Agenda item

The Cabinet Lead Member for Environment and Transport has been invited to attend the debate on this item.

The Commission considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport concerning the final draft version of the Local Transport Plan 3. A copy of the report, marked ‘B’, is filed with these minutes.

The Director reported that the latest version of the Strategy was being considered by the Commission, prior to submission to the Cabinet on 8 March and then the full County Council meeting on 23 March. An up-to-date version of the Strategy, which included the latest amendments following consultation, was circulated to members at the meeting. A copy of this document is filed with these minutes. A briefing had been held for members on 1 March to explain the purpose of the Strategy and where funding would be allocated.

The Director highlighted the following key points:

·                      The Strategy would have to be in place by 1 April 2011 in order to meet the Coalition Government’s deadline;

·                      The principal drivers for the Strategy were the need to support the local economy in light of:

à The present economic conditions and reduced levels of funding;
à The forecast level of population (housing) growth;
à Climate change;

à Accessibility; and
à Health and obesity levels.

·                      The Strategy would feed into the Council’s Sustainable Community Strategy and other key activities of the Council, such as the new Local Economic Partnership;

·                      The Implementation Plan would be taken forward on a three yearly basis, with a yearly refresh. It was suggested that the incremental basis of implementation would enable the Council’s Strategy to evolve and respond to threats and opportunities as they emerged;

·                      The emphasis of the Strategy was based around ensuring the reliability of the network. £9 million of capital funding had been allocated to highway maintenance;

·                      Though Government was discouraging large capital schemes prior to 2015, the externally funded Birstall Park and Ride and the Loughborough Eastern Gateway remained in the 2011/12 Capital Programme.

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting the Cabinet Lead Member for Environment and Transport, Mrs. L. A. S. Pendleton CC, who was present to respond to any questions the Commission had on the Strategy.

Arising from discussion, Mrs. Pendleton and the Director made the following key points:

·                    There was some concern amongst the bus companies about the changes in the way the concessionary scheme was now being run and what they perceived to be reduced funding. It remained a priority to work effectively with bus companies to ensure that services were provided commercially;

·                    There was a clear identified need for journey times to be “predictable”. It was felt that any aims to speed up the network would only produce marginal benefits;

·                    The Council’s commitment to delivering a network of Monday to Saturday daytime bus services operating to an hourly or better timetable within 800m of 95% of County residents was no longer viewed as a target which was affordable;

·                    It was recognised that there was only one Park and Ride scheme proposed in the Strategy, despite a desire to encourage public transport use. A Glenfield Park and Ride had previously been considered and could once again become part of the Strategy in the future, as and when a case could be made and when the economic situation started to improve;

·                    The Department would continue to be alert to the potential for funding through the new Community Infrastructure Levy and the new borrowing powers available to local authorities through the Tax Increment Financing measures, recently announced by the Coalition Government;

·                    Education remained a priority in respect of efforts to ensure road safety. Evidence suggested that ‘Speed Awareness’ courses were more effective than ‘Reducing the Impact of Traffic’ (RIOT) Schemes which were more resource intensive. Given the intended move away from RIOT Schemes, members stressed the need for an appropriate response mechanism to requests from members of the public;

·                    Work was ongoing to ensure that developers were well briefed on the issues the Council faced in maintaining an efficient transport network. Given the economic position the Council now faced, it was now a key requirement for developers to put forward appropriate proposals/funding to mitigate the potential impact on the network;

·                    A joint Strategy had been pursued with the City Council, however it became clear that the City Council wished to devise its own Strategy. Good transport links with the City were viewed as essential and constructive dialogue continued with City Council colleagues;

·                    The Department was not committing to congestion charging as it was felt that there would hopefully be more suitable options that would emerge as the Strategy evolved. Workplace charging was not being pursued;

·                    Due to the work required to establish a broader range of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)  (to seek to reflect the wider issues that LTP3 embraced), the complete framework would continue to be developed following approval of the Strategy. The Department’s new Integrated Transport Model would assist in the setting of relevant targets. It was stressed that there would be opportunities for scrutiny of the Department’s performance against KPIs.

Members expressed a wish to scrutinise progress with elements of the Strategy, though it was recognised that detailed analysis of the effects of implementation would have to be carried out in order for effective scrutiny to take place.

RESOLVED:

(a)               That the Local Transport Plan 3 be broadly welcomed and that officers from the Environment and Transport Department be thanked for their hard work in producing the Strategy in time for the Coalition Government’s 1 April deadline;

(b)               That it be noted that the Strategy had been devised with reduced resources in mind and that the Department’s commitment to providing both value for money and a reliable network be supported;

(c)               That the Commission has concerns about future development and the extent to which the Council can ensure that adequate consideration and funding is committed by developers to mitigating the impact of development on the transport network;

(d)               That it be noted that there will be a continued expectation from members of the public that RIOT Schemes are a suitable option and that therefore consideration should be given to devising an efficient and appropriate mechanism through which to respond to future requests in the context of democratic processes;

(e)               That it be noted that officers will continue to work with officers at Leicester City Council to ensure tangible benefits and outcomes;

(f)                 That the Scrutiny Commissioners be asked to identify potential issues arising from the Plan which merit more detailed consideration through the Scrutiny process.