004	2003/1195/03
George at Asda, Magna Park	400	HA	2003	2004/0260/03
Hill Rom, Ashby	260	NW	2007	V
Hinckley Community Hospital Ph1	260	HI	2010	2002/0893/04
HM Prison - Gartree, Mkt Harboro	460	HA	2010	2005/1803/03
Johnson Stalbridge Linen Services, Hinckley	275	HI	2007	2004/0882/04
Kettleby Foods/Samworth, LFE	285	BL	2008	2007/0559/01
Kingfield Heath, Magna Park	440	HA	2003	2000/0779/03
Laddaw Ltd, Interlink Park, Bardon	250	NW	2005	2003/0651/07
LaFarge Aggregates, Watermead Business Pk, Syston	500	CH	2005	2001/2035/02
Leicestershire CC, Glenfield	1700	BL	2003	V
Long Clawson Dairy	260	ME	2008	2007/0145/06
Loughborough College of FE	450	CH	2005	2003/2730/02
Loughborough University	3000	CH	2002	V
LPC (UK) Ltd, Rothley Lodge	350	CH	2010	2000/2268/02
My Home Move, Grove Park	260	BL	2008	2004/0643/01
Next Retail Plc HQ, Enderby	1500	BL	2002	2002/0885/01
Next Retail Store, Fosse Park, Braunstone	280	BL	2001	1999/0409/01
Polypipe Civils, Loughborough	320	CH	2008	2008/2053/02
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Pegasus Pk	500	NW	2003	2001/1017/07
RBS, Grove Park	280	BL	2009	2005/0508/01
Sainsbury's, Grove Farm	480	BL	2007	2003/0858/01
SainsburysStore, Loughborough	400	CH	2004	2002/2459/02
Samworth Bros (Saladworks), LFE, Blaby	500	BL	2004	2001/1004/01
Stephenson College II, Coalville	500	NW	2006	2001/1275/07
Tesco, Ashby	400	NW	2010	2008/1606/07
Tesco, Loughborough	450	CH	2006	2004/3387/02
Triumph MC (Factory 2), Hinckley	250	HI	2005	2003/0525/04
Summary
29 IN OUTER COUNTY	14960
18 IN INNER COUNTY	12045
47 TOTAL	27005

 

This is well on track to meet the 50% target by the end of March next year. However, there are two important points to be made about the 47 major employers that have signed up to the Scheme, the first being that this does not represent the total achievement of workplace travel plans as it excludes the many others achieved across the County by smaller employers. It also excludes plans agreed with developers for employment sites that have planning permission, but have not yet been built and brought into operation.

 

The second point is that the proportion of 'major employers' with travel plans at any time is relative to the actual number of major employers in operation at that time. This number is not fixed; it varies slightly from year to year as businesses expand, contract, amalgamate, arrive or leave the County. For several years, the number of major employers has hovered around 100, but recent economic circumstances could mean significant change is taking place in the numbers and sizes of employers and so, during the coming year, some further investigation will be undertaken to obtain an accurate figure on which to base the finally reported proportion.

 

2.         As was reported in a previous reply to Mr Hunt, monitoring of the outcomes of travel plans has not been consistently achieved over the period because it has been held to be the responsibility of the organisation that operates each plan - our efforts have been directed to getting employers to create such plans in the first place.

 

However, we have had some encouraging evidence from a number of leading employers of the benefits of such plans and investment in better travel options for their employees. Notable examples include East Midlands Airport - which has seen substantial increases in travel by public transport, Next at Enderby and British Gas (Centrica) at Grove Park which have both introduced minibus services for their staff.

 

Several District Councils, notably Charnwood and Blaby, have excellent track records since the introduction of their staff travel plans and there is first-hand evidence of increased cycling, bus use and car sharing from our own experience of the County Hall Travel Plan, which was first introduced in 2004.

 

Also, Loughborough University, Stephenson College of Further Education (Coalville), Loughborough College of Further Education and (to be added to the list in the coming year when their new building opens in South Wigston) South Leicestershire College of Further Education are also to be commended on their commitment to effective travel planning for both staff and student travel.

3.         I agree that it would be helpful to have a report to members of the Commission. I am advised that the best point for such a report would be after the completion of the LTP2 period that ends on 31st March 2011. In the first instance that report should be provided to members individually. A decision can then be made as to whether this should be the subject of debate at the Commission.”

 

Mr. Hunt asked the following supplementary question on the response to question 1:

 

“Would it be a worthwhile exercise to name those major employers who have not adopted travel plans?”

The Chairman replied to the effect that:

 

It is the Council’s role to work with employers and encourage them to adopt travel plans and it is therefore felt that a ‘naming and shaming’ exercise would not be productive.

 

Mr. Hunt asked the following supplementary question on the response to question 2:

 

“Given the Authority’s Local Transport Plan target to achieve 50% of major employers in the County adopting Travel Plans and the fact that it is voluntary on the part of those employers to produce Plans, would you agree that there are significant challenges in achieving this target?”

 

The Chairman replied to the effect that:

 

It is correct that the County Council has no powers to enforce Travel Plans once they have been adopted and it is acknowledged that the Authority has not performed as well as it could in this area in the past. However, much work has been carried out recently to engage employers in the County on this issue. Prospect Leicester Shire, the County and City Council’s new economic development company, has been working proactively to engage businesses, starting with the Grove Park area and the County Council has long been working with schools to encourage the production of School Travel Plans. Work has also been carried out to equip district councils to enforce travel plans that have been required as part of the planning process.

It is hoped that the Department will be in a position to report on progress on this matter in Autumn 2010 and in Spring 2011.