Agenda item

The following questions received under Standing Order 35, were put to the Chairman of the Highways and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

 

a)    Question asked by Rachael Wigginton

 

“With a record number of residents responding to Leicestershire’s cycling and walking strategy and plan engagement, it’s very pleasing to see a greater focus on active travel filtering through into publications like the Highway Design Guide. It’s also very pleasing to see collaboration and engagement as principle number one. Most journeys are very short and people of all ages are discovering it’s very often quicker and easier to travel by (e)bike or (e)scooter, so putting active travel at the heart of local transport strategy makes perfect sense.

As active travel now sits very firmly at the heart of the government’s health, transport and net zero agendas, with longer term opportunities for funding and support now available, and with active travel featuring heavily in the vast majority of our county, district, borough and town strategies and plans,

 

Could the Chair please state:

 

Which Leicestershire county councillor is championing and leading the change (not just responsible) for Active Travel – working across all the relevant portfolio areas in the council like health, net zero etc? This person and their level of ambition and appetite for change is incredibly important to secure future funding, as we are seeing in other counties.”

 

Response by the Chairman

 

Both the Leader of the County Council and the Lead Member for Highways and Transport are fully supportive of active travel; for example, they have worked to ensure that the Authority continues to be able to fund the development of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPS), which are vital to have in place in order for the Authority to secure funding from the Government to deliver projects that fulfil the ambitions of our cycling and walking strategy. In that context, the Authority does not consider it is necessary at this time to have a specific active travel champion.

 

Supplementary Question asked by Rachael Wigginton

 

“In response to your answer, the lack of someone driving the active travel agenda at a strategic level and taking a holistic approach across all the different local authority areas including planning, health, net zero, air quality, high street regeneration and so on is impacting on our ability to succeed in encouraging more people to walk, wheel and cycle. 

 

In Leicestershire the vast majority of residents live in urban areas. All our towns can easily be cycled from one side to the other in under 20 minutes, less on an eBike. However, people have got into the habit of using a car for incredibly short journeys and children’s independent travel is limited as there is no safe alternative for them. 

 

Active Travel England is a newly formed body set up as part of the Department for Transport and has responsibility for awarding active travel funding. It aims to support willing and ambitious local authorities. Therefore the approach, desire and ambition of the county council is critically important in getting hold of that funding and greater support from Active Travel England. Could you please reconsider the approach as we are in danger of missing out on funding and support?”

 

Response by the Chairman

 

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Assistant Director, Development and Growth Highways and Transport responded that the Department would provide a response in writing to the supplementary question.

 

Post meeting the following response was provided:

 

We are actively engaged with Active Travel England (ATE). We have recently secured from them £190,000 to supplement the County Council’s own monies that it has committed to the development of schemes to improve walking and cycling facilities (despite the challenging financial circumstance it and other local authorities are experiencing). We are also continuing to build our capabilities to develop schemes in accordance with cycle Design Guide LTN1/20. From our ongoing discussions with ATE we are confident that the actions we are taking will, by later this year, place us in a position to ‘bid’ to it for capital funding to commence the delivery of schemes under the four Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans that we are developing.

 

Those LCWIPS are focusing predominantly on urban areas of Leicestershire, places where there are likely to be the greatest opportunities for people to leave their cars at home and instead feel confident and safe to walk and cycle. However, many of our towns have historic routes and are constrained in their street layouts, bringing challenges to the delivery of suitable standard walking and cycling infrastructure, whilst also needing to maintain safe vehicular access, e.g. for taxis, buses, deliveries and for those who, for whatever reason, must use a car to get around. It’s also important to remember that many residents of Leicestershire live in more ‘rural’ areas. Thus, we are actively encouraging ATE to produce ‘Market Town’ and ‘Rural Areas’ guidance to help inform the future development of schemes in such areas.

 

 

b)    Question asked by Rachael Wigginton

 

“When are you planning to start a partnership approach and involve local community groups like ours (as Worcestershire is now doing following its Zero active travel assessment rating from Active Travel England and the Department of Transport)? You have a number of residents from within several districts/boroughs with a broad range of skills and experience, who are willing help you on a voluntary basis. Experience ranges from working with Sustrans, Active Travel England and within the fields of civil engineering, communications and tourism.”

 

Response by the Chairman

 

The Council recognises the importance of community involvement in the development of future plans and schemes for cycling and walking, and that is part of the reason why it has consulted extensively in the development of the South Leicestershire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), including with Ms Wiggington on behalf of Better Biking For Blaby District. Going forward, the Authority will be establishing an Active Travel Forum for Leicestershire, and officers will be in contact with Ms Wigginton and representatives of other relevant bodies in making arrangements to establish that Forum. Additionally, as and when the Council is in a position to develop specific local schemes, further consultation exercises with local residents and relevant bodies will be carried out to inform their development.”

 

Supplementary Question asked by Rachael Wigginton

 

“‘Consulted with’ is not the same as ‘working in partnership with’. The relationship you have with me and our community group is no different from consulting with any other resident as part of the engagement process for LCWIPs. Being a trusted partner is a completely different thing. This hands off approach is also hampering efforts to encourage more people to travel actively. In that regard, could you tell me which month the first meeting of the Active Travel Forum will be?”

 

Response by the Chairman

 

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Assistant Director, Development and Growth Highways and Transport responded that the Department would provide a response in writing to the supplementary question.

 

Post meeting the following response was provided:

 

As a general principle, we seek to undertake consultation exercises openly and fairly, such that all parties with an opinion to offer can be heard and their views considered appropriately. In some cases bodies, such as ‘Better Biking for Blaby District’, may have a more particular and informed insight to offer, which is why in this case we are establishing an Active Travel Forum in order for such bodies to be able to come together to do so.

 

We are still determining the best date to launch the forum, however prior to the launch of the forum we would like to offer you, as the chair of ‘Better Biking for Blaby District’ advocacy group and Cycling UK representative, the opportunity to meet with the Lead Member for Highways Transportation and Flooding, along with senior officers to discuss how bodies like ‘Better Bike for Blaby District’ might best be involved in the forum, as a basis for ongoing productive partnership working to encourage and enable our communities to travel actively. Should this be agreeable to you, an officer will be in contact shortly to arrange a mutually agreeable time for the meeting subject to everyone’s dairies.