Sub-regional working in transport

Charlotte Dixon

Regional and Local Transport Strategy and Funding

DfT

Charlotte Dixon

Regional and Local Transport Strategy and Funding

DfT

• The need for joint planning and delivery in transport

• Progress to date: examples of local authority success

• The draft Local Transport Bill

• How does this “fit” with MAAs?

• The need for joint planning and delivery in transport

• Progress to date: examples of local authority success

• The draft Local Transport Bill

• How does this “fit” with MAAs?

The need for joint planning and delivery in transport: Existing arrangements

• Most transport powers in England outside London are held by:

• County or Unitary Councils outside the six former met counties

• Passenger Transport Authorities and Metropolitan District Councils in the metropolitan areas

• Powers and duties are widely drawn, in recognition that different areas have different priorities

• But transport needs often don’t fit with local authority boundaries

• Most transport powers in England outside London are held by:

• County or Unitary Councils outside the six former met counties

• Passenger Transport Authorities and Metropolitan District Councils in the metropolitan areas

• Powers and duties are widely drawn, in recognition that different areas have different priorities

• But transport needs often don’t fit with local authority boundaries

Progress to date: The Local Transport Plan

• Local Transport Authorities have duty to include their policies in a Local Transport Plan

• In the former metropolitan areas the duty is a joint duty on the PTA and the MDCs

• Elsewhere, local authorities can use general local government powers to prepare joint plans if they wish

• All authorities produced their second 5-year LTPs to start in April 2006.

• Local Transport Authorities have duty to include their policies in a Local Transport Plan

• In the former metropolitan areas the duty is a joint duty on the PTA and the MDCs

• Elsewhere, local authorities can use general local government powers to prepare joint plans if they wish

• All authorities produced their second 5-year LTPs to start in April 2006.

Joint LTP Planning

Joint LTPs were prepared by:

• PTA and MDCs: Tyne & Wear, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Midlands

• Four unitary authorities: Greater Bristol

• Urban unitary plus part of a county: Greater Nottingham, Derby Joint, North Staffordshire, Luton & Dunstable, Central Leicestershire

• Two unitaries plus part of a county: South East Dorset

Joint LTPs were prepared by:

• PTA and MDCs: Tyne & Wear, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Midlands

• Four unitary authorities: Greater Bristol

• Urban unitary plus part of a county: Greater Nottingham, Derby Joint, North Staffordshire, Luton & Dunstable, Central Leicestershire

• Two unitaries plus part of a county: South East Dorset

Greater Nottingham Plan Area

• 1x unitary authority (City of Nottingham)

• Plus part of Nottinghamshire County Council:

• 3 x districts (Broxtowe, Gedling, Rushcliffe)

• 1 x part of a district (Hucknall electoral wards of Ashfield district)

• 1x unitary authority (City of Nottingham)

• Plus part of Nottinghamshire County Council:

• 3 x districts (Broxtowe, Gedling, Rushcliffe)

• 1 x part of a district (Hucknall electoral wards of Ashfield district)

Perceived benefits of joint working

• Economies of scale

• Access to shared resources

• More efficient use of resources

• Transport planning & delivery matched to functional areas

• Economies of scale

• Access to shared resources

• More efficient use of resources

• Transport planning & delivery matched to functional areas

Funding arrangements

• Most transport funding is through RSG and two large capital blocks for Integrated Transport and Highway Maintenance

• Blocks are distributed to authorities by needs-based formula

• Where authorities prepare joint plans, DfT takes advice from the authorities on how funding should be distributed between them

• Most transport funding is through RSG and two large capital blocks for Integrated Transport and Highway Maintenance

• Blocks are distributed to authorities by needs-based formula

• Where authorities prepare joint plans, DfT takes advice from the authorities on how funding should be distributed between them

Other Joint Planning

The Tees Valley example: Middlesbrough, Darlington, Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees

The Solent example: Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton

• 20 year sub-regional strategies

• Individual LTPs: 5 year plans for transport

• Solent Transport Partnership – highways, bus, trains, HA

The Tees Valley example: Middlesbrough, Darlington, Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees

The Solent example: Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton

• 20 year sub-regional strategies

• Individual LTPs: 5 year plans for transport

• Solent Transport Partnership – highways, bus, trains, HA

Draft Local Transport Bill

• Enables reviews of transport governance in metropolitan areas and elsewhere

• Enables establishment of joint authorities outside existing PTA areas

• Can also cover membership, powers, boundaries etc

• Proposes that in metropolitan areas PTA should lead on joint Plan

• Enables reviews of transport governance in metropolitan areas and elsewhere

• Enables establishment of joint authorities outside existing PTA areas

• Can also cover membership, powers, boundaries etc

• Proposes that in metropolitan areas PTA should lead on joint Plan

How does this fit with MAAs?

• We already have joint planning, reporting, targets, funding and delivery in many areas

• Some important metrics, eg congestion, bus patronage, only sensible at sub-regional level

• Currently transport targets are not agreed with government.

• But LAAs will include the possibility of “designated” transport targets

• Should be straightforward to allow this also for joint Plans, with the contribution to the designated target included as one of the 35 targets for each of the relevant authorities

• DfT welcomes the possibility of transport being embedded in wider sub-regional agreements

• We already have joint planning, reporting, targets, funding and delivery in many areas

• Some important metrics, eg congestion, bus patronage, only sensible at sub-regional level

• Currently transport targets are not agreed with government.

• But LAAs will include the possibility of “designated” transport targets

• Should be straightforward to allow this also for joint Plans, with the contribution to the designated target included as one of the 35 targets for each of the relevant authorities

• DfT welcomes the possibility of transport being embedded in wider sub-regional agreements