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Somerset County Council

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Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 March 2006

APPENDIX 1 - DETAILED ACCESSIBILITY STRATEGY

Somerset Local Transport Plan 2 (2006-11)

Detailed Accessibility Strategy

Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan (2006-2011) Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Contents

Section Page

Introduction 5 The Accessibility Planning Processes 5 Partnership Working 6 Countywide Accessibility Issues 6 Prioritising Local Accessibility Assessments 7 Programme of Local accessibility Assessments 7 The Accessibility Strategy 8 Targets and Monitoring 15

1. Introduction 17 Introduction 17 Developing the Strategy 17 Structure of Report 17

2. Accessibility Planning Processes 19 Background 19 Why is Accessibility Planning Important in Somerset? 19 What are the Processes Behind Accessibility Planning? 23

3. Policy Review 31 Introduction 31 National Transport Policy 31 Regional Planning Policy 32 Local Planning and Corporate Policy 32 Local Transport Policy 35 Access to Health 40 Access to Life Long Learning 42 Access to Employment 44

4. Socio Demographic Review 47 Introduction 47 Local Geography and Population 47

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Age Profile 48 Indices of Multiple Deprivation 49 Car Ownership 55 Journey to Work Patterns 56 Rurality and Social Exclusion 57 Market and Coastal Towns 57

5. Existing Transport Provision 59 Introduction 59 Passenger Transport 59 Walking and Cycling Provision 66

6. Countywide Accessibility Issues 68 Introduction 68 Access to Health and Food 68 Access to Employment 78 Access to Lifelong Learning 88 Summary 97

7. Prioritisation of Local Accessibility Assessments 99 Introduction 99 Outcomes of Local Accessibility Mapping 99 The Geographical and Thematic Priorities 104 Local Accessibility Assessments 107 Summary of Each Proposed Local Accessibility Assessment 109 Reviewing the Priorities 122

8. The Strategy 123 Introduction 123 Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning 123 Tackling Rural Exclusion 129 Improving Public Rights of Way 135 Strengthening the Role of Market Towns 137 Improving Urban Accessibility 139

Information and Ticketing Strategy 140

9. Performance Indicators, Targets and Monitoring 144

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Introduction 144 Accessibility Performance Indicator 145 Appendix A – Letters of Support 147 Appendix B – Bridgwater Action Plan 155

List of Tables Table 2.1 - Summary of Links between Policy Guidance and Somerset Accessibility Strategy 23 Table 3.1 - Variation in Strategic ‘Accessibility’ in Somerset 39 Table 3.2 - Key Priorities and Themes to Enhancing Economic Opportunity for Somerset Residents 44 Table 4.1 - Somerset Population Age Profile (Census, 2001) 48 Table 1.2 - Summary of Car Ownership Trends in Somerset between 1981 and 2001 54 Table 6.1 - Summary of Wards with Highest Health and Social Needs (HSNAG, 2004) 69 Table 6.2 - Summary of Missed Hospital Outpatients Appointments (DNA’s) in Somerset 71 Table 6.3 - Summary of Benefit Claimant Counts in Somerset (2003/04 80 Table 6.4 - Key Employment Indicators for Somerset 81 Table 6.5 - Number of Incapacity Benefit Claimants in Somerset (2003/04) 89 Table 8.1 - Links Between Accessibility Planning and the LAA Priorities 127 Table 8.2 - Rights of Way Network Characteristics 135 Table 8.3 - Summary of Rights of Way Consultation Results 136

List of Figures Figure 2.1 - Adopted Accessibility Planning Process in Somerset 23 Figure 1.1 - Somerset Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD 2004) 51 Figure 4.2 - Somerset IMD 2004 – Education, Skills and Training Domain 53 Figure 4.3 - Somerset IMD 2004 – Access to Housing and Services Domain 54 Figure 4.4 - Summary of Journey to Work Origin/Destination Patterns 58 Figure 5.1 - Map of Existing Demand Responsive Transport Schemes in Somerset 64 Figure 5.2 - Map of Existing Community/Voluntary Transport Schemes in Somerset 65 Figure 6.1 - Percentage of Somerset Residents Finding Access to Health and Food Services Difficult or Very difficult 70 Figure 6.2 - Access to General Hospitals in Somerset (07:00-10:00) 76 Figure 6.3 - Access to Community and General Hospitals in Somerset (07:00-10:00 77 Figure 6.4 - Summary of Unemployment Trends in Somerset and the South West 78 Figure 1.1 - Number of Incapacity Benefit Claimants in Somerset (2003/04) 81 Figure 6.6 - Access to Major Centres of Employment in Somerset (06:30-09:30) 86 Figure 6.7 - Access to Job Centres in Somerset (06:30 09:30) 87 Figure 7.1 - Geographical Areas Used for Analysis of Local Accessibility Mapping 100

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Figure 7.2 - 20% Least Accessible Services by Zone 107 Figure 7.3 - Five Year Programme of Local Accessibility Assessments 108 Figure 8.1 - Summary of Core Passenger Transport Improvements that will Enhance Urban and Rural Accessibility 124 Figure 8.2 - Transport and the LAA Structure 127 Figure 8.3 - Summary of Existing and Proposed SLINKY Routes 130 Figure 9.1 - Summary of Accessibility Performance Indicators and Targets 144

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Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION This document presents our Accessibility Strategy as summarised in the second Local Transport Plan (2006-2011). A summary of the processes and work undertaken to date by Somerset County Council and our partners is given in order to demonstrate how specific issues associated with access to key services across Somerset have been identified and prioritised for inclusion within the final Accessibility Strategy.

The executive summary provides a summary of the following points:

♦ The Accessibility Planning Processes; ♦ Partnership Working; ♦ Countywide Accessibility Issues; ♦ Prioritisation of Local Accessibility Assessments; ♦ Programme of Local Accessibility Assessments; ♦ The Accessibility Strategy; and ♦ Targets and Monitoring.

THE ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING PROCESSES

Background

The formal concept of accessibility planning first originated from the ‘Making the Connections: Final Report on Transport and Social Exclusion’ published by the Government’s Social Exclusion Unit in February 2002. The aim of the process is to improve and promote social inclusion for individuals in both rural and urban communities. Social inclusion relates to the extent to which individuals and communities have access to essential services such as employment, education, healthcare, food shops, leisure facilities and other key services.

Following the submission of the Framework Accessibility Strategy in July 2005, we have continued to strengthen our strategy through ongoing mainstreaming, partnership working, assessing other data sources and a closer analysis of data emerging from accessibility mapping software (Accession). Specific tasks that have been completed since July 2005 include: ♦ Stakeholder consultation on the Framework Accessibility Strategy, as part of the overall LTP2 consultation; ♦ Further strategic and detailed partnership working; ♦ Strengthening partnerships through the Local Area Agreement Process (LAA); ♦ Data collection and analysis to build upon the existing evidence base and identification of issues; ♦ Development of a geographical area prioritisation matrix for undertaking local areas assessments; and

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♦ Development of a five year programme of actions based on local accessibility assessments and action plans. Accessibility Planning in Somerset Accessibility Planning will have a significant role to play in delivering against the accessibility related targets and objectives of both local authorities and other key stakeholders such as Jobcentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council and the Primary Care Trusts.

This document sets out how accessibility planning in Somerset will assist in achieving following: ♦ The delivery of local authority corporate responsibilities and policy objectives; ♦ Inform the operational aspects of work carried out by our Integrated Passenger Transport Unit (IPTU); ♦ Tackling issues of rural and wider social exclusion; ♦ Helping strengthen the role of market towns across the county; ♦ Improving opportunities to access employment, compulsory age schooling, post 16 education, healthcare and healthy food, tourism and leisure; and ♦ Informing the development of Local Area Agreement and Local Development Frameworks.

PARTNERSHIP WORKING

Partnership working is critical to ensuring that an integrated approach is taken to solving accessibility issues in Somerset. Making improvements to accessibility does not necessarily just involve improving transport provision, but also requires influencing the way in which key partners from education, industry, health and retail deliver their services. A significant amount of different partnership working is ongoing, both corporately and with neighbouring authorities and external organisations and service delivery agencies. These partnerships have built upon existing joint ventures and working groups developed through other processes, including the Somerset Strategic Partnership (SSP) and district Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). Furthermore the development of the LAA will help deliver our Accessibility Strategy.

Cross border working, the accessibility planning project group, strategic partnerships, themed workshops and Transport for Somerset Group have all helped to develop an accessibility strategy based around a partnership approach.

COUNTYWIDE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES Our understanding of the countywide accessibility issues has emerged from the collection of data from partners, accessibility mapping and themed workshops. The final accessibility strategy aims to tackle the following overarching strategic objectives: ♦ The need for mainstreaming of Accessibility Planning; ♦ Limited passenger transport services in rural areas; ♦ A need for more localised provision of services;

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♦ Poor availability of information regarding both delivery of essential services and passenger transport availability; ♦ Pockets of deprivation, particularly in urban areas; and ♦ Limited evening transport services.

PRIORITISING LOCAL ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENTS

We appreciate that not all of the County’s accessibility problems can be solved in the very short-term and therefore a system of prioritisation is necessary.

The programme of local accessibility assessments set out at the end of this section and included in LTP2 was determined using information from a range of key sources and processes discussed in previous sections including: ♦ Local and national demographic data; ♦ Analysis of outputs from the accessibility planning model ‘accession’ and links with local deprivation indices; and ♦ A review of the level of service provides by community/accessible transport schemes in the county. These factors were used to calculate a total score for accessibility in each of the 20 zones currently used by IPTU for service planning, taking account of public transport journey time, community transport availability and quality, and indices of multiple deprivation.

Programme of Local accessibility assessments The following programme sets out our phased programme of further, more localised accessibility assessments, and action plan development. This demonstrates that we are aware that Accessibility Planning is an ongoing process and that we will undertake a progressive approach to understanding of accessibility issues at a local level and towards the ongoing development of the Accessibility Strategy throughout LTP2 and beyond.

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Programme of Local Accessibility Assessments (2006 – 2011) Five Year Programme 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Local Accessibility Assessment Action Plan 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 6 7 8 9 0 / / / / / / 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 7 8 9 0 1

THE ACCESSIBILITY STRATEGY Delivering accessibility planning throughout Somerset requires a number of different initiatives and strategic action plans, collectively working together to improve our resident’s access to key services. These initiatives can be categorised according to the following strategy priorities:

♦ Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning; ♦ Tackling Rural Isolation; ♦ Improving Public Rights of Way (Discussed in LTP2 Appendix 4) ♦ Strengthening the Role of Market Towns; ♦ Improving Urban Accessibility; and ♦ Information Strategy. Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning Improving accessibility is critical to the Council's corporate delivery of services, thus the Accessibility Strategy is embedded within Council activities and will be delivered through effective partnerships. Mainstreaming will be achieved by:

♦ Integrating accessibility planning work into the activities of external organisations through existing partnership arrangements such as Transport for Somerset, Local Area Agreements and the Somerset Strategic Partnerships; and

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♦ Feeding the processes and outcomes of accessibility planning work into the county’s corporate activities. Tackling Rural Exclusion

The accessibility strategy outlines a number of ways in which Somerset County Council and its partners will address rural exclusion issues; these are briefly set out below.

Network Hierarchy of Passenger Transport Provision – Our ‘Bus Strategy’.

The Council is committed to concentrating financial support on the operation of a core bus network, enabling operators to also increase investment in these quality corridors, in turn leading to increased patronage and commercially viable routes. The more rural areas will be served by our demand responsive 'SLINKY' services and voluntary/ community transport. This focusing of local authority support at different levels of service provision is known as a ‘Network Hierarchy’ and is based on the following different types of service:

Approximately 15,500 children (approximately one quarter of all under 16's attending school in Somerset) make about 6 million trips per annum on free transport provided by the County Council. In addition a further 9,000 attend post 16 education for whom we provide season tickets and bus services.

We are keen to improve transport provision for school pupils and to help develop seamless frontline delivery for pupils through measures such as: ♦ Upgrading of the fleet;

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♦ Further integration of special needs pupils with mainstream schooling, social services and health care provision; ♦ Further integration to help deliver 14-19 year olds national curriculum of personalised learning; and ♦ Further integration with admissions e.g. placement and transport entitlement are offered simultaneously. 1.1 We will review and develop our approach to school travel over the early part of the LTP2 period to respond to the new legislation, and better integrate school travel plan activity with provision of school transport, to meet a range of accessibility, congestion, safety and health issues.

Cycling in Rural Areas Rural cycling plays an important role within our Accessibility Strategy:

♦ Many outlying settlements are within realistic cycling distance of market towns and main urban areas; ♦ The National Cycle Network (NCN) offers potential to stimulate tourism and leisure cycling activity; and ♦ In suitable locations, rural cycle routes can serve as very good multi-use paths, thus improving accessibility for vulnerable road users, in particular walkers, horse riders and wheelchair users. Multi-use paths also represent value for money as many different users can share one route. Our Strategy therefore gives an emphasis to those cycle routes between outlying settlements and market towns that are considered to have high potential demand, which reflects the role of market towns as important service centres.

Improvements and maintenance of cycling facilities will also help to improve overall accessibility to key services by increasing public confidence in cycling in terms of road safety and fear of crime. Furthermore cycling allows individuals to travel relatively lengthy distances with minimum cost and thus can offer individuals an alternative to using the car or public transport, and aid in a healthy lifestyle.

Powered Two Wheelers The geographical expanse of Somerset and the dispersed nature of its population lends itself to the importance of motorcycles and other powered two wheelers. The success of the county Moped Loan Scheme administered by the Rural Partnership shows the attractiveness of such modes.

We are currently working with the British Motorcycle Federation (BMF) to identify locations for improved parking facilities and there maintenance and will continue to help provide a range of marketing, training and awareness material encouraging safe use of powered two wheelers.

Rights of Way

The Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP) is the prime means by which Somerset County Council will identify changes to be made, in respect of the management and improvements, to the local rights of way network in order to

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improve the provision for walkers, cyclists, equestrians and people with mobility problems. The RoWIP is a strategic document containing statements of action and each year a business plan will be produced, detailing the plans and targets relating to specific individual schemes.

The interim objectives of significance for improving accessibility of rights of way and addressing the above findings in rural (and urban) areas are to: ♦ Increase the percentage length of public rights of way that are ‘easy to use’; ♦ Develop a GIS layer of routes that are available to the less able/ wheelchair and mobility vehicle users and make this information available to the public; ♦ Improve the provision, accessibility and safety of utility rights of way, particularly between residential areas and centres of education, employment, health services and leisure and; ♦ Upgrade footpaths and bridleways to multi-use paths where appropriate and encourage the public to use them; ♦ Develop and improve existing links with sustainable forms of transport particular on promoted routes by working with the IPTU and; ♦ Increase the awareness of user and landowner responsibilities through a variety of media and audiences. Strengthening the Role of Market Towns

Market and Coastal Town Initiative The Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTi) provides funding to a number of Somerset market towns, including Langport, Minehead, Shepton Mallet, Wiveliscombe, Chard, Crewkerne, Martock and Wincanton, Burnham on sea and Highbridge. The initiative enables these towns and their surrounding communities to identify priorities for the future of there area, and develop action plans to resolve these issues. Accessibility is clearly a key issue in successful regeneration.

We have recently undertaken a series of workshops with District Councils to align our strategic priorities and establish what can and cannot be delivered through the new LTP process. These workshops have clearly highlighted that local economic regeneration initiatives in smaller towns and rural areas, which are key priorities particularly for the District Councils, will be very difficult to deliver through the LTP as they do not generally have congestion, pollution or safety problems that can be considered as priorities.

We will work in partnership with local MCTi to establish links with accessibility planning and how these schemes are prioritised in terms of the co-ordination of scheme implementation.

Interchange Improvements Our 'Interchange Audit' (2003) recommended new interchange localities and an appropriate standard of facilities.

Interchanges will play a central role in promoting greater accessibility across Somerset, particularly for travel to and from rural areas. Interchange will also form an important part of trips between the suburban parts of the larger towns and

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destinations outside the town, both elsewhere in Somerset and for longer distance trips. We will deliver improved interchange facilities across the county in co- ordination with passenger transport improvements such that the implementation of improved passenger services will be co-ordinated with improvement to interchanges.

Cycling in Market Towns The 2004 cycling review demonstrated those towns with the greatest potential to encourage more cycling are Burnham & Highbridge, Wellington, Cheddar, Minehead, Wells, Street and Glastonbury.

These towns are generally characterised by relatively gentle topography, road layouts which can be made more cycle friendly, improved level of parking and access to the town centre, as well as a history of a higher levels of cycling in the recent past. Settlements within a 5km radius of these towns were also considered and the potential demand for connecting cycle routes was assessed. The benefits for tourist activity along these often quiet and scenic routes were also taken into consideration.

For settlements thought to have less potential for increased levels of cycling and therefore less immediate value for money, the emphasis will be on improving conditions for existing cyclists through wider programmes such as safety or maintenance programmes, although there may be specific routes within these settlements where a value-for-money case can be made for funding in terms of the likely number of users of the route. Specific routes in Chard and Frome have been raised during consultation for an assessment of this nature.

In all towns where new development or re-generation schemes are proposed the Council will work closely with planning authorities and developers to ensure that accessibility improvements including cycle access are implemented where required.

Improving Urban Accessibility

Improving Walking Provision Walking schemes will play a major role in addressing accessibility issues within our more urban areas. Almost invariably, walking comprises an element of all journeys, and accessibility improvements cross-cut many strategies and associated schemes.

The Council is committed to increase walking and recognises its importance as a sustainable mode of transport for journeys to school and work, and for leisure and tourism activities.

During the LTP2 period many of the major development and re-development proposals that have been emerging in our towns through the Local Plan process will come to fruition. Town-centre re-development proposals, in particular, such as the Taunton Vision will play a vital role in opening up new walking routes across our towns.

We will continue to support physical improvements such as dropped kerbs and tactile paving by continuing to produce information leaflets on bus travel, car sharing, cycling and walking and working with schools and employers on travel plan schemes.

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Our Safer Routes to Schools (SRTS) programme continues to have a high priority in Council activities and will have a role for improving accessibility in the county as well as tackling congestion and safety problems.

Alongside the new infrastructure and the promotional activities targeted at improving walking facilities, the quality of existing footways is also an important part of encouraging walking. The Transport Asset Management Plan will help in prioritising maintenance activities and ensuring that this key component of making the best use of existing infrastructure delivers real benefits with positive outcomes in the level of walking throughout the county.

Information and Ticketing Strategy The most frequently identified barrier to accessibility in Somerset, across all of our accessibility planning work to date, has been the lack of available information regarding transport provision, service provision, fares and ticketing.

Information Initiatives

A key recommendation from our Passenger Transport Strategy Review, and subsequently our accessibility strategy is the need for a clear dissemination strategy for information about transport and access to services in Somerset. This recommendation is supported by our accessibility partners.

There are a significant number of issues to deal across all sectors and we are therefore developing an information strategy as a 'cross cutting' strategic action plan within our overall accessibility strategy. This strategic action plan will take some time to develop, gain agreement and implement and will involve a number of specific initiatives. We will begin work on this action plan this year and continue to develop a number of smaller initiatives throughout the course of the five years.

In parallel with this we will continue to work with delivery agencies and operators to ensure that transport information we produce is consistent, effective and provided in various, easy to understand formats.

The information action plan will identify relevant information that should be targeted to different audiences. The most effective method or format for dissemination will be identified through the involvement of a wide variety of customers of transport and other services. Different target audiences will include: ♦ Adults; ♦ Older People; ♦ Young People; ♦ People with various types of disability or visual/ hearing/ learning difficulties; ♦ Residential communities; ♦ Businesses; ♦ Service specific customers such as users of Health or Educational facilities; ♦ Visitors to tourism destinations; ♦ Women or people who may be concerned about security issues; and

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♦ Minority ethnic groups who may need information in particular languages. Overall we envisage that our approach to improving accessibility will be assisted by establishing clearer roles and responsibilities for those involved in the provision of information. Partnership working will also offer the possibility of developing more technical information systems such as through the internet or by text messaging.

Ticketing

We have identified the importance of simple, easy methods of ticketing for meeting the needs of existing passengers and also as a means of attracting new passengers onto public transport. A common barrier to passenger transport usage is the inability to transfer between operators and therefore integrated ticketing will help deliver a more ‘seamless’ journey.

Ticketing initiatives for Somerset will incorporate the following: ♦ Introduction of smartcard technology in partnership with operators; ♦ Negotiation with bus operators and major tourist attractions to offer more discounted passenger transport tickets and entry tickets to attractions such as those produced for Wells Cathedral and Cheddar Gorge; ♦ Provide ticketing offers to local businesses, colleges, sixth forms and hospitals that implement travel plans to encourage usage of sustainable transport for the journey to their facilities; ♦ Provide ticketing offers or concessionary fares to those social service clients who could safely use or be trained to use everyday passenger transport to attend both day centres and for leisure trips, building on the ‘bus buddies’ scheme; and ♦ Develop ongoing partnerships with JobCentre Plus and operators to provide discounted ‘bulk ticket purchasing’ for individuals who require help in travelling to new employment and training opportunities. As well as creating a more seamless journey with the obvious benefit of encouraging more people to use the services, these initiatives will also improve access to basic services, provide more affordable ticketing mechanisms and simplify the fare structure so it may be understood by all.

The success of ticketing initiatives is heavily dependent upon a comprehensive and well publicised marketing campaign and we will be increasing our marketing activity to reflect this need.

Concessionary Fares

We operate a Somerset Travelpass scheme in partnership with our five district councils. This county-wide scheme enables transport on any journey, starting or finishing within Somerset, for which there is a through fare available.

The Somerset TravelPass group will move to a free scheme for pass-holders from 1st April 2006 which will go beyond the statutory minimum by embracing community transport and an earlier start at 0900.

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The group is also working closely with neighbouring authorities, operators and the Government Office for the South-West to provide the infrastructure, and aims to create a regional scheme in the near future. The scheme and its reimbursement methodology has been welcomed by operators and uses the guidance notes for reimbursement provided by DfT.

TARGETS AND MONITORING

To enable the Council to monitor progress against our LTP2 objectives we have developed a number of indicators and set targets for the end of LTP2 as set out in the table below. We will regularly monitor our performance against these targets and adjust resources and programme delivery accordingly.

The Mandatory Accessibility Performance Indicator and Target The adopted Passenger Transport Strategy (2005) recommended a ‘Passenger Transport Network Hierarchy’, a ‘tiered’ approach to service classification and provision.

Feeding into the core Quality Bus Partnership routes at key interchanges such as Market Towns, and covering the rest of the county will be our Demand Responsive Transport (DRT, e.g. Taxibus and SLINKY) services. We recognise that these services are a key delivery tool for improving residents travel opportunities and improving accessibility, particularly in areas not covered by a regular/frequent bus service which are widespread in Somerset. These services provide value for money for the Council as they operate customer focused provision and thus higher patronage numbers are experienced than conventional bus services in these rural areas.

In order to monitor the impact of the SLINKY and Taxibus services upon travel opportunities and accessibility we have developed a mandatory accessibility performance indicator that has two core elements: ♦ To improve the travel opportunities of Somerset residents to essential services by increasing the proportion of parishes covered by Demand Responsive Transport (DRT -Taxibus and SLINKY services) from 35% to 80% by 2011. ♦ To increase the number of single passenger journeys made using DRT-Taxibus and SLINKY services from 7,095 passenger journeys per annum to 87,495 passenger journeys per annum (a 1,233% increase) by 2011. Monitoring Methodology

The Council will undertake GIS based analysis of the % of parishes covered by DRT (Taxibus and SLINKY services). In addition, the Council have new procedures for procuring such services which require successful operators to provide annual data on the following: ♦ Number of single passenger journeys; ♦ Journey purpose (health appointments, education, employment, recreation, shopping and other social activities – including evening classes); ♦ Age of user;

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♦ Number of disabled users; and ♦ Time of travel. Key Actions of Partners Although the Council will lead in the development of new services, local community groups and wider stakeholders will need to help identify existing accessibility problems and participate in the development, funding and marketing of new schemes. Operators will need to deliver services that meet the public’s expectation in terms of service reliability and quality so that the forecast level of single passenger journeys is matched by reality on the ground.

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1. Introduction

INTRODUCTION

1.1 This document presents our Accessibility Strategy as summarised in our second Local Transport Plan 2006 – 11 (LTP2). The document outlines a summary of the processes and work undertaken to date by Somerset County Council and our partners. It also demonstrates how specific issues associated with access to key services in Somerset have been identified and prioritised for inclusion within the Accessibility Strategy.

1.2 The report draws upon a number of previous studies, policies and strategies for Somerset and has been developed in close partnership with local and regional partners.

DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY

1.3 Following the submission of the Framework Accessibility Strategy in the Provisional Local Transport Plan (July 2005), we have continued to strengthen our strategy through ongoing mainstreaming, partnership working, assessing other data sources and a closer analysis of data emerging from accessibility mapping software (Accession). Specific tasks that have been completed since July 2005 include: ♦ Stakeholder consultation on the Framework Accessibility Strategy, as part of the overall LTP2 consultation; ♦ Wider LTP2 public consultation; ♦ Further strategic and detailed partnership working; ♦ Strengthening partnerships through the Local Area Agreement Process (LAA’s); ♦ Data collection and analysis to build upon the existing evidence base and identification of issues; ♦ Development of a geographical area prioritisation matrix for undertaking local accessibility assessments; ♦ Development of a five year programme of actions based on local accessibility assessments and action plans.

STRUCTURE OF REPORT

1.4 Following on from this introduction, the remaining report considers the following: ♦ Section 2 - Accessibility Planning Processes outlines the processes and programme of work that Somerset County Council and our partners have followed in the development of the Accessibility Strategy as submitted as part of LTP2; ♦ Section 3 - Policy Review sets out a range of local, regional and national policies to illustrate how the concept of accessibility planning complements broader transport and non transport policy objectives;

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♦ Section 4 – Socio Demographic Review describes the key socio-demographic characteristics of Somerset and the existing transport situation is reviewed in ♦ Section 5 – Existing Transport Provision. ♦ Section 6 – Problems and Opportunities details the main accessibility problems and issues affecting the county. ♦ Section 7 - Prioritisation of local accessibility assessments describes the approach that we and our partners have taken to issue prioritisation and outlines the five year programme of local accessibility assessments and Action Plan development. ♦ Section 8 - The Strategy describes the vision and objectives of the Accessibility Strategy for Somerset and summarises the key initiatives to be delivered as part of the Strategy. ♦ Section 9 - Performance Indicators, Targets and Monitoring describes how we will monitor progress towards addressing the issues and priorities identified as a result of accessibility work to date. An outline our accessibility performance indicators and targets is also given.

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2. Accessibility Planning Processes

BACKGROUND

2.1 The formal concept of accessibility planning first originated from the ‘Making the Connections: Final Report on Transport and Social Exclusion’ published by the Government’s Social Exclusion Unit in February 2003. The aim of accessibility planning is to improve and promote social inclusion for individuals in both rural and urban communities. Social inclusion relates to the extent to which individuals and communities have access to essential services such as employment, education, healthcare, food shops, leisure facilities and other key services.

2.2 Accessibility is defined as “a measure of the level of ease to which individuals can access services and facilities that they need or desire”. Accessibility is applicable to the entire journey (door to door) between an individual’s origin and final destination, irrespective of the type of transport used e.g. cycling, walking, train, bus or car.

2.3 Accessibility planning considers transport issues together with the location, design and delivery of key services and user perceptions of transport and other service provision. Several factors impact on an individuals ability to access key services, these include: ♦ Total travel time required; ♦ Cost of travel; ♦ Location of facilities and services; ♦ Method and timing of service delivery; ♦ Safe routes of travel; ♦ Fear of crime; ♦ Knowledge of available travel and service choices; ♦ Travel horizon’s (people’s willingness to travel in terms of distance and time); and ♦ Characteristics, needs and perceptions of the individual.

WHY IS ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING IMPORTANT IN SOMERSET?

Access to Employment

2.4 Improved employment opportunities contribute to the overall economic stability of the county and its core market towns. Furthermore access to jobs and better training opportunities will help to increase the overall attractiveness of Somerset in which to live and conduct business. Quality of life benefits will also be achieved, particularly for those currently excluded from the existing employment market.

2.5 According to the National Employer Skills Survey (2003), around 50% of all job vacancies in Somerset (6,826) were classified as ‘hard to fill’, this compares to a national average of 40%. Amongst those businesses with ‘hard to fill’ vacancies, 17% stated that remote location and poor public transport were reasons for

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difficulties in recruiting, compared with a national average of 9%. Further reasons for recruitment problems included low applicant numbers (46%), unsociable shift patterns (31%) and a low number of applicants with the required skills (20%).

2.6 In 2003/04 approximately £150m was spent on employment related benefit support in Somerset (Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance and Incapacity Benefit). It is the primary aim of Jobcentre Plus to reduce the number of persons in receipt of benefits by guiding them back into long term employment.

2.7 The process of accessibility planning will assist in ensuring that transport does not act as a barrier to accessing employment and training opportunities. By engaging local employers at appropriate stages of the accessibility planning process, it is hoped that best value solutions specific to the needs of Somerset employers and their labour force can be achieved. It is envisaged that in some instances where individuals seeking employment and training are widely distributed such as West Somerset that more innovative personalised solutions will be required.

2.8 Improving access for residents to local education providers will also enhance access to training opportunities and adult learning and increase the employability of Somerset residents. Ultimately this will lead to a reduction in long term unemployed and the number of hard to fill vacancies. Improved employment opportunities will contribute to an overall improvement in the quality of life (including health) of people living in Somerset.

2.9 The economic development strategy further identifies aspirations for growth in the knowledge-based economy.

Access to Compulsory Age Education

2.10 Somerset County Council provides free home to school transport for children who have a statutory entitlement or qualify by virtue of the LEA’s discretionary transport policy. This includes children with special educational needs. In addition, where spare seats are available on existing school transport, these are offered to students not eligible for free school transport, such as post 16 students.

2.11 As this statutory requirement only covers standard school hours, students who have more flexible learning patterns or wishing to participate in after school activities are reliant upon the main public transport network or lifts from parents or friends to return home.

2.12 We recognises the benefits that extra-curricular activities can offer such as social skills development, enhanced achievement levels and improvements to general health. Through accessibility planning we will seek to continue working with local schools and colleges to ensure that appropriate transport services are in place to minimise the number of young people that are excluded from after school learning and sports activities.

Access to Post 16 and Further Education

2.13 As already highlighted, ensuring good access to the education system both at compulsory school age and at post 16 level can have significant benefits for local businesses and the economy by supplying individuals with the skills necessary to

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fulfil a range of employment opportunities. By continually improving access to education at all levels it is hoped that the skills base for employers can be broadened. This is essential if Somerset and our major towns including Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater are to increase their presence in the regional economy and continue to prosper.

2.14 There are no university institutions and few higher education facilities offering traditional degree courses in Somerset (Somerset College of Art and Technology – SCAT, offers local degree courses through its affiliation with the University of Plymouth). Consequently many young people are leaving the county to study elsewhere in the country. Most significantly, graduates then have a tendency to pursue employment opportunities in their place of study rather than returning to Somerset. It is hoped that by improving access to higher education courses and by increasing the number of employment opportunities for higher qualified individuals in Somerset, that these individuals and their skills can be retained within the county’s labour pool. This will ultimately lead to growth in investment and economic growth that assists in building Somerset’s prosperity and reducing its peripheral position within the region.

2.15 The availability of transport for individuals attending education and training can also have implications at a personal level. To varying levels the availability of transport can impact upon: ♦ Student Choice- pupils may resort to choosing their second choice course due to their inability to access first choice courses or colleges; ♦ Retention- Difficulties in travelling to the place of learning may result in students leaving courses early, for example 15% of Strode colleges have considered leaving due to transport difficulties (Travel to Learn Survey, LSC (2004)); ♦ Achievement – Poor exam performance or lack of regular attendance can occur due to long journeys to college or unreliable transport; and ♦ Participation – Students may not attend further education at all due to lack of transport or unattractive journey times or unaffordable travel expenses. Access to Health

Primary Healthcare

2.16 The National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06 to 2007/08, emphasises the need for local Primary Care Trusts (PCT’s) to work together to manage Patient Transport Services such that the transport system best suits the needs of patients and their families and carers. The process of accessibility planning will clearly help to bring PCT’s together with other health related organisations such as the West Country Ambulance Service and the Health Advocacy Partnerships to consider how access to healthy living and services can be improved in the county.

2.17 The cost of transport patients within the health service in Somerset is also significant. Each year £1m is spent on transporting non-emergency patients to and from Musgrove Hospital. Although the hospital has a contract with the West Country Ambulance Service (WCAS), the service is dependent largely upon volunteer drivers. Consequently 30% of journeys to and from Taunton Musgrove are undertaken by

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taxi. The processes behind the accessibility planning will help to bring partners together to identify potential efficiency gains that can be achieved through more joined up service delivery.

2.18 The number of missed appointments concerns all NHS Trusts and Health Authorities. As an individual if you miss an appointment, then you often go to the end of the waiting list. This clearly has implications for the patient such as worsening health or prolonged or more serious treatment; in addition this has major resource cost implications for health providers. It is an objective of the accessibility strategy to ensure that transport provision does not present a barrier to individuals and communities wishing to access healthcare provision.

2.19 Furthermore by providing access to key services, leisure facilities and open space by cycling and walking there will also be benefits in terms of increases in physical activity and exercise which will indirectly reduce pressure on Somerset’s local health service through reducing the incidence of heart disease, respiratory illnesses, and other illness related to obesity. Over 50% of deaths in Somerset are caused by these ‘lifestyle’ related illnesses.

Food Links

2.20 Diet is an important aspect of promoting healthy living and lack of choice in the food stores that is available to people can result in poor dietary habits. As with many parts of the country Somerset has experienced growth in the number of large supermarkets, which are often located away from rural areas and commonly not easily accessible by public transport. This has significant implications for those who do not have regular access to a car (the elderly, low income households and the mobility impaired), particularly those living in rural areas. Very often these groups of individuals either have to endure lengthy journeys by public transport, shop at more expensive local stores, use taxis or depend on a lift from a friend or wider family member.

2.21 Somerset Food Links was established in 1999 to encourage people in Somerset to purchase locally produced food at an affordable price. The role of Somerset Food Links is of significance to the accessibility planning process as it helps to support rural economies especially agriculture and aims to reduce the need for people from isolated areas to make lengthy trips to major centres. Supermarkets are clearly important food providers and the county will work with district councils to ensure that new developments are accessible by sustainable modes including public transport, cycling and walking.

Access to Tourism and Leisure

2.22 Due to Somerset’s proximity to the coast, it has naturally become host to a number of popular tourist destinations including Minehead and Butlins, Burham on Sea, Exmoor National Park, Cheddar Gorge (Sedgemoor), Street (Clarke’s Village retail complex) and Wells in Mendip District. There is therefore a need to ensure that the environmental and congestion impacts are managed, and that there is appropriate transport in place to serve both tourists and employees during the high and low tourist seasons.

2.23 Through the process of accessibility planning we and our partners will continue to:

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♦ Ensure appropriate access is provided to all local economies and employment areas, particularly those heavily dependent upon transport; ♦ Improve the choice of transport available to the visitor and offer alternatives to the private car; ♦ Improve information provision to cater for the needs of tourists and Somerset residents; and ♦ Promote more sustainable access to tourist areas. 2.24 We also recognise that access to tourism and leisure is not only important for residents from the perspective of employment, but it is also necessary that residents experience the quality of life benefits offered on their own doorstep. This is particularly the case for those without a car and who may be excluded from accessing the most impressive countryside that is so easily available to those who do have their own transport.

WHAT ARE THE PROCESSES BEHIND ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING?

The Accessibility Strategy

2.25 DfT issued guidance issued to local transport authorities from the Department for Transport (DfT) stipulated that an Accessibility Strategy should be submitted as part of the provisional and final LTP. DfT has set the following deadlines for submission of LTP2 documents and associated Accessibility Strategies: ♦ Stage 1: Framework Accessibility Strategy (July 2005) ♦ Stage 2: Full Accessibility Strategy (March 2006) 2.26 Figure 2.1 illustrates the process that Somerset County Council have undertaken to date to develop our Accessibility Strategy.

Figure 2.1 - Adopted Accessibility Planning Process in Somerset

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2.27 Furthermore DfT specified a number of criteria that are required for the final accessibility strategy. Table 2.1 illustrates how the council and its partners have considered these criteria to inform the development of its full Accessibility Strategy.

Table 2.1 - Summary of Links between Policy Guidance and Somerset Accessibility strategy

Process Description Considered Section Reference within Strategy? High level accessibility vision and Section 8 objectives. D Chapter 5 in LTP2

A description of accessibility implications Sections 2 and 3 of wider transport strategies and policies D adopted in the LTP. Chapter 6 in LTP2 A description of how accessibility objectives link with broader policy D Sections 2, 3,6, 7 and 8 objectives such as economic development and jobs, housing, health, Chapter 5 in LTP2 education and social exclusion.

A description of the intended use of the Sections 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 accessibility analysis on the transports D wider transport strategies and policies Chapter 5 in LTP2 Provide and improve analytical and Sections 6 and 7 evidence base D Chapter 5 in LTP2

A description of why specific areas, Section 6, 7 and 8 groups or destinations are likely to be D prioritised Chapter 5 in LTP2

A phased programme for improving Section 7 accessibility setting out a timeframe for D tackling identified priorities Chapter 5 in LTP2

Evidence that partnerships are being put Sections 2,3,6,7 and 8 in place to develop the accessibility D strategy Chapter 5 in LTP2

Identification of local accessibility Section 9 indicators and targets for measuring and D monitoring accessibility Chapter 5 in LTP2

More in depth local accessibility Section 7 and Appendix assessments based around an authority’s D (Local Bridgwater Action priorities (5 Year Programme of Studies) Plan) Chapter 5 in LTP2

2.28 Further details of the DfT requirements for accessibility planning within the context of the LTP 2 submissions can be found in ‘Accessibility Planning Guidance: Full Guidance’ (DfT, 2004).

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Accessibility Mapping

2.29 In Autumn 2004, DfT released the new bespoke accessibility planning software called Accession. This mapping tool was specifically designed to facilitate the accessibility planning process and can be used to assess the accessibility impact of a range of development and transport proposals. The Council has been keen to make use of this new software to inform partners of community sectors and the public about levels of access to key services such as hospitals, GP’s, post 16 education sites, job centres and employment opportunities.

2.30 The mapping outputs from Accession have been particularly useful for focussing and prompting discussion of accessibility issues amongst a range of partners who did not necessarily come from a transport related background. Further mapping work is required to include public transport modes not included within the South West Passenger Transport Information (SWPTI) database, these modes include: ♦ Rail; ♦ Rights of Way; ♦ Cycling Network; ♦ School Contracted Transport (for compulsory school age pupils); ♦ Social Services transport; ♦ Non-emergency patient transport; ♦ Community transport; and ♦ College funded transport. 2.31 We plan to undertake this work as part of the next stage of local accessibility assessments.

Effective Partnership Working

2.32 Partnership working is critical to ensuring that an integrated approach is taken to solving accessibility issues in Somerset. Making improvements to accessibility does not necessarily just involve improving transport provision, but also requires influencing the way in which key partners from education, industry, health and retail deliver their services. For example: improving access to skills and learning may be enhanced through the use of mobile library services or by bringing training to the communities, rather than expecting the communities to travel to the provider. Alternatively careers advisors can travel to jobseekers rather than jobseekers from rural areas enduring long and possibly expensive trips to the jobcentre.

2.33 The role of partnership working in the development of an Accessibility Strategy is paramount to the successful delivery and implementation of the strategy. It is important to engage partners in the process to ‘buy into’ accessibility planning and recognise the benefits that it can have in the delivery of their own services as well as the delivery of transport.

2.34 A significant amount of different partnership working is ongoing, both corporately and with neighbouring authorities and external organisations and service delivery agencies. These partnerships have built upon existing joint ventures and working groups developed through other processes, including the Somerset Strategic

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Partnership (SSP) and district Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). More recently the development of the LAA will help deliver our Accessibility Strategy.

2.35 Figure 2.2 demonstrates the inclusive role partnerships have in the further development, deliver and monitoring of the Accessibility Strategy. A full list of organisations involved is provided in the main LTP2 document.

Figure 2.2 - Role of Partnerships

The Accessibility Planning Project Group

2.36 The Accessibility Planning Project Group was established in January 2005 in order to facilitate an integrated and structured approach to accessibility planning in Somerset. Led by the Transport Policy Team, the project group meets monthly to bring together the County Council’s corporate managers from the following fields: ♦ Strategic Planning and Transport Policy; ♦ Integrated Passenger Transport Unit (IPTU); ♦ Community Services; ♦ Children and Young People Services; ♦ Property Services; ♦ Rural Services; and ♦ Rights of Way; Strategic Partnerships

2.37 Strategic partnerships have been formed at both the county and district level. At the county level the Somerset Strategic Partnership (SSP) consists of around 50 partners from both the public, private and voluntary sectors. The SSP aims to influence local policy around the following 6 themes: ♦ Image and Influence;

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♦ Business and Industry; ♦ Skills and Training; ♦ Culture and Leisure; ♦ Infrastructure and Access; and ♦ Our Communities. 2.38 The SSP has been informed of the accessibility planning process and its benefits to delivering the SSP’s priority aims. SSP members with experience in the employment, education and health fields have continued to engage in accessibility planning through attending a number of themed workshops and one-to-one meetings. Furthermore the District Local Strategic Partnerships (LSP’s) have also been kept informed of the general process and progress in developing Somerset’s Accessibility Strategy.

2.39 Local Strategic Partnerships and their sub groups will be engaged in the problem identification stages at a local level and be used as a mechanism to identify solutions that are customer focused and provide value for money.

Transport for Somerset

2.40 Transport for Somerset is a new body recently set up by the Council specifically designed to encourage better partnership working and sharing of information between sectors with respect to transport provision across the county. The group is headed by a ‘strategic’ group whose role is to consider funding proposals and projects arising from the subgroups (Health, Education, Youth and Community Research).

2.41 Transport for Somerset is jointly sponsored by the Council, District authorities and Job Centre Plus. This body will provide SCC with opportunities to take initial accessibility action plans forward and help advise on issue prioritisation.

Themed Workshop Sessions

2.42 The first round of theme-based workshops has been undertaken for “access to health and healthy food” and “access to Employment and Post 16 Education”. The fundamental aims of the themed workshops were to: ♦ Promote the awareness of the Accessibility Planning process to relevant partners/stakeholders; ♦ Conduct a reality check of outcomes from the Mapping Audit Stage; ♦ Determine suitable roles of core stakeholders (those that can assist in delivering better accessibility; and ♦ Assist in the process of selecting priority areas/issues for further detailed study. 2.43 The workshops were well received and a number of organisations are keen to work with the Council on this long term commitment. These dedications are confirmed in letters of support from some of our partners and statements from these letters are summarised below and provided in full in Appendix A.

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"Clearly, as highlighted by your workshop, many people in rural area are disadvantaged by a lack of transport to enable them to access both primary and secondary health care. Forum members have also been made aware of the difficulties experienced by visitors. As long term patients are often elderly, their visitors are also elderly and may no longer be able to drive themselves, due to infirmity”.

We would like to applaud the progress made so far by the Transport Policy Unit, and their positive attitude towards solving some of the transport problems in Somerset. We would support any extension of this work and the allocation of funding towards such work."

Rosemary Hasler, Forum Adviser for East Somerset, South Somerset and Mendip Patient and Public Involvement Forums.

"Accessibility Planning compliments the aims and objectives of Jobcentre Plus in many ways which includes: increasing the effective supply of labour by promoting work as the best form of welfare and helping unemployed and economically inactive people move into employment; help people facing the greatest barriers to employment to compete effectively in the labour market and move into and remain in work and to improve continuously the quality, accessibility and delivery of services to all our customers.”

“We look forward to being actively involved with the Accessibility Planning process in Somerset."

Graham Divers, Business Development Manager, Somerset Jobcentre Plus.

"We welcome the recent activity and discussion on Accessibility Planning and are pleased to support the process.....We are particularly concerned about individuals living in more remote rural communities including 14-16 year olds who need access to the diverse, modern curriculum that the Tomlinson reforms require...... Transport is a key factor in breaking through the current cycle of deprivation and under- achievement which gives rise in many parts of the county to low skills and below average wages.”

“We look forward to working with you both as Somerset LSC and through the Somerset Transport Group."

Sally House, Deputy Executive Director, Learning and Skills Council, Somerset.

"Following the consultation over the Local Transport Plan (LTP) I would suggest that Connexions has a key role in informing young people and their parents about their Post 16 choices and any transport/travel implications...... Through consultation with young people we can inform planners of accessibility problems and support individual young people who may face difficulties in continuing with education, employment or training."

Peter Renshaw, Chief Executive, Connexions, Somerset.

"It is very encouraging that we can all work together, so that those people in the community and within society that have a disability, can have a voice and an input

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into the formation of these plans...... Mencap is further encouraged by the fact that a member of your team, from the Local Transport Plan, has joined, and is a member, of the South West Total Communications Network, which is part of the National Total Communications Network...... Mencap looks forward to continued partnership working, and hopefully we may be able to set up some projects or pilot work, within the Framework of the Local Transport Plan, in the very near future."

Steve Maris, Development Officer, Mencap Community Support Team - South West.

2.44 We are committed to host more theme based workshops over the next few months to ascertain feedback on our Full Accessibility Strategy and help undertake the prioritised Local Accessibility Assessments. More local level partnership working is currently taking place related to specific action plans on non emergency health transport in Taunton and Yeovil and with our Child and Adult Services departments.

2.45 The key issues arising from these workshops are discussed in Section 6.

Cross Border Working

2.46 As listed highlighted in the full LTP, over 100 stakeholders have been involved in the development of the LTP. Included in this listing are Somerset’s bordering counties Devon, Dorset, Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire Councils.

2.47 The Council intends to use the process of accessibility planning as an opportunity to further develop our relationship with public and private organisations in bordering counties. These partnerships will ensure that joint responsibility is taken for those communities along the county boundaries and enable their residents to access key services in the locations that are most convenient. Working with our partner local authorities will all also help both parties to appreciate localities where cross border travel to services is prevalent and accessibility issues may exist.

2.48 These partnerships have further importance in latter stages of the accessibility planning process, as they will help to develop transport solutions that are seamless across local authority boundaries. Efficiencies in service coverage (particularly community transport) can also be gained from joint working.

2.49 Together with Devon and Dorset Local Authorities, the Council has discussed a number of issues for both policy and operational perspectives. These discussions included the cross boundary services of Quality Bus Partnerships between Yeovil and Sherbourne and Taunton and Honiton, the existing bus services 267 and 376 into Bath and Bristol, expanding Demand Responsive Transport covering Chard and the wider neighbouring areas and Sunday leisure links between the north of the county and the south coast.

2.50 Furthermore the authorities are looking to work together on concessionary fares and provide the customer with an integrated cross boundary system.

2.51 To date, where data has been available, we have included service providers such as Hospitals and General Practitioners in adjacent counties in our accessibility mapping in order to appreciate the importance of out of county facilities for Somerset residents

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living in outlying parts of the county. We are looking to undertake an accessibility workshop with its bordering counties in the coming months.

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3. Policy Review

INTRODUCTION

3.1 This section illustrates how Somerset’s Accessibility Strategy aligns with themes set out in wider local, regional and national transport objectives and policies. Furthermore it demonstrates how accessibility planning can also impact on the delivery of health, education, economic development, employment and social inclusion policies.

NATIONAL TRANSPORT POLICY

Transport White Paper: Future of Transport 2030

3.2 In 2004 the Government produced a new White Paper for Transport entitled ‘The Future of Transport: A Network for 2030’. This sets out a strategy for the national transport network and includes the following objectives that link to improving accessibility; ♦ More demand responsive transport; ♦ Making services more accessible; ♦ Encouraging walking and cycling; and ♦ Better public transport. 3.3 Improved accessibility also makes a contribution to a broad range of national objectives in sectors outside of transport. These include: ♦ Improving health and tackling health inequalities; ♦ Improving participation, attendance and attainment in education; ♦ Promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age; ♦ Raising the levels of social inclusion, neighbourhood renewal and regional prosperity; ♦ Enhancing opportunity and tackling social exclusion in rural areas, and improving accessibility of services for rural people; ♦ Increasing participation in culture and sport; and ♦ Supporting new development. Planning Policy Guidance 13

3.4 With regards new development, National Planning Policy Guidance on transport (PPG13) advocates a number of policies of significance to the accessibility planning process, these include: ♦ Promoting sustainable transport choices for both people and for moving freight; ♦ Promoting accessibility to jobs, shopping, leisure facilities and services by public transport, walking and cycling; and ♦ Reducing the need to travel, especially by car.

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3.5 Examples of specific objectives aimed at achieving these policies include: ♦ Focusing major trip generators in population centres or near to major public transport interchanges; ♦ Locate day to day facilities close to their users; ♦ Ensuring new housing developments are accessible to nearby services including jobs, shopping, leisure and other essential services (PPG3); and ♦ Meeting the accessibility needs of disabled people in all developments in terms of location, parking, design and layout. 3.6 Elements of the above are embedded within the Regional Planning Guidance and Regional Transport Strategy for the South West as outlined later in this section.

Planning Policy Guidance Notes 12 and 17

3.7 PPG12 (Development Plans) highlights the importance of close links between development plans and local transport plans. The general principles of PPG17 (Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation) include the need to: promote accessibility by walking, cycling and public transport; ensure that facilities are accessible for people with disabilities; audit the quality of existing routes and their corridors and the extent to which they serve local need; and to consider the recreational needs of visitors and tourists.

REGIONAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY

3.8 The draft Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) was published in December 2005 as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) outlining key policy objectives for the region. The South West Regional Assembly is currently in the process of developing a new RSS in response to new planning legislation issued by the Office of Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in September 2004. At present, regional transport policy is embedded within the draft RSS10 published in March 2006.

3.9 In particular, the Regional Transport Strategy advocates the following policies that are of relevance to improving access in the region: ♦ Travel management – Selective improvements to the road and rail networks are needed to improve their connectivity, reliability and resilience, and support the spatial strategy in its entirety; ♦ Sustainability – The regional spatial strategy seeks to deliver an opportunity for less travel as well as more travel by sustainable modes of walking, cycling and public transport; A step change in the prioritisation of public transport provision is required to achieve this; ♦ Modal Shift – The strategy advocates attractive, safe and convenient pedestrian and cycle networks linking residential areas, employment centres, town centres, colleges and other key destination types; ♦ Parking Strategies – Encouraged use of accessibility planning processes to generate localised parking standards that further encourage sustainable travel.

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LOCAL PLANNING AND CORPORATE POLICY

Corporate Plan: Our mission, Values and Priorities 2004 – 2007

3.10 Accessibility planning has a role to play in delivering a number of the County Council’s main corporate objectives. By ensuring the effective planning of key services such as education, healthcare and employment, together with improved passenger transport planning a contribution can be made to achieving the following goals. ♦ To work with our partners and communities to improve Somerset and to ensure it has a powerful voice regionally and nationally; ♦ To champion Somerset’s economy whilst maintaining and enhancing the character and diversity of its environment; ♦ To provide highway networks and transport services which meet the needs of Somerset’s economy and communities whilst respecting Somerset’s built and natural environment; ♦ To recognise and respond to the learning and cultural needs of individuals and communities; ♦ To enable all children and young people to achieve their full potential; ♦ To enable vulnerable adults to live as independently as possible; and ♦ To improve the corporate capacity and service performance of Somerset County Council. 3.11 The above objectives are underpinned by a number of more specific actions including promotion of equality of opportunity and providing investment in the county’s traffic management, highways and public transport infrastructure. The council is also committed to improving opportunities for education and employment by delivering more information through the use of e-technologies and library services as well as through the development of the Skills for Life Action Plan.

Corporate Capital Strategy – Somerset County Council, July 2004

3.12 The Corporate Capital Strategy identifies capital investments that are required to deliver the following: ♦ Delivery of route optimisation and greater integration of passenger transport requires better management software capabilities; ♦ Ongoing provision of transport to support access to education and social services requires ongoing investment to maintain a fleet of specialist and general vehicles; and ♦ To better integrate different modes of transport. 3.13 The above can have a major impact upon delivering improved accessibility, particularly given that a poorly integrated public transport system can often be a barrier to people using public transport to access key services. The improved efficiency of public transport management can ultimately result in better use of available resources and cost savings that could be spent upon improving public transport services over a wider area.

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Customer Access in Somerset: Vision and Strategy, October 2005

3.14 The Council has recently produced a Customer Access Strategy that is heavily influenced by Accessibility Planning. The strategy states:

“providing better transport to transport services has to be a strand of improving access to services, particularly taking on board the new requirements for Accessibility Planning and addressing rural isolation from front line service delivery.”

3.15 This strategy aims to ensure that council services are provided in locations, at times and in ways which ensure social inclusion, minimising where possible the need for travel. Opportunities to enhance accessibility include combining services with other community facilities to reduce the need for the sparsely distributed population of Somerset to travel to services.

District Community Strategies

3.16 Local Strategic Partnerships in each Somerset District have prepared district wide community strategies for their areas. Common priorities of relevance to accessing key services include: ♦ Supporting start up and small businesses, particularly in rural areas; ♦ The importance of tourism to the local economy; ♦ The need to create additional future employment opportunities, including a focus on more highly paid jobs for local people; ♦ Enhancing the general health of the local population by encouraging walking and cycling, and improving access to key health services such as hospitals, surgeries and dentists; ♦ Revitalising the economy of smaller towns. Western Somerset Economic Development and Access Strategy

3.17 Improving the existing transport infrastructure in West Somerset is a key theme of the above strategy. The strategy aims to tackle a number of policy objectives of relevance to accessibility including: ♦ Ensuring sustainable economic development; ♦ Increasing the number and range of flexible premises for businesses; ♦ Encouraging sustainable diversification of existing rural businesses; ♦ Attracting and retaining young skilled individuals; ♦ Avoiding social polarisation/improving access for all; and ♦ Coordinating economic and infrastructure interventions and investments. 3.18 The process of accessibility planning helps to deliver sustainable development through ensuring that new and existing development can be served by an effective and sustainable transport infrastructure. By encouraging diversification of rural businesses, jobs and services can be provided closer to isolated rural communities. By co-ordinating economic and transport infrastructure interventions, development can again be located in the most accessible areas and where necessary public transport provided to serve these new developments.

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LOCAL TRANSPORT POLICY

Somerset Local Transport Plan 2006-2011

− Somerset’s second Local Transport Plan serves two main purposes: ♦ It acts as a strategic plan for transport in the authority’s area, integrating all types of transport; and ♦ Its sets out the authority’s plans for spending transport capital borrowing approvals which is secured through the LTP2 process. 3.19 Accessibility is one of central government’s four shared priorities and as such is a fundamental theme of the Local Transport Plan. Accessibility Strategies are to be developed and implemented as part of the Local Transport Plan submission. The development and delivery of the Accessibility Strategy, and the principles and processes of accessibility planning, will be mainstreamed within the councils day-to- day planning and delivery of services.

Somerset Passenger Transport Strategy, January 2005

3.20 The main objective of the Passenger Transport Strategy (PTSR) is to ‘Deliver an improved step change in the quality and quantity of integrated passenger transport across the county’.

3.21 Subsidiary Objectives include: ♦ Increase accessibility to employment and services; ♦ Increase passenger transport mode share in order to help reduce congestion; ♦ Meet statutory requirements; ♦ Strive to achieve Best Value and the efficient delivery of integrated passenger transport; and ♦ Support the development of Taunton, Principal Urban Area, Yeovil and Bridgwater so that the rest of the County can benefit from its economic growth. 3.22 The Accessibility Strategy incorporated the above strategy and its various initiatives by ensuring passenger transport is improved, coordinated and customer focused. For example initiatives such as the Passenger Transport Network Hierarchy (Bus Strategy), Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), improved information and discounted ticketing are all components of our Accessibility Strategy.

Transport Whole Service Inspection, Audit Commission, January 2004

3.23 The ongoing improvement of passenger transport services in Somerset is likely to play a key role in delivering overall accessibility improvements to key service providers. The audit commission’s service inspection of Somerset County Council’s passenger transport services revealed a number of existing shortcomings including: ♦ Very low investment in subsidised bus routes; ♦ Low levels of public satisfaction with bus services and timetable information; ♦ Downward trend in bus use; and

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♦ Poor access to bus services in rural areas. 3.24 The PTSR has already resulted in increased investment in passenger services and the final Accessibility Strategy will continue to assist in reversing some of the above trends through close working with the IPTU. Identifying the areas of the county where the above issues are most prevalent will enable the council to prioritise its delivery of improvements to enhance overall service quality and user confidence such that passenger transport can offer a reliable mechanism through which individuals can access key services in the county.

Integrated Passenger Transport Unit (IPTU) Service Plan 2004/05

3.25 There are a number of issues currently affecting the provision of transport to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and mobility impaired in Somerset. These may consequently have broader implications for accessibility in the county. ♦ Concessionary Fares – Local authorities in Somerset now have a statutory obligation to provide free concessionary fares to all over 60 years old. Despite the availability of some funding through the Revenue Support Grant provided by central government, there is concern that funding will have to be withdrawn from other services. Consequently there may be implications in terms of reduced accessibility for residents who rely on these withdrawn services. ♦ Changes in Provision of Social Services Care – There is a growing trend towards providing care for social service clients within the home. Although this enables clients to maintain some degree of independent living, there is a concern that some clients (particularly in deep rural areas) will be excluded from health care and social interaction due to them becoming more dependant upon mainstream passenger transport. ♦ Bus Buddy Funding Stability – The four bus buddies provide an essential service to both Special Needs students aged over 16 and social services clients by providing them with one to one transport and mobility training. External funding for the bus buddies runs out in 2006 and consequently there is a need to secure additional funding to continue this vital, innovative and successful service. 3.26 The processes and outcomes of accessibility planning can contribute towards a number of ongoing improvement requirements identified by the IPTU: ♦ Need to continue to engage external agencies. The West Country Ambulance service presently provide most non emergency transport to health provision relating to hospital appointments but are struggling to obtain enough drivers to operate these vehicles and hence use expensive taxi journeys. The IPTU are currently identifying times when some of the County’s fleet transport and volunteer drivers could cover these journeys; ♦ Identified a lack of transport availability to secondary health appointments. Currently identifying possible solutions such as widening the taxi link services, car schemes operating from GP practices and using fleet vehicles during periods of downtime; ♦ Need to develop a strategic bus network. This will be the focus for bus investment through Local Transport Plan and involve an assessment into those

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services that are not commercially viable but strategically important to the County and consequently require Somerset County Council subsidy; ♦ Important to improve the image and quality of school transport. This could be achieved by amending the tendering system to allow rewards for good operations and high quality vehicles for school transport’ and ♦ Need to develop a flexible post 16 transport system that can best meet the revised demands placed on it by changing legislation. 3.27 The aims of accessibility planning clearly complements the priorities of the IPTU in terms of improving the passenger transport system in Somerset. Furthermore accessibility planning will also help to continue improving links between key service providers such as local health care providers and colleges and the transport sector.

Cycling and Walking Policies

3.28 Walking and cycling have a major role in delivering increased accessibility to key services in Somerset. A separate Cycling Strategy has been produced and this plays an important part in the full Accessibility Strategy.

3.29 In summary, improved walking and cycling will help to: ♦ Contribute to better road safety, particularly in urban areas and for the journey to school; ♦ Provide safe access to essential services for those without access to a car; ♦ Increase access to open space and leisure facilities; ♦ Increase the vibrancy of rural communities, market towns and larger urban settlements; ♦ Reduce the growth in congestion and pollution; and ♦ Reduce overall social exclusion and improve access to everyday services and facilities. ♦ Improve health through increased physical activity thereby reducing the need for people to access healthcare due to lifestyle related illness. 3.30 Both the Walking Action Plan and the Cycling Strategy Review will help to inform and implement the Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP) due to be published in November 2007. The RoWIP is a strategic document containing Statements of Action as to how Somerset County Council proposes to improve the local rights of way network. Each year, a separate business plan will be produced, that will detail the plans and targets relating to individual schemes.

Interchange Audit, 2003

3.31 An audit of interchange facilities was completed and recommendations for new interchange localities and appropriate facilities proposed in the Council’s Interchange Audit 2003. In considering this document, it is important to consider the impact upon accessibility, and to identify any residual movements that will be difficult to make. For the purpose of this document the term 'accessibility' is taken to mean the ease of movement, in its broadest sense, between different parts of the county and beyond.

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3.32 From this work, it can be shown that accessibility between the main towns in the county is good: in most cases, direct trips can be made, either by bus, rail or both, with reasonably frequent services. Access from the rural areas to the nearest market town is direct, through the provision of either conventional bus services or demand responsive transport, although the service frequency is relatively low, and a greater degree of advance planning is required.

3.33 Accessibility from the rural areas, beyond the nearest market town to other parts of the county is, however, less direct, with at least one bus service change required. In order to travel between a rural origin and a rural destination, in many cases two bus service changes will be required. This is likely to be unattractive, due to inconvenience and the length of the journey. In this case, it is important to recognise that there will continue to be a role for travel by private car. The level of strategic accessibility in the county is set out in Table 3.1.

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Table 3.1 – Variation in Strategic ‘Accessibility’ in Somerset Variation in Strategic Accessibility in Somerset

Rural Area Rural Area Other Market Surrounding From / To Market Town Surrounding Town Other Market Market Town Town

Very Good Interchange Reasonable (urban services Good (strategic required (once, in Market Town (direct rural within market network) other market services) town) town)

Interchange Interchange Rural Area Poor - unlikely to Reasonable required (once in required (twice, Surrounding be sufficient (direct services) nearest market journey not Market Town coverage town) viable)

Very Good Interchange Reasonable Other Market Good (strategic (urban services required (once in (direct rural Town network) within other market town) services) market towns)

Rural Area Interchange Interchange Reasonable Poor - unlikely to Surrounding required (twice, required (once in (direct rural be sufficient Other Market journey not market town) services) coverage Town viable)

3.34 Interchanges play a central role in promoting greater accessibility across Somerset, particularly for travel to and from rural areas. Interchanges also form an important part of trips between the suburban parts of the larger towns and destinations outside the town, both elsewhere in Somerset and for longer distance trips.

3.35 This is a crucial aspect of reducing car dependence in the urban areas and it is important to note that this will require the provision of good, reliable public transport services. In addition the interchanges programme will be carefully co-ordinated with the improvements of the public transport network. With this in mind, the provision of interchange of good quality facilities, including waiting facilities and information, can create new journey opportunities that might not otherwise be considered. In an area with limited direct journey opportunities, this will form an increasingly important part of the public transport product.

3.36 Good quality public transport interchanges and services will to create a seamless journey where trips to facilities such as hospitals and post 16 education providers may require one or more changes. In addition, by ensuring appropriate lighting and security is provided at our interchanges will help to reduce 'fear of crime' perceptions amongst both non users and users. In addition by ensuring facilities for cyclists and direct, safe walking routes to these interchanges, accessibility can be further enhanced for non car owners.

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ACCESS TO HEALTH

Department of Health (DoH) Guidance

3.37 The DoH advocates the process of accessibility planning to local primary care trusts as it assists in: ♦ Increasing understanding local transport accessibility issues; ♦ Informing local service planning decisions; ♦ Engaging transport planners and providers into the health agenda; ♦ Support work to meet access targets; ♦ Link transport into booking systems; ♦ Encourage greater awareness of healthier travel options; and ♦ Improving relationships with local partners. 3.38 The accessibility partnerships that have been developed to date will use the process of accessibility planning to help deliver such initiatives.

National Health Service 10 Year Plan

3.39 The NHS Plan has a number of objectives in which accessibility planning can contribute: ♦ Patients will be able to choose between a range of providers, including NHS Foundation Trusts and treatment centres; ♦ Patients will have access to a wider range of services in primary care, including access to services nearer their workplace; ♦ People with complex long term conditions will be supported locally by a new type of clinical specialist, to be known as community matrons; ♦ Major investment in services closer to home will ensure much better support for patients who have long term conditions, enabling them to minimise the impact of these on their lives; ♦ Local communities will have greater influence and say regarding how their local services are run, with local services meeting local priorities; and ♦ Primary Care Trusts will control over 80% of the NHS budget. 3.40 The four local Primary Care Trusts (PCT’s) (Taunton Deane, South Somerset, Mendip, Somerset Coast) and Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust in Somerset are committed to delivering improvements and changes in local healthcare provision, in line with the national 10 year plan under the guidance of the Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority. The strategy for the local delivery of these improvements is embedded within each PCT’s Local Delivery Plan.

Primary Care Trust Delivery Plans

3.41 Each PCT is required to produce a local delivery plan to identify how it intends to contribute towards the national targets set out in the NHS Plan 2000. The document sets out the specific local priorities and objectives relevant to the PCT and provides a plan of action outlying how it is intended that these objectives will be achieved.

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3.42 Countywide all of the PCT’s will continue to provide more localised primary health care, particularly in disadvantaged areas. This process is evident with the ongoing and proposed development of new treatment facilities in Shepton Mallet, Taunton, Minehead and Bridgwater.

3.43 The local priorities identified in the Taunton Deane PCT Local Delivery Plan 2004/05 to 2006/07 include: ♦ Maintain the single call to NHS Direct, which provides a one stop gateway to out of hours care, with callers passed on, where necessary, to the appropriate GP cooperative or deputising service; ♦ Implement ‘choice’ for patients who are likely to wait over 6 months; ♦ Increase the level of choice each year, routinely offering a choice of hospital provider at the point of booking for all patients by December 2005; ♦ Participate in the Taunton Sure Start programme and develop shared health objectives; ♦ Deliver more out patient consultations in primary and community care settings; ♦ Continue to roll out the booking of outpatients appointments directly by GP’s; and ♦ Reduce the gap in mortality between ‘routine and manual’ groups and the population as a whole by 2010. 3.44 Mendip PCT has also highlighted its ‘accessibility’ priorities for the period 2005 -2008 within its LDP, these include the following: ♦ To ensure that every hospital appointment will be booked for the convenience of the patient (by the end of 2005, patients will be able to choose from at least four healthcare providers); ♦ Reduce the period of waiting for patients between diagnosis and treatment; ♦ Increase the plurality and choice of provider for patients through the commissioning of services from the Independent Sector Treatment Centre at Shepton Mallet; and ♦ To facilitate the close working of primary care out of ours services with accident and emergency and minor injury units. 3.45 The above clearly have implications for accessibility. They contribute towards improving healthcare access for the socially excluded by providing more locally available services and reducing the need for patients to travel. Subsequently achieving these objectives will contribute to efficiency savings in the provision of non- emergency transport.

3.46 Somerset County Council will review the Delivery Plans for each PCT as part of the ongoing development of the Accessibility Strategy. We will need to review the implications of proposed structural changes to PCTs in Somerset over the course of the LTP2 period.

Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP)

3.47 This partnership funded largely by Sport England aims to increase levels of physical activity in Somerset, through improving access to centres of recreation and making it

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easier for people to participate in physical activity. This includes the aim to provide more facilities in rural areas, and building activity into everyday lives which may include encouraging walking and cycling to school and work.

ACCESS TO LIFE LONG LEARNING

Department for Education and Skills on Accessibility Planning

3.48 The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) alongside a range of other key agencies including the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) have signed up to the concept of accessibility planning. The department advocates the use of accessibility strategies since it is of significance to the following; ♦ LEA led partnerships will be eligible to receive funding to provide additional support and services to 16-19 year olds in the 2003/06 period. This transport funding should ensure that there are adequate services and support for students irrespective of their location, the cost of fares, and their ability to pay; ♦ Education Maintenance Awards - EMA is a means tested allowance for 16-19 year olds of up to £30 per week to assist students in meeting the everyday costs of attending post 16 education. Such costs may include books, stationary equipment, study field trips and transport fares. DfES further advises that students can reasonably be expected to use up to £10 per week for transport costs; ♦ Strategic Area Reviews (STAR’S) – Local Learning and Skills Councils are currently in the process of reviewing all LSC funded post 16 education and skills. STAR’s aim to meet learner, employer and community needs through improving the choice and quality of Post 16 education and skills provision; and ♦ Schools Sustainable Travel Grant – The DoT and DfES are currently joint funding an initiative to promote sustainable transport use on the school run. Accessibility Strategy’s will assist in identifying opportunities for encouraging walking, cycling and public transport use. Transforming Learning - Somerset 14-19 Strategic Objectives

3.49 Somerset’s 14-19 Strategic Objectives have been developed through the Somerset Learning Partnership led by the Learning and Skills Council and the Somerset Local Education Authority (LEA). Further education colleges, secondary schools and Connexions are also major partners. The vision of the learning partnership is to:

“Raise aspiration, participation and attainment for all- through high quality, enjoyable education and training which puts the needs of the learner first”.

3.50 The partnership aims to deliver this vision through achieving the following objectives: ♦ Equality of provision for students with Special Educational Needs across the county; ♦ Improve attendance figures in Somerset; ♦ Support out of hours learning & Extended Schools Programme; ♦ Improve Links between 14 – 16 curriculum & FE sector;

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♦ Removing variations in FE continuation rates and learning opportunities across the County; ♦ Improving the engagement between employers and 16–19 learning; ♦ Increasing the number of part time & work based learning; and ♦ Improving the quality and accessibility of vocational, work related and enterprise learning for all. 3.51 The Accessibility Strategy will inform the partnership of arising accessibility issues for students and assist in providing transport solutions that improve levels of student ambition, participation and attainment.

Somerset Strategic Area Review (LSC)

3.52 Somerset LSC has completed a Strategic Area Review of Post 16 Education in the county. The key outcomes from this review are summarised in Section 6.

Somerset Skills for Life Strategic Plan 2004 –2007

3.53 The plan led by the LSC and Somerset Learning Partnership is structured according to the four key areas highlighted in ‘Skills for Life – The National Strategy for Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills; Focus on Delivery to 2007’: ♦ Boosting Demand; ♦ Ensuring Capacity; ♦ Raising Standards; and ♦ Increasing Learner Achievement. 3.54 The LSC are committed to delivering skills for life and particularly offering access to education for the following groups: ♦ Unemployed and Benefit Claimants; ♦ Public sector employees; ♦ Low skilled workers; and ♦ Others at risk from social exclusion. Children and Young People’s Interim Plan

3.55 This plan has a number of objectives that are of relevance to enhancing overall accessibility for young people living in Somerset. Specific aims and objectives include: ♦ Achieve a reduction in obesity and increase levels of exercise among school children - Approaches may include encouraging walking to school by making schools more accessible by walking and cycling modes; ♦ Enhance participation in after school activities - Better accessibility planning will help after school activities to become more accessible to young people by ensuring that such activities are located where they are accessible by sustainable modes or are available locally; ♦ Tackle teenage pregnancies - The plan aims to make education, advice and access to contraception available to young people in ‘accessible settings’;

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♦ Enhance Parental Involvement in children’s learning - Parental involvement in children’s education can significantly improve a child’s performance and therefore this plan aims to increase parental involvement and family learning in schools. Improved accessibility to schools in the evening may encourage parents to become more involved both in their child’s learning and in participating in Family Learning, Literacy and Numeracy (FLLN); ♦ Enhance awareness of training, employment and work experience for the 14-19 age group - Improved accessibility may help improve these records by increasing the ease with which young people can access education and on the job training and therefore increasing the opportunities available to them.

ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT

3.56 Access to employment has been highlighted as a theme central to many of the policies reviewed in this section so far, some additional policies of relevance to this theme are described as follows.

Somerset Strategic Partnership – Economic Strategy

3.57 This document seven key primary strategy objectives of relevance to employment opportunities: ♦ To develop an effective economic partnership and strategic delivery capacity within Somerset; ♦ To maximise the long term investment attractiveness and dynamism of Somerset’s economy; ♦ To increase the competitiveness and productivity of Somerset businesses; ♦ To develop the economic potential and regional significance of Yeovil and Bridgwater; ♦ To revitalise Somerset’s rural economy and communities; and ♦ To increase access to economic opportunities for all Somerset residents. 3.58 The latter point is of particular significance to the development of the Accessibility Strategy. Table 3.2 illustrates the key themes and priorities identified in the economic strategy to improve access to economic opportunities for all Somerset residents.

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Table 3.2 - Key Priorities and Themes to Enhancing Economic Opportunity for Somerset Residents Themes Priorities Access to information and • Provide accessible information and guidance for all Somerset guidance services responsive to residents varying individuals needs Improving access to employment • Develop imaginative and attractive opportunities for all Somerset learning opportunities for varying residents individuals needs; • Increase the engagement of employers, trade unions, community groups and public bodies in promoting basic skills; and • Address barriers for people taking up learning (including transport and care support). Improving basic skills in • Address barriers for people taking up Somerset employment opportunities; and • Promote fair recruitment policies and equal opportunities awareness among Somerset employers; Regeneration of Somerset’s • Improve economic opportunities and deprived communities quality of life in Somerset’s most deprived wards, including designated Enterprise Areas and regionally significant areas of deprivation; and • Encourage the growth of social enterprise and locally owned regeneration mechanisms. 3.59 A further aim of the economic strategy is to ensure that there is enhanced growth in the knowledge based economies. Between 1991 and 2001, growth in the knowledge economy in Somerset was 13%, this compares with regional and national averages of 27% and 32% respectively. Growth in knowledge-based sectors is seen as particularly important for securing continued economic growth in Somerset in the future.

3.60 By improving accessibility through multi-modal transport improvements and influencing the future planning of life long learning and employment, accessibility planning offers great potential for progressing in the delivery of the above themes and priorities.

Somerset Strategic Partnership Vision for 2025

3.61 The Somerset Strategic Partnership has six strategic priorities; accessibility planning is likely to have a role to play in the delivery of a number of these: ♦ Image and Influence – Building an Image for the future – Create a strong, positive image for Somerset which demonstrates that the county is a first rate location for business investment; a wonderful environment for people to live, work and visit; and has a powerful voice regionally and nationally;

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♦ Business and Industry – an enterprising environment – Attract and stimulate the growth of identified key sectors for the 21st century economy and develop a welcoming, proactive business environment in which small and medium enterprises thrive; ♦ Skills and Training – Investing in our Future – Improve radically the skills, learning and aspirations and employability of people in Somerset; ♦ Infrastructure, Access and Transport – Creating Sustainable Foundations – Promote infrastructure and transport investment and development to meet the needs of Somerset’s economy and communities whilst maintaining and enhancing the character, quality and diversity of the built and natural environment; and ♦ Our Communities – Sharing with each other a Sense of Belonging – Develop strategies for sustainable communities with decent, affordable and appropriate housing linked to work, with access to services and opportunities for community engagement.

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4. Socio Demographic Review

INTRODUCTION

4.1 This section outlines key population characteristics of Somerset that affect accessibility in the county. More specifically and overview of the following is provided: ♦ Local geography and population; ♦ Age profile; ♦ Indices of Multiple Deprivation; ♦ Car ownership trends; and ♦ Journey to work patterns. 4.2 An understanding of the overall population profile is important to appreciate the specific existing and future transport needs of sectors of the community that are vulnerable to social exclusion. Examples of groups susceptible to social exclusion include those living in isolated rural communities, the elderly, individuals with impairment, low income households and households without regular access to a car.

LOCAL GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION

4.3 Somerset is located to the South West of England and is served by the M5 linking Somerset to Devon and Cornwall in the southwest and Avon (Bristol and South Wales) and Midlands to the north. The county has a relatively dispersed population of 498,100 (Census, 2001), and is divided into five districts, with populations as follows: ♦ Mendip – 103,869; ♦ Sedgemoor – 105,881; ♦ South Somerset – 150,969; ♦ Taunton Deane – 102,299; and ♦ West Somerset – 35,075. 4.4 Between 1991 and 2001, Somerset’s population has increased by 7.09%, with population growth greatest in West Somerset (9.97%) and the slowest in South Somerset (5.92%).

4.5 The expansion of the county’s rural population has significant implications for rural accessibility, given that rural parts of the county are particularly difficult to serve by conventional public transport services. Population sparsity is most acute in parts of Exmoor and other upland areas of West Somerset as well as across the Somerset Levels.

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AGE PROFILE

4.6 Whilst the car is commonly the most important form of transport for people, access to a car typically declines with age, thus increasing dependency upon public transport modes. Nationally, 42% of men aged over 75 years and 67% of women do not have access to a car. Such reduced mobility at later stages in life can make reaching vital services such as GP’s, local hospitals, shops and post offices difficult.

4.7 Furthermore recent Department for Work and Pensions research (DWP, 2004) show that pensioners in both rural and urban areas report problems with community and public transport, including poor local coverage and a lack of direct transport to key services.

4.8 The age structure of Somerset’s population is significantly different to the national age structure, with the county having an ageing population

4.9 Table 4.1 shows the age profile for each district in comparison to the national average. The mean average age in Somerset is 41 years, compared with the England and Wales average of 38 years old. Across Somerset almost 25% of the population are aged over 60, with 1 in 3 residents in West Somerset being older than 60 years. Population forecasts suggest that this age category will continue to be the one of the largest components of the population in Somerset.

Table 4.1 - Somerset Population Age Profile (Census, 2001)

Age Range (Years Old) - % of Population

Less than 16 –19 16-59 >60 Mean Age 16 Mendip 20.57 5.17 55.7 24.8 39.94

Taunton 19.23 5 57.02 21.61 40.73 Deane South 19.59 4.47 55.37 25.05 41.15 Somerset

West 15.97 4.6 50.67 33.38 45.76 Somerset Sedgemoor 19.68 4.64 55.63 24.7 41.08

Somerset 19.5 4.77 55.7 24.8 41.12

England 20.16 4.91 54.08 20.87 38.63 and Wales

4.10 As Somerset’s population continues to age, the council will need to continually ensure the provision of flexible, accessible and attractive passenger transport alternatives within the county.

4.11 Given that a significant proportion of the over 60 age group also live in rural communities, the provision of attractive and efficient passenger transport is likely to continue to be a major challenge in Somerset. Transport is particularly important for

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this group to enable them to access healthcare; shopping and daytime social facilities such as community centres.

4.12 Historically there has been a decline in the proportion of 15 to 24 year olds within Somerset (12% decline between 1991 and 2001). Some growth is expected in this age category in the coming years and therefore it will be important to ensure that these members of the population have suitable transport access to all services such as healthcare, lifelong learning, employment and leisure facilities.

INDICES OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION

Introduction

4.13 The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2004 are a measure of multiple deprivation at a small area level. The Office Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has mapped IMD indices according to Super Output Areas (SOAs). Each SOA represents a mean population of 1,500 people, there are 327 super output areas across 144 wards in Somerset.

4.14 In summary, eight levels of IMD have been calculated, these include: ♦ Index of Multiple Deprivation (a weighted score of all individual indices below); ♦ Income; ♦ Employment; ♦ Health and Disability; ♦ Education, Skills and Training; ♦ Barriers to Housing and Services; ♦ Living Environment; and ♦ Crime and Disorder. Index of Multiple Deprivation

4.15 There are 13 SOAs in Somerset that fall into the worst 20% nationally, ten of these are located in Yeovil, Bridgwater and Taunton wards.

4.16 The Index of Multiple Deprivation for Somerset is shown in Figure 4.1. The darker shades represent areas of highest deprivation, these include: ♦ West Somerset; ♦ Taunton and its surroundings; ♦ Yeovil and its surroundings; ♦ West Mendip; ♦ Frome; and ♦ Bridgwater, Highbridge and Burnham.

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Income

4.17 In terms of access to income, there are a total of 16 SOAs that fall in the worst 20% nationally with parts of Taunton Halcon and Bridgwater Hamp wards falling within the worst 5% and 10% respectively.

Education, Skills and Training

4.18 Figure 4.2 identifies those localities where access to skills and education is poorest. In total, there are 27 SOA’s in the worst 20% nationally with these clustered in areas of Taunton, Bridgwater, Yeovil and Chard. Seven of the 11 worst performing SOA’s are located in the Bridgwater area, with Bridgwater Sydenham and Bridgwater Hamp being particularly deprived wards (worst 5% nationally).

4.19 Areas where uptake of education and training are also low exist in parts of West Somerset including Watchet and Williton. Typically areas of high education and training deprivation coincide with the areas of greatest overall deprivation. This suggests that there is an opportunity to improve access to lifelong learning, particularly in urban areas such as Taunton, Bridgwater, parts of coastal West Somerset, central Mendip, Yeovil and Chard as a mechanism for encouraging both the participation of students but also the unemployed back in to employment.

Health and Disability

4.20 In comparison to other core deprivation indicators Somerset scores better in terms of Health and Disability. Only nine of the 327 Somerset SOA’s fell within the worst 20% nationally. In summary, heath deprivation appears to be worst in parts of Yeovil, Taunton, Bridgwater, Highbridge and Glastonbury.

Employment

4.21 There are 18 SOA’s in Somerset where access to employment is in the worst 20% nationally, four of these fall in the worst 10% (Glastonbury St.Benedicts, Yeovil Central and Bridgwater Sydenham/Victoria).

Access to Housing and Services

4.22 This index of deprivation broadly consists of two components (sub-domains), these can be described as follows: ♦ Wider barriers – Household overcrowding, difficulty of access to owner occupation, assistance provided under homelessness legislation; ♦ Geographical Barriers – Road distance to GP’s, Hospitals, Primary Schools and Post Offices. 4.23 ODPM has provided rankings for each of the above in isolation, as well as a combined score for both sub domains.

4.24 Somerset ranks particularly poorly at a national level in terms of the combined Access to Housing and Services score. Of the 327 SOA’s in the county, 28% (91 SOA’s) are categorised in the worst 20% nationally, 59 of these fall in the worst 10%. A further 27 reside in the worst 5%, these include wards largely located in West

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Somerset (Quarme Ward and Exmoor Ward, Milverton and North Deane, Crowcombe and Stogumber Wards). Figure 4.3 shows the areas of highest exclusion from housing and services.

4.25 Further analysis of the Geographical Barriers sub domain further supports the concept of poor accessibility in Somerset in comparison to other counties in England and Wales, particularly in rural areas. In this sub-domain 41% of SOAs in Somerset are in the worst 20% nationally in terms of access to key services. Given that Somerset is the sixth most rural county in the southwest region, these results are unsurprising. Exmoor to the west is particularly isolated in nature and coincides with low population densities that cannot be easily served by public transport.

4.26 The majority of communities outside of main towns in West Somerset suffer from poor access to GP’s, Hospitals, Primary Schools and Post Offices, the dispersed nature of the population in West Somerset contributes to the increased distances that people are required to travel to reach these services.

Living Environment

4.27 The Living Environment IMD includes a number of assessment criteria of relevance to the internal and external living environment. The two components of most relevance in this index relate to air quality and the number of road traffic accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists.

4.28 Six SOAs in Somerset fall within the worst 10% nationally, these are located in Yeovil and Bridgwater. In total, there are 31 SOAs in Somerset that are in the worst 20% in the country. The areas with the worst Living Environment are in Watchet, Yeovil, Highbridge, Burnham and Bridgwater.

Crime and Disorder

4.29 This index is not of direct relevance to transport provision, although crime on public transport and highways may have some bearing on overall walking levels and public transport patronage levels. Where people perceive crime to be an issue on public transport, then this perception will be demonstrated by patronage figures and increased dependency on the private car.

4.30 In summary, 24 SOAs in Somerset fall within the worst 20% nationally. A further 11 SOAs fall in the worst 10% nationally. Areas in the worst 5% include parts of Shepton Mallet, Yeovil and Taunton.

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Figure 4.1 - Somerset Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD 2004)

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Figure 4.2 - Somerset IMD 2004 – Education, Skills and Training Domain

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Figure 4.3 - Somerset IMD 2004 – Access to Housing and Services Domain

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CAR OWNERSHIP

4.31 Car ownership has an impact on the ability of individuals to access key services and employment, particularly where there is limited public transport provision in place. Not only is it important to consider the needs of households without access to a car, but it is also important to consider those households where the availability of a single car may be restricted to a single user for use during the day to access employment.

4.32 Overall, the number of households (17.6%) without access to a car is lower than the national average of 26.8%. In the most deprived parts of Burnham, Highbridge and Bridgwater, 33% of households do not have access to a car. In the most deprived areas of Taunton and its surroundings and Yeovil and its suburbs the number of ‘no car’ households is as high as 35% and 47% respectively.

4.33 Table 4.2 illustrates the pattern of car ownership trends in key Somerset towns and districts between 1981 and 2001.

Table 4.2 - Summary of Car Ownership Trends in Somerset between 1981 and 2001

Percentage of Households with no car

Town/ District 1981 1991 2001 Change (1981 –2001) Frome 30.8 23.8 18.9 -11.9 Glastonbury 27.2 24.0 21.9 -5.3 Shepton Mallet 31.2 24.3 19.1 -12.1 Street 26.6 23.7 20.4 -6.2 Wells 32.2 30.4 25.2 -7 Bridgwater 36.7 30.6 26.4 -10.3

Burnham and 34.2 28.5 23.4 -10.8 Highbridge Chard 31.9 27.7 22.7 -9.2 Crewkerne 30.0 22.2 19.4 -10.6 Yeovil 31.2 26.5 20.8 -10.4 Taunton 34.0 28.1 23.0 -11 Wellington 31.5 27.1 19.8 -11.7 Minehead 36.4 32.3 27.3 -9.1

Mendip 26 20.8 16.5 -9.5 Sedgemoor 27.7 22.0 18.7 -9 South 25.3 20.4 16.0 -9.3 Somerset

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Percentage of Households with no car Town/ District 1981 1991 2001 Change (1981 –2001) Taunton Deane 29.9 24.4 19.2 -10.7 West Somerset 28.9 23.1 19.2 -9.7 Somerset 27.2 22.0 17.6 -9.6

4.34 On average, the number of households without access to a car has fallen by 9.6% between 1981 and 2001. There are significant variations in car ownership levels in the market towns in Mendip district. For example in Glastonbury and Street, the number of households without a car has fallen by 5.3% and 6.2% respectively; whilst in Shepton Mallet the proportion has fallen by as much as 12.1%.

4.35 It is anticipated that car dependency in Somerset will continue to increase significantly over the coming years. This is particularly the case for residents of outlying rural market towns and their hinterlands, due to increasing travel demands and poor levels of public transport coverage in rural areas. Increasing car ownership adds additional pressure to the existing bus services given that patronage levels are likely to fall and services become less financially sustainable.

4.36 It is important to ensure that individuals can access key services and facilities and hence ensure that attractive passenger transport alternatives are in place to serve communities where car ownership levels is low; These alternatives are particularly important for rural communities where public transport coverage is less comprehensive and less responsive to the demands of individuals with more complex travel requirements e.g. the elderly and sick requiring regular medical care, individuals working unsociable shift patterns and the unemployed seeking work.

JOURNEY TO WORK PATTERNS

4.37 Figure 4.4 illustrates the general journey to work patterns in Somerset (Journey to Work, 2001). It is clearly evident that the travelling habits of Somerset’s commuters are complex. The majority of work based trips occur internally within districts, for example 69% of trips in Mendip are intra district trips, in comparison to 82% in Taunton.

4.38 Up to 31% of journey to work trips take place between local authority boundaries. Somerset has strong commuting connections with a number of its bordering local authorities. For example in Mendip, 6% of Somerset commuters travel to Wiltshire and a further 9% to Bath and Northeast Somerset. Sedgemoor has close connections with North Somerset (7% of total journeys), whilst South Somerset has close links with Dorset (5%). In addition to these out of county movements, residents from adjacent counties also commute to Somerset for employment and education.

4.39 There is therefore a need for partnership working between local authorities, key service providers and bus operators to achieve seamless travel across local authority boundaries.

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RURALITY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION

4.40 Somerset is predominantly a rural county and has recently been classified by the Countryside Commission (previously known as Countryside Agency) as the third most rural county in England. This has major implications for how access to essential services is achieved.

4.41 The inability to access services may be both as a result of, or reinforcement of social exclusion. Individuals from low-income backgrounds, those with impairments, and the elderly may not able to access services due to the lack of suitable and affordable passenger transport. Alternatively problems with transport provision may prevent people from accessing jobs, learning, health care, food shopping or leisure altogether. It is a role of accessibility planning to help co-ordinate the delivery of all transport services to minimise social exclusion, particularly in our rural areas.

MARKET AND COASTAL TOWNS

4.42 Market towns and to a lesser extent coastal towns are an essential component of rural Somerset and offer a focal point for commercial and centres of service delivery to rural communities. The function of these towns has to some extent been undermined in recent years, as businesses have tended to re-locate to larger industrial centres where access to resources and the market place are better. As a result of this migration of business away from the market towns, many, although not all, are in decline. In many cases the economies of these towns are vulnerable as they are losing their importance as retail and service centres, and tend to be heavily dependent on single large employers as outlined in the SSP Somerset Economic Strategy.

4.43 Furthermore the 2001 Somerset Economic Assessment identified seven Somerset towns (Chard, Crewkerne, Ilchester, Martock, Watchet, Ilminster and Wiveliscombe) where at least half of their firms or employment sectors are expected to decline over the next decade.

4.44 Somerset County Council is keen to re-vitalise the county’s market towns and recognises that accessibility planning can make a contribution to achieving economic regeneration in these locations. All market towns have the potential to be: ♦ Comprehensive local service centres where people can access professional services; ♦ Centres for the processing of local products; ♦ Focal points for well planned and coordinated local transport networks; ♦ Hubs or gateways for tourism, and access points for a wide range of training, education and employment opportunities; and ♦ Centres for culture.

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Figure 4.4 - Summary of Journey to Work Origin/Destination Patterns

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5. Existing Transport Provision

INTRODUCTION

5.1 The chapter provides an overview of the existing rail, bus and community/voluntary transport situation in Somerset and also summarises the key features of the cycling and walking networks in the county.

PASSENGER TRANSPORT

Rail

5.2 The rail stations within the County are all located on main lines, and hence the County have strategic rail links to London, the North, the South and the South West coastal areas and more limited local services within the County, as shown in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1 - Rail Service Provision in Somerset Frequency (off-peak, Station Services (summary, off-peak) each way) Plymouth/Penzance-Birmingham-North Hourly East Plymouth/Penzance-London Hourly Taunton Plymouth/Penzance/Taunton-Bristol- Peaks only London Exeter/Taunton-Bristol/Gloucester Peaks only Exeter/Taunton-Bristol/Cardiff Hourly Plymouth/Penzance/Taunton-Bristol- Peaks only London Bridgwater Exeter/Taunton-Bristol/Gloucester Peaks only Taunton-Bristol/Cardiff Hourly Plymouth/Penzance/Taunton-Bristol- Peaks only Highbridge & London Burnham Exeter/Taunton-Bristol/Gloucester Peaks only Taunton-Bristol/Cardiff Hourly Hourly to 1 every 2 Crewkerne Exeter/Yeovil-Salisbury-London Waterloo hours Yeovil Pen Mill Bristol-Westbury-Weymouth 2 hourly

Yeovil Junction Exeter/Yeovil-Salisbury-London Waterloo 2 hourly

Templecombe Exeter/Yeovil-Salisbury-London Waterloo 2 hourly

Bruton Bristol-Westbury-Weymouth 2 hourly Hourly to 1 every 2 Bristol-Westbury-Weymouth Frome hours Frome-Swindon Peaks only

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Frequency (off-peak, Station Services (summary, off-peak) each way) 2 hourly to London, Plymouth/Penzance-London infrequent in other Castle Cary direction. Hourly to 1 every 2 Bristol-Westbury-Weymouth hours Source: National Rail Timetables (21/2/06)

5.3 The County has no branch lines and in most towns the stations are not located close to the town centres or areas of main employment. Rail therefore makes up less than 0.5% of journeys to work in the County, contributing to Somerset having the lowest level of journeys to work by public transport out of all the counties in England and Wales, at less than 2.5%.

5.4 However, within Somerset rail patronage has seen an increase, between 2001 and 2004, with stations in Somerset experiencing a 31% increase in the number of passengers. Rail timetable changes are due for implementation in December 2006. It is anticipated that such changes will impact on the quality of rail interchange at Castle Cary, Bruton and Westbury. Due to these changes there will also be accessibility implications for residents of Yeovil wishing to access London via Castle Cary.

Bus

5.5 The Somerset bus network is made up of a combination of commercially operated services and those contracted by the local authorities, predominantly Somerset County Council. Of the 230 routes in the county 18 are operated commercially but these 18 carry over a third of all passenger journeys. The remaining 230 routes are important in terms of social inclusion and access to services but clearly carry lower passenger numbers than their commercial counterparts. This is in part due to the relative ease of travel by car including low parking charges and in part because bus services in rural communities do not offer direct links to key destinations.

5.6 The majority of bus services within Somerset are operated by First. There are several other smaller operators including the Bath Bus Company, Berry's Coaches, South West Coaches and Cooks Coaches.

5.7 Patronage on bus services within Somerset has continued to decline over recent years, with the number of passenger journeys declining by 7% from 2002/03 to 2004/05.

Integrated Passenger Transport Unit

5.8 The Integrated Passenger Transport Unit (IPTU) was formed on 1st April 2003 following a best practice review completed in March 2001. The unit formed with transport staff from Adult Services, Children and Young People services and Environment. The IPTU integrates transport provision across all directorates meeting statutory and policy requirements, it also provides: ♦ Home to School and College Transport, including supported travel for students;

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♦ Special needs and Social Services Transport; and ♦ Public transport services, including accessible community based transport and concessionary fares. 5.9 The IPTU is also strongly guided by the guidance set out in documents such as the Corporate Plan, the Accessibility Strategy and other guidance issued from the Somerset Strategic Partnership.

Community Based/Voluntary Transport

5.10 Community/Voluntary transport services in Somerset currently operate within each of the five district council areas. The council facilitates and supports both financially and through other resources many schemes for people without access to private transport and/or find it difficult to use public transport. These schemes include: ♦ 4 district wide demand responsive minibus services operate in West Somerset, Sedgemoor, Taunton Deane and Mendips; ♦ 5 fixed route minibus services, Somerset – Exmoor Community Bus, Isle of Wedmore Community Bus, Langport Surgery Bus, Crewkerne Welfare Transport and Winnibus; ♦ All five districts have voluntary car schemes; ♦ 4 village social car schemes, Mendips Social Car Scheme, South Somerset Cars, Taunton Deane Community Car Scheme and West Somerset Council for Voluntary Car Scheme (120 drivers and vehicles); and ♦ Moped loan scheme covering the Rural Development Area. ♦ 14 taxi-bus schemes; and ♦ 3 SLINKY bus services covering Taunton and Wellington, Wincanton area and the north Sedgemoor area.

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5.11 Furthermore there is a desire by Somerset County Council to move away from discretionary grants and towards securing specific identified services through Service Level Agreements and hence provide community transport services to a wider cross section of the community. There is particular interest in improving accessibility for: ♦ Low income families; ♦ Unemployed people; ♦ Rurally isolated people; and ♦ Young People and Elderly.

Somerset SLINKY Buses

‘The Slinky Bus’ is the name of an initiative in Somerset aimed at providing transport to all socially-excluded people living in remote areas. The 14 seater SLINKY buses are fully accessible by wheel chairs, and those with shopping trolleys. It will operate six days a week, Monday to Saturday, serving areas around Wincanton, Taunton and Wellington.

The Slinky Bus uses four Optare Alero low-floor integral minibuses operated by three community transport companies – South Somerset CT, Taunton Dean CT, and Mendip CT. Each runs the service under a three-year contract from Somerset County Council to provide demand-responsive services in areas that lack public transport and for people who do not have their own transport.

Partners and supporters of The Slinky Bus include the county and local district council, Transport for Somerset, the Department of Transport, and Job Centre Plus. In the Sedgemoor council area, where the service is run by Mendip Community Transport Limited, a separate contract covers the use of the vehicles to transport young people to and from a local college.

5.12 Figure 5.1 illustrates the various Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services currently provided in Somerset. In addition, Figure 5.2 illustrates the centres of administration for our other community/voluntary based schemes. These figures illustrate the wide coverage of these schemes that currently help to infill the gaps in the core bus network.

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Adult Services Transport

5.13 Adult services in partnership with ITPU, work in close association with local Community Transport organisations to help provide transport for clients to/from their services, typically day care centres.

5.14 Transport is provided through the following: ♦ Social Service Department Fleet; ♦ Supported Living Vehicles; ♦ Community Transport schemes; ♦ Volunteer drivers; ♦ External contractors such as Taxi Firms; and ♦ Voluntary agencies e.g. Red Cross, Age Concern 5.15 The Council is keen to keep in line with changing transport requirements as a result of changes in policies. For example the use of Day Care Centres is due to change in the near future with emphasis on the inclusion of clients into mainstream activities. This will require a more flexible around the clock service.

Child and Young People Transport Services

5.16 The Council provides free home to school transport for children who have a statutory entitlement or qualify by virtue of the LEA’s discretionary transport policy. This includes children with additional educational needs. IPTU also offer spare seats to students not entitled to free school transport. This requires pupils to purchase a seat on the vehicle at a discounted rate, subsidised by the Council.

5.17 IPTU and child services are keen to improve the processes and provision to help develop seamless frontline service delivery for pupils. This would include: ♦ Upgrade of the fleet; ♦ Further integration of special needs pupils with mainstream schooling, social services and health care provision; ♦ Further integration to help deliver the 14 – 19 year olds national Curriculum of personalised learning; and ♦ Further integration with admissions e.g. placement and transport entitlement are offered simultaneously. Lifelong Learning (Post 16)

5.18 Somerset County Council and FE colleges provide assistance with post 16 transport through discretionary funds and ring fenced post 16 transport Learner Support Funds from the Learning and Skills Council. These discretionary funds are used to provide season tickets/petrol allowances/refund of fares for mainstream post-16 students and door to door service for Special Needs pupils. The ring-fenced post 16 transport Learner Support Funds are used to fill the gaps in local transport provision ands develop post 16 transport infrastructure.

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5.19 Somerset County Council also uses Local Education Authority General Learner Support Funds (sometimes known as Access Funds) to provide financial assistance with regards to travel arrangements to post 16 education in school sixth forms.

5.20 In addition with effect from the 2004/05 academic year the national Education Maintenance Allowance for 16-18yr olds will provide students with additional funding for transport. Education Maintenance Allowance is administered by schools, colleges and a National Assessment and Payment Body.

5.21 A needs based assessment governs the provision of post 16 educational transport. A waiver to the student contribution is provided to students who are from a economically deprived family and live more than five miles from the nearest FE college that offer the course they require or a similar alternative.

5.22 The waiver will be removed with effect from the 2005/06 academic year as Education Maintenance Allowance is rolled out nationally to all students of 16–18 years. However, students who are “estranged” from their parents or who are “care leavers” will still be able to take advantage of a waiver to the student contributions.

Figure 5.1 – Map of existing Demand Responsive Transport schemes in Somerset

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Figure 5.2 - Map of existing community/voluntary transport schemes in Somerset

Other Transport Delivery Issues

5.23 The IPTU is responsible for the planning and organisation of transport arrangements for social service users in accordance with their overall package of care. In addition to this statutory duty, the unit administers the Social Service Directorates local policy for concessionary transport for service users i.e. the implementation of a charging policy.

5.24 There are a number of issues currently affecting the provision of transport to vulnerable groups such as the young, elderly and mobility impaired in Somerset. These may consequently have broader implications for accessibility in the county. ♦ Concessionary Fares – Local authorities in Somerset now have a statutory obligation to provide free concessionary fares to all over 60 years old. Despite the availability of some funding through the Revenue Support Grant provided by central government, there is still some concern that in an attempt to meet this obligation, funding will be withdrawn from other services such as the district community transport schemes. Consequently there may be implications in terms of reduced accessibility for residents who rely on such transport to reach hospitals and other key services. ♦ Changes in provision of Social Services Care – There is a growing trend towards providing care for social service clients within the home. Although this enables clients to maintain some degree of independent living, there is a concern that some clients (particularly in deep rural areas not well served by

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public transport) will be excluded from health care and social interaction due to them becoming more dependant upon mainstream passenger transport. ♦ Externalising the Social Services Transport Fleet – Somerset County Council are currently selling their some of their social services fleet and advertising the tender for an external contractor to provide social services transport in the county. The IPTU will remain the manager of social services transport provision in Somerset and therefore it is not expected that such contractual arrangements will impact on accessibility. Such arrangements will help to ensure that the quality of the vehicles will be maintained to a higher standard as the responsibility of maintenance will be passed the tender winner. ♦ Non emergency patient transport – Taunton Musgrove Hospital currently provides non emergency patient transport to and from the hospital at an annual cost of around £1m. IPTU is currently working with Taunton Musgrove to deliver efficiency gains in the delivery of patient transport and roll out lessons learnt to other hospital providers across the county ♦ Bus buddy Funding Stability – The four bus buddies provide an essential service to both Special Needs Students aged over 16 and social services clients by providing them with one to one transport and mobility training. External funding for the bus buddies runs out in 2006 and consequently there is a need to secure additional funding to continue this vital, innovative and successful service. Non-Emergency Health Transport Provision

5.25 The West Country Ambulance Services NHS Trust provides all non-emergency transport services to the four NHS trusts serving Somerset County (Mendip, Somerset Coast, South Somerset and Taunton Deane). Within Somerset a total of 20,500 patients were transported in 2003/04.

5.26 In addition to providing non-emergency ambulatory transport, the West Country Ambulance Services NHS Trust assists in managing a voluntary car scheme. Volunteers drive their own cars to convey, non-urgent patients to and from hospital appointments and are reimbursed by the Trust.

WALKING AND CYCLING PROVISION

5.27 The key features of the walking and cycling networks are described as follows. A detailed review of cycling infrastructure can be found in the Somerset Cycling Strategy Review.

Walking

5.28 Walking plays a fundamental role in addressing the shared priority of Accessibility. Not only do public spaces need to be accessible and footways to be safe and well maintained, but walking is also an important part of accessing public transport services. Furthermore walking is also an important form of exercise for both local people and visitors to the county. Somerset’s extensive ROW network (3,800 miles) is varied and ranges from long distance routes such as the South West Coast Path and the Parrett Trail, to a number of local circular routes and local country paths

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5.29 The ROW network broadly consists of Footpaths, Bridleways, RUPP’s (Roads used as a public path) and BOAT’s (Byways Open to all Traffic). There are around 14 marked walking routes covering a large area of Somerset.

5.30 The development of the Draft Right of Way Improvement Plan has helped to identify a number of issues: ♦ Maintenance and increasing ease of use of the network is a high priority; ♦ Lack of information available about the suitability of routes to specific user groups; ♦ The condition of the network varies significantly across the county; ♦ Many rights of way are not used due to safety fears where they meet the highway network; and ♦ Lack of understanding of the rights and responsibilities of users and landowners. Cycling

5.31 Cycling has an important role in delivering the four national shared priorities for transport and contributes towards tackling congestion, improved road safety, greater accessibility and improving environmental quality.

5.32 The level of cycle commuting is considerable higher in Somerset (4.6%) than the average for the South West region (3.3%) and for the Country as a whole (2.8%). Since cycling is particularly suited to urban transport, as a predominantly rural county, Somerset’s high level of cycling is particularly impressive.

5.33 Cycle usage as a percentage of all trips made in Somerset varies from 1.2% in Crewkerne to 10.5% in Bridgwater. More than 50% of the county’s cycle commuters live in the main urban areas, with nearly 25% living in Taunton. These variations reflect the differences in the factors, which influence the demand for cycling. Such factors include topography, settlement size, the availability of cycle-friendly infrastructure, the use of promotional measures, and the availability and competitiveness of other modes. The Council’s Cycling Strategy Review examined such features to ascertain where the greatest potential is to encourage more cycling. The outcomes of the review and the role of cycling in delivering accessibility improvements in Somerset are discussed within Section 8.

5.34 The role of cycling in delivering accessibility improvements in Somerset is discussed in Section 8.

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6. Countywide Accessibility Issues

INTRODUCTION

6.1 This section details the accessibility issues affecting Somerset’s main service sectors, Health, Lifelong Learning, Employment and food shopping. The key issues presented have helped to inform the development of the accessibility strategy which reflects the strategic priorities and needs of residents in Somerset. Access to each service has been examined using the following sources of information: ♦ Partnership data; ♦ Accessibility mapping; and ♦ Themed workshops. 6.2 Accessibility mapping, consultations, themed workshops, data from previous studies and demographic analysis have revealed a number of generic accessibility issues within Somerset that affect one or more of the service providers. These are provided at the end of this section.

6.3 This section also sets the context, within which further investigation of local level issues are to be prioritised as outlined in section 7.

ACCESS TO HEALTH AND FOOD

♦ 28% of rural residents have to travel longer than 30 minutes1 or have no bus service at all to their nearest GP, compared with only 1% of urban residents; ♦ 43% of residents have to travel longer than 1 hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest General Hospital (51% from rural areas and 37% from urban areas); ♦ 24% of rural residents have to travel longer than 1 hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest Community Hospital; and ♦ Around 1 in 5 residents have to travel longer than 30 minutes or have no bus service at all to their nearest supermarket.

1Travel Time consists of a 800m walk time to a bus stop, the on board bus journey time, including any required bus interchange and a 800m walk time to destination. Overview

6.4 The Health Advocacy Partnership has found that many people living in rural Somerset are disadvantaged by a lack of transport to enable them to access both primary and secondary healthcare. This section outlines some of the common access to health issues affecting sections of the community in Somerset.

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Health and Social Needs Analysis in Somerset

6.5 The third Health and Social Needs Analysis Group Report 2004 provides an up to date assessment of levels of health and social need in Somerset and identifies neighbourhoods that suffer the most multiple and intense deprivation.

6.6 Table 6.1 summarises the five most deprived wards in terms of health and social need. For comparative purposes a breakdown has been given by district and age category (under 18’s/over 65’s). The total population within each age category is displayed in brackets.

Table 6.1 - Summary of Wards with Highest Health and Social Needs (HSNAG, 2004)

Children (Under 18 years old)

Rank/District Mendip Sedgemoor South Taunton Deane West Somerset Somerset 1 Frome Brigwater Yeovil East Taunton Halcon Williton (554) Welshmill Hamp (1935) (1762) (1541) (1411) 2 Frome Bridgwater Yeovil Taunton Pyrland Watchet (973) Keyford Sydenham Central and Rowbarton (1406) (1530) (1610) (1448)

3 Shepton Bridgwater Yeovil West Taunton Alcombe East East (1025) Victoria (1608) Lyngford (1086) (296) (1054) 4 Street North Highbridge Chard Taunton Dunster (137) (1084) (1153) Avishayes Blackbrook and (574) Holway (1507) 5 Glastonbury Bridgwater Chard Wellington North Minehead South St.Johns Eastover Holyrood (1056) (688) (536) (799) (480)

Elderly (Aged over 65 years old) 1 Street North Highbridge Chard Taunton Alcombe West (716) (1233) Combe (599) Lyngford (1089) (649) 2 Glastonbury Bridwater Yeovil West Wellington North Watchet (680) St John’s Victoria (1325) (687) (367) (808) 3 Wells Burnham Yeovil East Bishops Hull Alcombe East St.Cuthberts South (1541) (1066) (874) (381) (976) 4 Frome Park Bridgwater Yeovil Taunton Williton (696) (898) Hamp (919) Central Eastgate (695) (1150) 5 Street South Bridgwater Chard Taunton Halcon Minehead North (923) Quantock Jocelyn (796) (1093) (1474) (565)

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N.B. Ward/(Total Population)

6.7 In summary, Table 6.1 clearly shows that ‘child poverty of access’ affects the largest number of individuals in the main urban areas of Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater. This supports trends emerging from the IMD data (Section 4). However child poverty is also an issue in some parts of the rural market towns including Frome and Shepton Mallet (Mendip), Chard (South Somerset) and Watchet, Williton and Minehead. The distribution of poverty amongst the over 65’s is broadly similar to that of child poverty.

Somerset Environment and Quality of Life Survey 2003

6.8 The Somerset ‘Environment and Quality of Life Survey’ (2003) has stated that of approximately 3,900 respondents approximately 16% found accessing General Hospitals ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ (Figure 6.1). A further 10% of respondents had some difficulties accessing local sports and leisure facilities which are key to ensuring ongoing healthy living through providing facilities for physical activity

Figure 6.1 - Percentage of Somerset Residents Finding Access to Health and Food Services Difficult or Very difficult (Environment and Quality of Life Survey, 2003)

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0 al re GP and uper S uit r re/ harmacy P ables / Local Hospit Leisure Cent Market / s Veget Chemist Shop selling F Sport Shopping Cent Service

Community Strategies and Access to Healthy Living

6.9 A review of local community strategies identifies the following priorities with respect to ensuring healthy living in Somerset through delivering better levels of accessibility: ♦ Reduce inequalities in health service provision locally (affluent vs. low income households, rural vs. urban); ♦ Ensure access to NHS General Practices and Dentists for all; ♦ Promote access to healthy food and physical activity; ♦ Promote better access to local schools through the Safer Routes to School Initiative;

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♦ Make voluntary and community transport available to all living in rural settlements where suitable alternatives are not available to individuals due to poor coverage by mainstream bus services or physical disability; and ♦ A need to develop accessible public transport and public transport interchanges. 6.10 The Accessibility Strategy will help deliver these priorities through seeking opportunities to improve access to healthcare facilities and through effective partnership working.

Missed Medical Appointments

6.11 Missed appointments represent a significant cost to the NHS as they result in poor use of doctors, consultant and nurse’s time and also cause inefficiencies in the use of specialist medical equipment. The cost of a missed hospital appointment session is estimated at £65 (The Royal Society of Medicine, 2002). Table 6.2 outlines the number of missed hospital outpatients’ appointments across each of the Primary Care Trusts (PCT’s) and NHS Trusts in Somerset for the year 2004/05.

Table 6.2 - Summary of Missed Hospital Outpatients Appointments (DNA’s) in Somerset (Department of Health, 2004/05)

Health First Subsequent Total DNA Rate total DNA Rate first Authority Attendances Attendances Attendances Attendances Attendances DNA DNA DNA

Mendip PCT 269 562 831 21.8% 31.1%

South Somerset 150 301 451 19.9% 24.6% PCT

Somerset Coast 783 1,942 2,725 27.7% 33.7% PCT

Taunton Deane 78 80 158 14.6% 16.5% PCT

Taunton and 4,356 10,170 14,556 29.2% 32.5% Somerset NHS Trust (Musgrove Hospital)

East Somerset 1,741 6,163 7,904 24.8% 33% NHS Trust (Yeovil Hospital)

Somerset and 21,546 49,666 71,212 25.2% 29.6% Dorset Strategic Health Authority

England 1,376,804 11,149,180 5,707,288 37.4% 45.2% Department of Health Statistics (2004/05)

6.12 Missed outpatient appointment rates for Somerset and Dorset’s Strategic Health Authority in 2004/05 (29.6%) sit significantly below the England average (45.2%). However this totals to over 71,000 missed outpatients’ appointments which totals a cost of over £4.5m for 2004/05.The worst rates of attendance were recorded by the Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust (32.5%) and the East Somerset NHS trust (33%), which are largely serviced by the Taunton Musgrove and Yeovil District Hospitals

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respectively. The total cost of missed appointments to Taunton Musgrove Hospital is almost equivalent to that of funding the non emergency patient transport.

6.13 Somerset Coast PCT and Mendip PCT record the highest rates of appointment absence. Unfortunately there is currently very little evidence to determine the extent to which accessibility or transport availability was a factor contributing to a missed appointments.

6.14 Thus as part of further local accessibility assessments, the link between poor access and missed appointment levels will be examined in more detail. It is understood from stakeholders in the accessibility planning process that Mendip PCT are now arranging taxis for eligible GP patients in order to avoid wastage of consultant and administration time caused by lack of attendance. This is an activity that could be promoted across the county.

6.15 Yeovil District Hospital is actively encouraging patients to inform their GP’s surgeries in advance, should they not be able to attend an appointment. Posters and leaflets are being distributed by the hospital to tackle this issue. The council intends to maintain an ongoing interest in the methods adopted to reduce missed appointments and learn from the outcomes of such strategies.

Somerset Food Links

6.16 A number of projects led by Food Links to promote the benefits of selling and buying locally produced foods that are of relevance to improving access to food. Such projects include the: Somerset Community Food Projects Network, Exmoor and Quantocks Food Links and the Levels and Moors Project. Existing project work focuses around the following themes: ♦ Enterprise: helping businesses in the local food chain - farmers, food producers, retailers, caterers and others - with business advice, training and small grants. ♦ Health: working with community groups to develop food projects such as community gardens and cafes and fresh food co-ops. ♦ Education: working with schools to put locally produced food onto school menus. ♦ Awareness: communicating the benefits of locally produced food to the economy, the environment and the community, through public presentations and displays Other Issues

6.17 Consultations with Mencap have been held to further understand the accessibility problems experienced by individuals with learning difficulties. This builds upon the current close working partnership between IPTU and Mencap to provide improved transport services to those with learning difficulties. Health workers in South Somerset are currently working with local GP’s in the Yeovil area to help increase their awareness of disability issues and to assist those with learning difficulties with transport arrangements. The provision of non-emergency transport by the ambulance service is limited to the patient whilst not for their carer, whose role is important in aiding the recovery process and reducing patient stress during treatment periods. Many of the elderly and people with learning disabilities find travelling alone stressful

72 Somerset Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

and may even miss appointments due to their lack of confidence travelling on public transport. Although the NHS in Somerset is looking at localising minor treatments and surgery through the greater use of community hospital facilities, many community hospitals tend to specialise in specific treatment types which results in some patients having to travel over longer distances to access the type of care they require.

6.20 The completion of the Cancer Treatment Unit at Taunton Musgrove will have major benefits for cancer patients whom previously have been required to travel as far as Bristol.

6.21 Consultations have also highlighted that access to healthcare may be of concern in border locations. At present it is the primary objective of GP’s to diagnose illness and refer them to the appropriate treatment centre with little regard to the patients transport arrangements. Patients living in bordering villages will very often be referred to a treatment centre within the GP’s own PCT rather than to the one which is most convenient to travel to. This is an issue requiring further study and will need to be reviewed within the context of future local accessibility assessments.

Accessibility Mapping

6.22 Figure 6.2 illustrates the journey times from Somerset to the four nearest General Hospital facilities (Yeovil District Hospital, Taunton and Somerset Hospital, Weston General Hospital and Royal United Bath Hospital) by mainstream bus transport. The journeys include those that leave the origin after 7.00am and arrive at the destination by 10:00am and that require a walking distance of no greater than 800m.

6.23 The map shows significant disparities in the level of accessibility to these health providers across the county. Significant parts of Somerset do not have access to mainstream public bus routes serving major hospitals. Barriers to accessing hospitals by bus may include: unavailability of a bus route, the individual living more than 800m walk from the nearest bus stop or the total journey time exceeding 3 hours.

6.24 Specific areas with poor or no access to the major hospitals include: ♦ Deep rural villages in West Somerset outside of Minehead; ♦ Large areas of Sedgemoor including northern areas of Bridgwater and Highbridge; ♦ Rural villages between the main public transport corridors outside of Taunton; ♦ Villages aligned along the north, south and east radial routes into Chard; and ♦ Settlements along the A371 northwest of Wells towards Cheddar and Axbridge. ♦ Rural villages across Mendip district outside the market towns of Frome, Glastonbury and Street; and ♦ Central areas of South Somerset district to the west and south of Castle Cary outside of the main urban areas of Taunton, Ilminster and Chard. 6.25 Although this map clearly identifies the problem areas in terms of poor access by bus services, it is important to note that some of these areas are covered by accessible demand responsive transport and/or community/voluntary based transport as

73 Somerset Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

previously discussed. Whilst we recognise that some community/voluntary transport is limited in its eligibility criteria and hours of provision, this type of transport does help ‘plug the gap’ in some areas with poor accessibility.

Community Hospitals

6.26 The role of community hospitals in Somerset is clearly important in terms of providing more local access to minor healthcare treatment. Figure 6.3 illustrates the level of accessibility to all hospitals (general and community) between 07:00am and 10:00am. There are a number of points of interest that can be noted: ♦ Frome Victoria, Shepton Mallet and Wells and District Hospitals are of strategic importance for delivering healthcare in Mendip; and ♦ Improvement in journey times are experienced to hospitals for residents in Sedgemoor, Minehead and South Somerset where community hospitals are provided; ♦ Community hospitals provide important additional health care for those living in rural areas; and ♦ 24% of the rural population have to travel longer than 60minutes or have no bus service at all to their nearest general or community hospital (this compares to 51% where only general hospitals are mapped). Themed Workshop Outcomes

6.27 A themed workshop was held with key healthcare stakeholders in April 2005 to engage relevant stakeholders into the accessibility planning process and gain a more in-depth understanding of access to health issues faced by individuals and communities across Somerset and how healthcare facilities are delivered.

6.28 Breakout discussions were used to identify accessibility issues not previously identified through the initial accessibility assessment and the group were asked to prioritise these issues. The list of priorities is described below: ♦ The lack of available passenger transport information including details of voluntary and community transport serving GP’s, Community Hospitals and General Hospitals for both healthcare providers and their patients directly; ♦ A need for cross sector working to ensure sharing of information regarding delivery and planning of existing and future services and transport provision to facilitate wider accessibility; ♦ Availability of transport during ‘out of hours’ for patients, employees and visitors; ♦ A need for better marketing of public transport, particularly community transport schemes; ♦ Lack of transport provision for patient carers; ♦ More efficient use of non-emergency transport serving Somerset patients; and ♦ A need to promote better ongoing health self-awareness. 6.29 Further issues identified were as follows: ♦ Cost is often perceived as a barrier to accessing healthcare particularly for the elderly and others from low-income backgrounds. This is particularly the case

74 Somerset Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

for families and carers of patients without access to a car. Often evening visiting hours are not conducive to travelling by public transport, particularly in emergency situations; ♦ The role of community hospitals is broadening in Somerset with the trends to move towards local healthcare provision; ♦ There is a potential role for community transport schemes to support the role that taxi companies are undertaking in non emergency transport provision; ♦ The 800m standard walking distance used for accessing rural bus stops is not necessarily conducive to those with impaired mobility or illness; ♦ Maintaining good health through promoting physical activity (cycling and walking) and a healthy diet can assist in reducing the demand for healthcare facilities in the first place; ♦ There is confusion regarding community transport eligibility and the various schemes; and ♦ Not all hospitals have bus stops outside their facilities and the hospital sites are often too large for people to travel easily from one part of the site to another.

75 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 6.2 - Access to General Hospitals in Somerset (07:00-10:00)

76 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 6.3 - Access to Community and General Hospitals in Somerset (07:00-10:00)

77 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT

14% of residents have either over an hours travel time to their nearest jobcentre or no service at all; 28% of rural residents have either over an hours travel time to their nearest jobcentre or no service at all; and 22% or rural residents have either over an hours travel time to their nearest major employment centre during the am peak (28% during pm peak) or no service at all. Overview

6.30 Somerset, in common with regional and national trends has experienced low and declining unemployment over the last 10 years, particularly in the county’s market towns. Figure 6.4 compares unemployment trends in Somerset with those at a regional and national level.

Figure 6.4 - Summary of Unemployment Trends in Somerset and the South West

Source: SSP Somerset Economic Strategy – Consultation Draft. ONS Claimant Count, NOMIS.

6.31 The geographical distribution of unemployment in the county is relatively complex. Individual wards in the larger towns have unemployment levels above the regional average; as do some of the medium sized towns such as Minehead and Glastonbury (SSP Somerset Economic Strategy). Tourism and agriculture are an important source of employment in Somerset; as a result there are significant seasonal variations in unemployment, particularly in rural and coastal parts of the county.

6.32 Anecdotal evidence provided in discussions with Jobcentre Plus suggests that there are number of long term unemployed residents living in the following areas who are facing difficulties accessing employment: ♦ West Somerset (Williton/Watchet); ♦ Cheddar/Axbridge;

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♦ Wincanton; ♦ Shepton Mallet; ♦ Rural villages close to Ilminster and Chard; ♦ Street and Glastonbury; and ♦ Dulverton. Links between Employment and Transport

6.33 Although the absence of a good quality passenger transport network can be a problem when individuals without access to a car cannot attend interviews or the timetable does not match the working hours of a particular job, the extent to which transport is an issue for Somerset residents when accessing employment is currently unclear. There is little evidence available at present to determine the level of importance that individuals place on transport for both seeking employment opportunities and attending work.

6.34 The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) 2003 concludes that current survey’s do not directly indicate that transport links are the most significant barrier to filling long term job vacancies. Other reasons for ‘hard to fill’ vacancies include lack of required skills and lack of applicant interest.

6.35 However the Employers Survey 2002 identified that 39% of all businesses in Somerset have difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff due to rural transport problems. The greatest difficulties are faced in South Somerset district where this figure increases to 42%. As part of future local accessibility assessments the Council will further investigate the extent to which there is a relationship between transport availability and staff retention/recruitment issues.

Access to Employment and Job Centre Plus

6.36 Unemployment has major implications for the local benefits system in Somerset. Jobcentre Plus currently provide benefits in the form of Income Support, Incapacity Benefit and Jobseekers Allowance. Table 6.3 illustrates a breakdown of benefit claimant numbers for 2003/04 for each Job Centre Plus office in the County.

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Table 6.3 - Summary of Benefit Claimant Counts in Somerset (2003/04)

Job Centre Office Number of Income Number of Number of Support Claimants Incapacity Benefit Jobseeker Claimants Allowance Claimants Minehead 773 1065 263

Burnham 691 1088 171 Bridgwater 1958 2430 712 Taunton 2776 3511 747 Chard 531 820 189 Wells 1797 2400 627 Frome 1440 1752 225

Yeovil 2335 3179 644

Source: Jobcentre Plus (2003/04 Claimant County Data)

6.37 Overall 55% of all benefit claimants identified in Table 6.3 live in Bridgwater, Taunton and Yeovil. This coincides with the areas of greatest deprivation previously identified using IMD 2004 data (Figure 4.1). Jobseekers allowance accounts for just 11% of all employment related benefits paid by the benefits office; which is indicative of the low unemployment in the county.

6.38 Approximately 50% of all benefit claimants are in receipt of incapacity benefit. In 2003/04 there were over 16,000 incapacity benefit claimants in Somerset (Figure 6.5). Jobcentre Plus (JCP) stated that some of these claimants could work in alternative vocations if given appropriate training and opportunities to re-enter employment thus JCP are keen to encourage some of these individuals into other types of work where suitable training opportunities or employment vacancies exist

6.39 Current benefit claimants are required to report to Jobcentre offices every two weeks, should they fail to do so, they are unable to claim their benefit. It is therefore important that appropriate transport is in place for individuals accessing local Jobcentre Plus offices.

80 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Figure 6.5 - Number of Incapacity Benefit Claimants in Somerset (2003/04)

4000

3500

Nu 3000 mb er 2500 of Cla im 2000 ant s 1500

1000

500

Taunton Chard Wells Frome Yeovil MineheadB urnhamBridgwater

Job Centre Office

Employment, Skills and Training

6.40 Evidence clearly suggests that there is a link between low employment levels and social exclusion, since the areas with high unemployment and a low skills base (Figure 4.2) also experience high overall levels of deprivation (Figure 4.1). Somerset County Council and its partners aim to tackle these issues through the accessibility planning process by enhancing opportunities to access careers advice, improving transport provision in urban and rural areas and ensuring that accessibility is not a barrier to re-entering education and training. Table 6.4 presents some further Somerset employment trends.

Table 6.4 - Key Employment Indicators for Somerset

Indicator Mendip Sedgemoor South Taunton West Somerset Great Somerset Deane Somerset Britain

% Of working age in 79.2 85.3 84.8 82.2 82.2 82.9 74.9 employment

% Of working age not in 19.2 13.2 13.7 14.6 N/A 15.3 21.3 employment

% Of unemployed claimants 25.3 21.5 15.1 22 19.4 20.6 31 out of work for over 6 months

81 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Indicator Mendip Sedgemoor South Taunton West Somerset Great Somerset Deane Somerset Britain

% Of unemployed claimants 12.3 8.9 6.3 11.4 8.5 9.4 15.2 out of work for over a year

% Of unemployed claimants 10.2 14.4 16.5 12.1 8.5 13.0 11.4 aged 19 and under

6.41 The proportion of Somerset claimants out of work for long time periods is below the national average. However the Council with its partners will continue to identify smaller pockets of long term unemployment that may exist to ensure that these individuals benefit from improved access to employment and training.

6.42 On average the proportion of unemployment claimants aged 19 and under in Somerset (13%) is slightly above the national average (11.4%). At district level the proportion of young claimants is highest in Sedgemoor (14.4%) and South Somerset (16.5%).

6.43 Difficulties in accessing specialist-training opportunities have also been described as an issue by local businesses (LSC Travel to Learn, 2004). Currently around 1 in 3 Somerset businesses cite access to technical training for their staff as a problem. This problem is most prevalent in West Somerset where the majority (two thirds) of the population live outside of settlements with a population of 10,000 and hence do not necessarily have access to a transport system that suits their individual needs.

6.44 Individuals employed or training in vocations such as Retail, Customer Service, Transportation, Beauty Therapy and Hairdressing are often required to travel to colleges in adjacent counties to obtain appropriate training.

6.45 The accessibility planning process can help facilitate access to training through developing partnerships with colleges, evening class providers and other training providers to seek opportunities to deliver services more locally. This will have the potential to both improve Somerset’s general skills base whilst provide greater opportunity for individuals to access employment opportunities that previously may not have been open to them.

Other Issues

6.46 Somerset’s most disadvantaged young people are to benefit from a European grant of more than £0.5 million aimed at assisting them back into employment. The scheme lead by Connexions and the Learning and Skills Council will benefit young people living in areas around Taunton, Bridgwater, West Somerset, Street, Yeovil and Frome. Many young people living in these areas have difficulties travelling to the

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larger towns where learning opportunities are on offer. Advisors will travel out to rural areas to provide training and support for young people where they live.

Accessibility Mapping

Access to Major Employment Centres

6.47 Accessibility mapping (Figure 6.6) has been used to further illustrate specific areas where poor access to employment may be of concern. The centres of employment to which accessibility has been measured include the main centres as identified in the SSP Draft Somerset Economic Strategy prepared in 2004. The main employment centres to which access has been measured include: ♦ Minehead; ♦ Shepton Mallet ♦ Crewkerne; ♦ Watchet; ♦ Yeovil; ♦ Williton; ♦ Street; ♦ Wellington; ♦ Glastonbury; ♦ Taunton; ♦ Wells; ♦ Bridgwater; ♦ Cheddar; ♦ Highbridge; ♦ Wincanton; ♦ Ilminster; and ♦ Frome; ♦ Chard. 6.48 These settlements are regarded as most appropriate given that they include a substantial collection of smaller businesses that are a core part of the county’s economy (85% of businesses in Somerset employ less than 10 people). These settlements also reflect locations where a diverse range of skills is employed.

6.49 Although further mapping work is required to identify temporal variations in accessibility to employment (though the local accessibility assessments), emerging points of interest include: ♦ Access to major employment centres is typically best from the towns themselves where they can be accessed by more frequent bus services or by walking/cycling modes; ♦ Journey times often are longer in villages on the edge of Market towns; ♦ Difficulties arise where an individual has to travel into a market town or major village to access the core bus routes to their place of employment; Access to Job Centres

6.50 Jobcentre Plus is currently under pressure from the department of Work and Pensions to rationalise its service provision. In order to make efficiency savings the closure of some local offices may need to be considered, this could have considerable implications for the unemployed and those receiving benefits since these are the individuals who are least likely to have disposable income to spend on transport. Accessibility mapping has a role in determining which jobcentres could be closed if necessary.

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6.51 Figure 6.7 shows current access to Somerset Jobcentre offices by mainstream bus services (10.00am and 13:00am). Rail services and demand responsive services have not been included in the analysis. Key points of interest demonstrated from the accessibility mapping include: ♦ Access from major towns and along the major bus corridors between these towns to Jobcentre Plus offices is reasonable, with journey times for these residents typically being less than 60 minutes; ♦ Accessibility is particularly good in locations where unemployment is highest i.e. Taunton, Yeovil, Chard and Bridgwater; ♦ Large rural areas of low population are not covered by mainstream bus services and hence have poor access to job centres, although community/accessible transport may fill in some of the gaps. However, it is likely that ‘eligibility’ may be a problem for many jobseekers wishing to use community transport, given that a majority of community transport schemes are for the elderly and disabled or have restricted periods of operation; and ♦ Journey times can be in excess of 1 hour from outlying rural areas where bus services are available such as North Quantocks, villages north of Illminster north of the A303, Central and East of South Somerset (Bruton and Wincanton), and south-west of Shepton Mallet. 6.52 Tackling these issues will be a challenge given that anecdotal evidence from JCP suggests that the numbers seeking employment in absolute terms is relatively low in these areas, thus solutions need to be tailored to individual’s requirements.

6.53 Jobcentre Plus has been piloting out reach working where by officers visit individuals or groups seeking employment at their place of residence, unfortunately this results in some inefficiency given that advisors can’t advise as many applicants.

6.54 JCP is directing their clients towards more demand responsive transport services, particularly in rural areas where there is not appropriate mainstream transport in place. JCP is currently working in partnership with IPTU to encourage long term unemployed back into work by offering a 50% fare concession for use on the new demand responsive SLINKY buses in the Taunton and Wellington area.

6.55 Difficulties do arise when advising clients about public transport options available outside of normal working hours. JCP also recognise the difficulties in employing people in shift work, especially where they do not have access to a car or a suitable public transport service.

6.56 At this stage our accessibility mapping does not consider the specific skills that job seekers require to undertake specific job positions and therefore more localised work is required to understand this issue. As mentioned previously it is important to note that some of these areas of poor access are covered by accessible demand responsive transport and/or community/voluntary based transport.

Themed Workshop Outcomes

6.57 A workshop was held to discuss issues facing Somerset residents wishing to access employment and post 16 education opportunities. It was clear from stakeholders that access to education and training opportunities were also important for facilitating

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improved access to employment opportunities in Somerset. The outcomes from this workshop are discussed in this section (Access to Life Long Learning).

6.58 However two specific issues raised by stakeholders in relation to access to employment included the following: ♦ Transport solutions for those living in isolated rural villages may have to be more personalised to individual circumstances; and ♦ Existing coverage of mainstream public transport does not fully cater for unsociable shift working patterns.

85 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 6.6 - Access to Major Centres of Employment in Somerset (06:30-09:30)

86 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 6.7 - Access to Job Centres in Somerset (06:30 09:30)

87 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

ACCESS TO LIFELONG LEARNING

Access to Mainstream Education

6.59 ‘The Schools White Paper – Higher Standards, Better Schools for All’ (October 2005) has a number of important implications for access to education for compulsory school age children. Transport is described as having a major role in promoting access and choice within the mainstream education system, specific measures outlined in the paper include: ♦ Free transport for pupils from low income families to any of the three nearest suitable secondary schools between 2 and 6 miles away and free transport to the nearest school more than 2 miles for primary aged children; and ♦ Setting up of Pathfinder authorities to implement innovative solutions to home to school transport to cater for a broad range of transport needs such as out of hours travel, transport between service providers. 6.60 The Council also acknowledges that improved school transport could assist in tackling other issues such as air quality and child pedestrian accidents caused by growing dependency on the car for the school run. These issues are largely led through the Safer Routes to School Programme and School Travel Plan projects.

6.61 We will use accessibility planning to inform the future development of Safe Routes to School Programmes and inform the IPTU of the locations of low income families. The capability to produce accessibility mapping will clearly be useful for determining the degree of accessibility by public transport to local schools.

Access to Post 16 Education and Adult Learning

♦ 13% of residents have to travel longer one hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest post 16 establishment; ♦ 21% of residents have to travel longer than one hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest post 16 establishment for evening classes; and ♦ 45% of rural residents have a minimum 30 minutes travel time to their nearest post 16 establishment for evening classes (1% for urban residents) or no service at all.

Overview

6.62 Key education performance indicators suggest that educational achievement in Somerset is high in comparison to the south west and national averages (Table 6.5). For example the proportion of 15 year olds gaining 5 A*-C grades and equivalent in Somerset was 56.4% compared to a national average of 53.7% (2003/04). The proportion of 15 year olds leaving school with no grades was around the national average of 4%.

6.63 Post 16 achievement in Somerset is also above the national standard. Around 90% of 17 and 18 year olds in Somerset achieve advance vocational qualifications, whilst

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those achieving intermediate level qualifications are 83.7%. This compares with national averages of 79.8% and 74.7% for advanced and intermediate achievements respectively.

Table 6.5 - Key Education Performance indicators for Somerset

Indicator Somerset South West Great Britain

% Of 15 year olds gaining 5 A*-C GCSE’s and 56.4 54.6 53.7 equivalent (2003/04)

% Of 15 year olds with no graded results 4 3.5 4.1 (2003/04)

% Of 17-18 year olds achieving Advanced 90 84.4 79.8 Vocational Qualifications

% Of 17-18 year olds achieving Intermediate 83.7 77.4 74.7 Vocational Qualifications

% Of 18-19 year olds progressing to higher 31 30 30 education

% FE Success rates on long courses (> 24 50 52 53 months) (Adult Learning)

% FE Success rates on short courses (< 76 79 79 24months) (Adult Learning)

6.64 Statistics suggest a less positive level of achievement for those participating in Adult Learning (post 19 further education). The success rates for those on long courses in Somerset (50%) are marginally below the national average of 53%. The success rates for short courses are 76% for Somerset and 79% nationally. It is therefore important that the Accessibility Strategy considers the importance of access to adult education and ensures that transport provision and affordability does not act as a barrier to accessing adult education and training.

Final Destination of Students

6.65 Figures 6.7 and 6.8 illustrate the destinations of Year 11, 12 and 13 students in Somerset. The majority of both Year 11 (75%) and Years 12/13 (70%) students enter further education after completing full time education courses at school and colleges, the remainder enter either work based learning courses (10-11%) or employment (9 – 15%).

89 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Figure 6.7 - Destination of Year 11 School Leavers in Somerset

5% 1% In full time 9% education In w or k bas ed 10% learning In employment

Not settled

75% Other

Figure 6.8 - Destination of 16-18 School/College Leavers in Somerset

In f ull time 4% education 15% In w or k bas ed learning 11% In employment

70% Not in education, employment or training

6.66 Irrespective of the final destination of a student after completing their education, it is important that the Accessibility Strategy ensures that opportunities are fully accessible, whether by cycling, walking, car or public transport. Partnership working between the County Council, colleges, schools and employers is necessary to ensure that a smooth transition is made for individuals transferring between education providers and employers.

Delivering Learning and Skills in Somerset

6.67 As part of a recent study by the Learning and Skills Council (Employment Learning and Skills in Somerset, April 2004), a number of accessibility related issues were identified in Somerset (Survey sample size of 1600 Somerset residents). Figure 6.9

90 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

illustrates the types of improvements to education delivery that would most encourage people to participate in further education in the future.

Figure 6.9 - Improvements in Further Education Delivery Most Likely to Encourage Individuals to Undertake Further Education (LSC, 2004)

14 12% 12 s

nt 10 de 8 pon s

e 6 5% R

of 4 3% 3% % 2 1%

0 e le of ed ed e ib ng s s s i abl ti i x l l s on of i a d e t a l i l e se ai s r hom i r s c e s s F on u e b i po e av ov c u n r s i to r Lo i r our s co S o v o e i c e r er r P ov ans s M r at o r r ed/ e se os T l m M d i c our to P eat C ov r r Infor G Factor influencing Participation P

6.68 Only 1% of respondents stated that better transport alone would influence their decision to attend further education in the future. However, 17% of respondents suggested that having courses available closer to home or more localised courses would increase the likelihood of them participating in further education and training in the future. A further 3% suggested that greater flexibility in course delivery would affect their decision to participate in further learning.

6.69 These trends would suggest that changes in course delivery might be more appropriate than providing additional public transport. Examples of how course delivery could be amended include off site course delivery i.e. offering evening courses in local school sites or village centres, wider use of E-learning, and broadening of curriculum in existing colleges.

Travel to Learn Issues

6.70 A further study “Travel to Learn in Somerset” commissioned by the Somerset Learning and Skills Council (April, 2004) revealed a number of accessibility issues in Somerset with respect to access to education and training for individuals already in the education system and those not in full time education or employment. The

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following issues were identified for students already participating in full time education or training (3,571 survey respondents): ♦ Poor transport availability in rural areas; ♦ A need for a more reliable timetable and vehicles; ♦ Need to ensure that fares are affordable; ♦ Improve customer service from drivers; ♦ Greater availability of public transport outside of traditional school hours (particularly in rural areas); and ♦ Lack of confidence in public transport alternatives. 6.71 Around ¾ of full time students have part time jobs or are engaged in vocational training. Hence there is a need to ensure some level of public transport is available between college and the work place. Further work is required to fully understand the nature of this issue, as it is likely to vary in importance geographically.

6.72 A number of focus group discussions were held as part of the Travel to Learn Study in Connexions offices around Somerset (Yeovil, Minehead, Frome, Bridgwater and Taunton). The discussions sought to identify the extent to which transport availability is a problem for individuals seeking employment or educational opportunities. Over 50% regarded transport factors as ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important. Broadly their concerns were found to be similar to those of full time students, however more specific issues include: ♦ Limited public transport coverage to cater for unsociable shift patterns; ♦ There is a need for flexible public transport which enables students to travel between work, home and college at all times of day; and ♦ Cost limits individual’s travel horizons for example: it costs a student £16 per week to travel between Bridgwater and Taunton and £25 per week between Minehead and Taunton. 6.73 Closer inspection of travel to learn patterns identified in this study illustrate that there are a number of accessibility issues facing specific geographical locations. The main issues identified include: ♦ Poor access to the core bus network in the following areas: − Access to West Somerset Community College from outlying villages such as Dulverton, Washford, Carhampton and the periphery of Minehead; − Lack of convenient public transport services for villages around Crewkerne and Chard to Yeovil College; − Restrictive timetable to Crewkerne College; and − Lack of flexible public transport surrounding Strode College (15% of students had considered leaving due to transport problems); ♦ Long journey times from West Somerset to alternative education providers in Minehead, Bridgwater and Taunton; ♦ Transport factors were most important for students at Cannington, West Somerset and Strode Colleges;

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♦ There is a restricted curriculum choice for prospective Work Based Learning students in Mendip (Frome Community College), hence a large proportion of students travel out of the county (around 33%); ♦ Young people living in wards along the Bath and Northeast Somerset, North Somerset unitary and Dorset borders (almost 25% of young people in 6th form learning travelled out of the county for provision) are more likely to travel out of the county for 16-19 education. Learning and Skills Council Strategic Area Review

6.74 The LSC is currently in the process of undertaking a Strategic Area Review of 14-19- education provision in Somerset. A number of accessibility related issues have emerged from the work published to date: ♦ The majority of learners in West Somerset attend either West Somerset Community College or providers based in Taunton and Bridgwater, journey times to these locations are typically longer than other districts due to the nature of the local road network;; ♦ Restricted capacity of the Moped Loan Scheme; ♦ Students from villages surrounding Wells and Shepton Mallet have difficulties accessing colleges in Strode and Frome; ♦ Access from villages in Mendip to providers in Taunton, Bridgwater, Bath or Norton Radstock is restricted by lengthy journey times; ♦ Better use could be made of community transport to serve the needs of young people attending education; ♦ Some students may not be pursuing their first choice in post 16 education due to restrictions in transport availability; ♦ Lengthy public transport journey times in eastern parts of South Somerset, particularly around Bruton, Cary and Wincanton; and ♦ Difficulties exist for students attending Yeovil College from Ilminster due to an infrequent bus service. Although there is a subsidised college bus, this is perceived as difficult to use and inflexible. 6.75 A meeting held with the Learning and Skills Council in Somerset has highlighted that funding for innovative schemes such as the Moped Loan scheme has delivered real differences to young people, particularly those living in isolated rural areas of the county. However, often the source of funding becomes limited far too quickly such that schemes do not become fully established and self-sustaining.

Accessibility Mapping

6.76 Initial inspection of local accessibility maps (Figures 6.10 and 6.11) demonstrate that access to post 16 and adult learning is an issue of concern in many parts of Somerset, particularly rural locations and on the edge of Market Towns.

6.77 Specific areas of concern include: ♦ Rural West Somerset outside of the main market towns of Williton and Minehead; ♦ Access to adult learning from Wiveliscombe and its rural surrounds;

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♦ Access to post 16 learning from Rural Taunton and rural Bridgwater (coincides with areas of greatest deprivation); ♦ Access to post 16 education from rural areas outside of Market towns in the extreme east of the county; and ♦ Rural surrounds of Glastonbury and Street; and ♦ Rural surrounds of Crewkerne and Ilminster. 6.78 The need for improved accessibility in the above areas can be supported through statistics generated from deeper analysis of the accessibility mapping and is demonstrated in our priortisation of issues in Section 7.

Themed Workshop Outcomes

6.79 A workshop was held to discuss strategic accessibility issues facing Somerset residents wishing to access employment and post 16 education opportunities. The session was useful in terms of providing added detail to issues raised in the desktop study and consultations with stakeholders on an individual basis. Simultaneously the workshop was intended to engage partners in the accessibility planning process and identify new sources of information and get a better understanding of the implications that accessibility has for service delivery in their field.

6.80 Some of the key priorities raised as a result of the breakout discussions were as follows: ♦ The need for better dissemination of information regarding transport and education to both students (including young people and adults not in the education system), providers and careers/education advisors; ♦ There is a need for greater employer responsibility for transporting their workers to places of work and training; ♦ Critical mass – due to the dispersed nature of the population in Somerset it is difficult to achieve sufficient demand to provide certain courses especially in the more rural areas; ♦ There is a need to improve the marketing of Community/Volunteer Transport for post 16 education students to better use available capacity on this type of transport;

94 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 6.10 - Access to Mainstream Post 16 Learning Providers in Somerset (07:00-09:00)

95 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 6.11 - Access to Evening Adult Education Providers in Somerset (16:30-18:30)

96 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

♦ Problems in communicating with young people the new Education Maintenance Allowance and emphasising the fact that it can be used to contribute towards transport to college expenses; ♦ The length of courses can often be longer than the longevity of funding initiatives in place to provide financial assistance for travel costs; ♦ Students, parents and teachers do not place enough consideration over transport issues early enough in the decision making process; and ♦ There is scope to develop mobile and out-reaching forms of education delivery, particularly for GCSE level education where the base population is currently increasing.

SUMMARY

6.81 These issues presented so far have informed the overall Somerset Accessibility Strategy and have helped to identify a number of strategic actions that which specific initiatives and localised action plans will aim to support. Table 6.6 summarises our strategic accessibility issues as identified through the mapping exercise, analysis of relevant data sets and consultation with our partners and the public. The table also illustrates the relationship between our key strategic issues and the developed Full Accessibility Strategy. Section 8 provides details of the specific initiatives noted in the table.

Table 6.6 – Relationship between Accessibility Issues and Strategy Initiatives Relationship between Issues and Strategy Issue Strategic Action Plan Strategy Specific Initiatives

• Accessibility Partnership Working

Mainstreaming • Local Area Agreements Planning for the future Accessibility Planning • Corporate Plan

• Local Development Frameworks • Passenger Transport Network Hierarchy (Bus Strategy) Limited services in rural Tackling Rural Isolation areas • Cycling in Rural Areas • Powered Two -Wheelers

• Rights of Way

• Interchange Improvements Strengthening Role of Localised services Market Towns • Cycling in Market Towns

• Passenger Transport

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Relationship between Issues and Strategy Issue Strategic Action Plan Strategy Specific Initiatives

Network Hierarchy (Bus Strategy)

• Information Initiatives Poor information Information Strategy • Ticketing Initiatives

• Improving Walking and Cycling Provision Urban pockets of high Improving Urban deprivation Accessibility • Passenger Transport Network Hierarchy (Bus Strategy)

Tackling Rural Isolation/ • Passenger Transport Strengthening Role of Limited evening services Network Hierarchy (Bus Market Towns/ Improving Strategy) Urban Accessibility

Poorly maintained public Rights of Way • Improving public Rights of Right of Way network Improvement Plan Way lacking connectivity in parts

6.82 Other specific challenges facing the provision of passenger transport and access to services in Somerset include: ♦ Coordination of community and mainstream public transport services – There is a need to improve linkages between the core bus network and community transport to maximise public transport integration and offer greater flexibility to users; ♦ Population growth - The projected growth of Somerset’s population (particularly the 65 years plus age range) will place increasing pressure on the existing passenger transport network; and ♦ Affordability - Pressure to ensure that passenger transport is affordable - particularly for those residents on low incomes living in rural parts who may have to travel long distances to access services.

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7. Prioritisation of Local Accessibility Assessments

INTRODUCTION

7.1 The initial strategic mapping work and review of countywide issues demonstrates that poor accessibility varies significantly between each service sector and across geographical areas. Furthermore issues included both transport and non transport barriers.

7.2 Somerset County Council appreciates that not all of the county’s accessibility problems can be solved all at once and therefore a system of prioritisation is necessary. This section describes the approach taken to prioritise geographical areas and themes for future study and action plan development. This prioritisation is necessary to ensure that the Council along with its partners continue to develop improvements in accessibility at a local level.

OUTCOMES OF LOCAL ACCESSIBILITY MAPPING

7.3 In order to facilitate the process of prioritising issues for more detailed study (Local accessibility assessments), the county was divided into 17 zones based on operational areas currently used by the IPTU. A further three zones were used to represent the urban centres of Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater. Figure 7.1 illustrates the zoning system used in our prioritisation process.

7.4 Localised accessibility mapping has been undertaken from each of the 20 zones to the following destinations for the shown time period: ♦ To (06:30-09:30) and from (16:00-19:00) employment centres; ♦ To General Hospitals (07:00-10:00); ♦ To Community and General Hospitals (07:00-10:00); ♦ To GP’s (07:00-10:00); ♦ To Supermarkets (10:00-13:00) ♦ To (07:00-10:00) and from (15:00-18:00) Post 16 Education; and ♦ To (16:30-18:30) and from (20:30-22:30) Adult Learning Facilities.

99 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 7.1 - Geographical Areas used for analysis of Local Accessibility Mapping

100 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Health and Food

7.5 Analysis of the mapping of access to hospitals, GP’s and supermarkets reveals the following points of interest:

Hospitals ♦ Zones where the proportion of residents who have to travel longer than 60 minutes or have no bus service to their nearest general hospital exceeds 60% include: − West Somerset (Zone 1) − Urban and Rural Bridgwater (Zones 4 and 18), − Highbridge (Zone 10); and − Cheddar and NE Sedgemoor (Zone 11); − Glastonbury and Street (Zone 9); and − South Somerset Central (Zone 16). ♦ 52% (7,639) of those living in the most deprived parts of Zone 1 have to travel longer than 60 minutes or have no bus service at all to their nearest general hospital; ♦ Just under 30% (5,500) of residents living in rural parts of Taunton (Zone 5) have to travel longer than 60 minutes or have no bus service at all to their nearest general hospital; ♦ Accessibility is also poor in the rural hinterlands of Frome (Zone 14) and Shepton Mallet (Zone 13) areas. General Practitioners ♦ 1 in 5 (6,817) residents living in zone 1 (West Somerset) have to travel longer than 30 minutes from their nearest GP or have no bus service at all; ♦ Other zones where there are large numbers of people who have to travel longer than 30 minutes or have no bus service at all to a GP include: − South Somerset Central (Zone 16) (33%) (5,255); − Somerton and Surrounds (Zone 8) (31%) (5,237); − Rural Yeovil (Zone 15) (17%) (3,566); and − Cheddar and NE Sedgemoor (Zone 11)(22%)(3,924) Supermarkets ♦ The following areas also have relatively large proportions of the population with poor access to supermarkets; − South Somerset Central (Zone 16) (74%) (11,998); − South Somerset East (Zone 17) (34%) (4,836); − Somerton and surrounding rural area (Zone 8) (32%) (5,415); − Rural Yeovil (Zone 15) (30%) (6,391); and − Cheddar and NE Sedgemoor (Zone 11) (81%) (14,677) ♦ 26% (8,800) of the population living in Zone 1 (West Somerset) have to travel longer than 30 minutes or have no bus service at all to their nearest supermarket;

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Access to Employment

Access to Employment Centres

7.6 Statistics from the local accessibility mapping show that poor accessibility to employment (total journey time by bus of greater than 1 hour or no service at all) may be an issue in the following locations; ♦ 17% (4,986) of the total population in the extreme west of the county (Zone 1) This proportion increases to around 20% (6,748) during the evening; ♦ 20% (3,875) of the population in the rural surrounds of Taunton (Zone 5). 42% (8,649) of the population in rural Taunton have longer than 60 minutes travel time to return home from their place of work by bus or they have no service at all. ♦ 26% (5,111) of the population in the rural Bridgwater zone(Zone 4) have to travel longer than 60 minutes or have no bus service at all to their place of employment; ♦ Mapping shows that approximately 14% (1,055) of those in the most deprived parts of Highbridge (Zone 10) and its rural hinterlands are at best further than 60 minutes away from an employment centre by bus ♦ Although access to and from employment in Glastonbury and the Polden Hills (Zone 9) is relatively good, around 1 in 10 of those living in the most deprived areas (Zone 9) are further than 1 hour away from an employment centre by bus or have no service at all. ♦ In population terms access to employment is also problematic in areas around Frome and NE Mendip (Zone 14) and Shepton Mallet (Zone 13); ♦ Poor access to employment appears to be a prevalent issue in many of the rural parts of the South Somerset (Zones 15,16, 17 and 20). Zones where there are significant proportions of the population with poor accessibility include: − Central South Somerset (Castle Cary, Zone 16, 31%) (4,284); − Somerton and surrounds (Zone 8, 28%) (3,764); − Ilminster area (Zone 7, 20%) (3,800); − Eastern parts of the district (Zone 17, 21%) (2,712); and − Rural Yeovil (Zone 15, 16%) (3,077). 7.7 Accessibility mapping does not consider the specific skills that job seekers require to undertake specific job positions and therefore more localised work is required to understand this issue. Future accessibility planning work will address more localised patterns of employment accessibility.

Access to Job Centres

7.8 Emerging statistics further illustrating the severity of social exclusion to job centres include: ♦ 25% (7,071) of the population living West Somerset (Zone 1) and Wiveliscombe (Zone 2) (2,507) travel longer than one hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest Job Centre Plus office;

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♦ 34% (6,396) of all residents living in the rural surroundings of Taunton (Zone 5) travel longer than one hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest job centre plus office; ♦ Access to job centre plus is difficult for people living in Shepton Mallet and the surrounding rural areas. 27% (4,080) of the population in Zone 13 have to travel longer than one hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest job centre; ♦ 67% (19,209) of all residents living in the central parts of South Somerset (Zone 8) are further than one hour by bus or have no service at all to a job centre, this compares to 56%(7,099) in eastern parts of the district (Zone 17). Access to Post 16 Education and Adult Learning

7.9 A review of accessibility mapping was undertaken to identify where there were local issues associated with access to mainstream post 16 education and evening learning. The emerging patterns of accessibility are set out as follows

Access to mainstream Post 16 Education ♦ 19% (6,596) of all residents in the extreme western parts West Somerset (Zone 1) are required to travel longer than 60 minutes by bus or have no service at all to their nearest post 16 education provider. ♦ In the adjacent Wiveliscombe zone (Zone 2), the proportion with this level of accessibility increases to 32% (3,613); ♦ 17% (2,797) of those in the most deprived parts of Zone 1 have to travel longer than 60 minutes by bus or no service at all to a mainstream post 16 provider; ♦ 24% (5,044) of rural residents in the rural surrounds of Taunton (Zone 5) have to travel longer than 60 minutes by bus or have no service at all to a mainstream post 16 education provider. This increases to 43% (8,755) for the return journey home from college; ♦ Rural Bridgwater (Zone 4) has the highest population with the poor access to mainstream post 16 education in the Sedgemoor district. Around 27% (5,921) have to travel longer than 60 minutes by bus or have no service at all such services. This increases to 34% (7,444) when using the return journey; ♦ 1 in 5 (20%) (3,572) of all residents in the Cheddar and Sedgemoor (Zone 11) area have to travel more than 60 minutes by bus or have no service at all to post 16 education providers; ♦ 14% (1,055) of those in the most deprived communities of Highbridge area (Zone 10) have to travel longer than 60 minutes by bus or have no service at all to a mainstream post 16 education provider; ♦ 14% of those in the most deprived parts of Glastonbury and Polden Hills (Zone 9) have to travel longer than 60 minutes by bus or have no service at all to a post 16 education provider; ♦ 15% of residents in Shepton Mallet (Zone 13) and its rural hinterlands have poor access to post 16 education. Furthermore in the area in and around Frome and NE Mendip (Zone 14) around 8% have poor accessibility to mainstream post 16 education; and

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♦ 31% (5,076) of residents in the Somerset Central zone (zone 8) have to travel longer than 60 minutes or have no bus service at all to their nearest post 16 college. 7.10 Local area assessments will consider the role of college funded transport and school contracted services in ensuring access to education providers.

Access to Evening Adult Education ♦ Access to and from West Somerset (Zone 1) to evening adult education is poor with more than 1 in 3 (12,263) not being able to access adult learning within 30 minutes by public transport. ♦ Indicators for the journey home after an evening class show that almost all of the population (99%, 11,315) living in the Wiveliscombe zone (Zone 2) is unable to do so in less than 30 minutes. ♦ Access to evening adult education is largely an issue for residents living in the rural areas around Taunton (Zone 5). 60% (12,316) of residents in rural Taunton have to travel for longer than 30 minutes by bus or have no service at all to adult learning, the return journey is also difficult and 76% (15,697) have poor accessibility. ♦ Further zones where a significant proportion of residents travel longer than 60 minutes or have no service at all from home to adult learning providers include: − Rural Bridgwater (Zone 4) (81% with poor access); − Cheddar and NE Sedgemoor (Zone 11)(52%) (17,463); − Highbridge (Zone 10) (27%)(9,454); − Glastonbury and Street (Zone 9)(42%) (12,711); − Frome (Zone 14) (25%) (9,428); − Shepton Mallet (Zone 13) (47%) (8,165); and − Wells and surroundings (Zone 11) (32%) (6,699). ♦ Access to adult learning is also of concern in the peripheral areas of Yeovil, Ilminster, Crewkerne and Castle Cary. 7.11 The accessibility mapping does not take account of the curriculum offered at each provider e.g. poor vocational course provision in Mendip District will mean that some students living close to Frome will have to travel further than 60 minutes by bus if their chosen course is at an alternative college.

7.12 There is a significant decrease in overall accessibility when the assessment of the time period changed to 20:30 – 22:30 for the return journey from adult education providers. Only the main bus corridors between Minehead, Taunton, Bridgwater and Burnham & Highbridge and Yeovil, Street and Wells were accessible within an hour’s journey time by bus.

THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND THEMATIC PRIORITIES

7.13 The latter part of this section sets out the process used to establish a programme of local accessibility assessments and action plans to be undertaken over the next five years.

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Methodology

7.14 The programme of Local accessibility assessments set out at the end of this section and included in LTP2 was determined using information from a range of key sources and processes discussed in previous sections including: ♦ Local and national demographic data; ♦ Analysis of Accession outputs and links with local deprivation indices; and ♦ A review of community/accessible transport schemes in the county. 7.15 These factors were used to calculate a total score for accessibility in each of the 20 zones.

The accessibility score for each zone was calculated using the following formula:

Total Accessibility Score = Public Transport Score – Community Transport Score + IMD Score

Notes

A high ‘total accessibility score’ indicates a geographical zone of poor accessibility and is therefore a high priority for future accessibility planning work. A high ‘passenger transport score’ reflects poor public transport coverage, whilst a low score reflects relatively good public transport coverage;

A high ‘community transport score’ indicates a high level of community/voluntary/Demand Responsive transport coverage in the zone, whilst a low score indicates a lower level of community/voluntary/ demand responsive transport coverage; A score of 100 is allocated to zones containing pockets of poor accessibility and high multiple deprivation (IMD 2004), whilst 50 is allocated for zones where there is no deprived population but poor accessibility within the zone.

7.16 Once quantitative accessibility scores had been calculated, other factors were considered, they included the effects of: ♦ Results and outcomes from previous studies conducted within each service sector; and ♦ Stakeholder input and feedback. 7.17 In addition we also considered future programmed schemes to allow a joined up approach to future spending and prioritisation.

The Public Transport Score

7.18 In order to make reasonable comparisons between the relative levels of access to each of the key services by public transport, a weighted scoring system was used. Accession calculates journey times and the total population living within 0-30 minutes, 31-60 minutes, 61-120 minutes, 121-180 minutes of key services by bus (excludes community/voluntary/DRT transport), from each of the 20 zones. The accession runs were undertaken as follows:

105 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

♦ To (06:30-09:30) and from (16:00-19:00) employment centres; ♦ To General Hospitals (07:00-10:00); ♦ To Community and General Hospitals (07:00-10:00); ♦ To GP’s (07:00-10:00); ♦ To Supermarkets (10:00-13:00); ♦ To (07:00-10:00) and from (15:00-18:00) Post 16 Education; and ♦ To (16:30-18:30) and from (20:30-22:30) Evening Adult Learning Facilities. 7.19 This score was then re-based to produce a weighted public transport accessibility score from one to a hundred.

The Community Transport Score

7.20 The role of the ‘community transport score’ is take account of the role that local community/voluntary/DRT transport schemes have on delivering accessibility to key services, particularly in areas not served by the core bus network. The community transport score was based upon the following criteria: ♦ Geographical Coverage of local CT and accessible transport schemes within each zone; ♦ Flexibility of the booking systems; ♦ Accessibility of vehicles; ♦ User eligibility; and ♦ Time of day service coverage. 7.21 This adjustment is necessary to raise the future level of priority applied to tackling accessibility issues in zones that are poorly served by the core bus and the community/voluntary and DRT services.

The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Score

7.22 Furthermore, the total score also aims to reflect our commitment to tackling accessibility issues in zones containing pockets of urban or rural deprivation. A score of 100 was added to zones where there were pockets of the zone’s most deprived population with poor access to services, whilst 50 was added where there was no known deprived areas with poor accessibility.

7.23 Figure 7.2 shows the total accessibility scores for the 20% least accessible services and the origin zones from where residents have poor access to these services. A high score describes poor accessibility, whilst a low score reflects greater overall levels of accessibility.

106 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Figure 7.2 – 20% Least Accessible Services by Zone

Red Shading = High Priority, Amber Shading = Medium Priority, Yellow Shading = Low Priority

7.24 These listed priorities will be subjected to more detailed study in the form of Local accessibility assessments which will subsequently require a partnership approach to develop action plans that will deliver the improvements in accessibility to key services.

LOCAL ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENTS

7.25 A programme of 13 local accessibility assessments has been derived as shown in Figure 7.3. This work programme reflects the priorities and key issues listed in Figure 7.2 as well as considering factors identified in previous stakeholder studies, stakeholder consultations and future spend programmes.

7.26 Each local accessibility assessment will involve undertaking more detailed research into barriers to accessibility through further partnership working and more detailed mapping to establish a number of specific actions plans which will be developed, implemented and monitored over the course of the next five years and longer term into LTP3.

7.26.1 It is important to note that the plan is flexible and may change during the course of the LTP period. Furthermore this programme only outlines work involving improving accessibility, thus work in other areas of the Council such as improved lighting, highway improvements and maintenance of pavements will continue across the county in line with other programmes of work.

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Figure 7.3 – Five Year Programme of Local accessibility assessments

Five Year Programme 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Local Accessibility Assessment Action Plan 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 6 7 8 9 0 / / / / / / 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 7 8 9 0 1

Access to key services in Bridgwater and rural surrounds Access to Hospital in Burnham Access to Hospital for residents of rural West Somerset Access to Education and Skills in Frome and its rural surrounds Access to Post 16 Education and Employment in rural West Somerset Access to Post 16 Education and Adult Learning in South Somerset A three Market town study – access to services in rural Chard, Ilminster and Crewkerne Access to Employment in rural hinterlands of Yeovil Access to Adult Learning in Central Mendip Access to Hospitals in Mendip Market Towns and their rural surrounds Improving access to Work and College for residents in rural Taunton Improving access to Hospitals for residents of rural Taunton Access to Hospitals in NE Sedgemoor and West Mendip Information action plan Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning action plan 7.27 These studies will help Somerset County Council and its partners to address the strategic accessibility issues as listed as follows: ♦ A need for improved future planning; ♦ Tackling rural Isolation; ♦ A need for localised service provision; ♦ A need for improved service information; ♦ Tackling pockets of urban deprivation; and ♦ Improving out of hours passenger transport services in Somerset. 7.28 Local accessibility assessments will be undertaken using the four key stages as defined in DfT guidance: Stage 1: Issue Identification; Stage 2: Partnership building; Stage 3: Option Development and Appraisal; Stage 4: Action Plan development, implementation and evaluation. 7.29 These geographical and thematic priorities have been presented as part of the draft Accessibility Strategy to key partners through communications via the Accessibility Planning Working Group, Transport for Somerset Strategic Group, Learning and Skills Council Working Group and the College Transport Working Group as well as the wider LTP2 stakeholders.

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7.30 The following descriptions briefly set out the scope of the proposed Local accessibility assessments. Each local accessibility assessment will also seek to bring partners together to review the issues identified as part of the strategic accessibility assessment and build a detailed understanding of accessibility issues in the area. Descriptions of the Information, Ticketing and Mainstreaming action plans are given in Section 8. These action plans will also be developed as part of each local accessibility assessment.

SUMMARY OF EACH PROPOSED LOCAL ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENT

Access to Key Services in Bridgwater and its Rural Surrounds (2005/06)

Strategic Accessibility Priorities to be Thematic Addressed in Local Accessibility Study Priority ( F Planning fo a S L L P D P T L A a A E A M o i i n r u r c c o o c m e e m m e a c d a c t c c c o r p u a p n v i a i e

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7.31 Accessibility mapping shows that transport provision is less likely to be a barrier to accessing key services in Bridgwater than in it’s surrounding rural areas which are less well served by mainstream transport services.

7.32 Poor access to hospitals, post 16 education and evening classes were identified from accessibility mapping as issues particularly affecting the rural surrounds of Bridgwater. In addition, long bus journey times to hospitals in Taunton and Weston- super-Mare are likely to be a further issue, even for those living in the urban parts of Bridgwater. These issues were also supported by the local stakeholders.

7.33 We will work with local providers of employment, education, healthcare and other key service providers to better understand the local accessibility issues facing residents living in both Bridgwater and its surrounding rural villages.

7.34 In addition to the strategic priorities identified in the table above, this study and its subsequent action plan will investigate and seek to develop opportunities to: ♦ Improve access to health, education and employment opportunities in the most excluded areas of Bridgwater and its rurality; ♦ Provide an attractive and affordable passenger transport alternative for those who individuals or groups without access to their own car; ♦ Reduce benefit dependency in the Bridgwater area by working to improve access by passenger transport, cycling and walking modes to locations of education and employment; and ♦ Increase the presence of Bridgwater as a key provider of employment, education, leisure, health and food services within the region.

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7.35 Further details of the Bridgwater Action Plan are contained in Appendix B.

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Access to Health from Burnham (2006/07)

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7.36 Inspection of accessibility mapping statistics show that long journey times from Burnham to hospital facilities located in Weston-super-Mare and Taunton may be a barrier to accessing healthcare for residents living in this area. Poor levels of access also coincide with urban pockets of multiple deprivation, areas of high educational need and low car ownership.

7.37 Through this accessibility study, Somerset County Council will work with partners in the health and where appropriate the education sector to develop an action plan to help remove the barriers to accessing healthcare and promote a healthier lifestyle. Local bus operators and demand responsive transport providers may also have a role to play in addressing such accessibility issues.

7.38 The study will more specifically help to address the some of following local needs: ♦ To provide a fast and direct as possible passenger transport services from Burnham to hospitals in Taunton and Weston-super-Mare that serves the needs of the local population; ♦ To ensure that factors such as cost and journey times are not barriers to accessing local hospitals; ♦ To ensure access to other opportunities and services that promote healthier lifestyles such as leisure and sports activities, open spaces, healthy food, and local surgeries. ♦ To ensure that GP’s and other local health care providers consider the patient’s and their carers transport needs when making referrals to local Hospitals; and ♦ To ensure that appropriate transport infrastructure (passenger transport, cycling and walking) is in place for vulnerable users including the unemployed, low income families, no car households and elderly.

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Access to Health from Rural West Somerset (2006/07)

Strategic Accessibility Priorities to be Thematic addressed in the Local Accessibility Study Priority ( F Planning fo a S L L P D P T L A a A E A M o i i n r u r c c o o c m e e m m e a c d a c t c c c o r p u a p n v i a i e

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7.39 Accessibility mapping and the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2004 show that exclusion from many services is of significant concern in most rural areas of West Somerset. The district as a whole is characterised by a large elderly population who are particularly vulnerable to exclusion from the key services.

7.40 Although we aim to gain a better understanding of issues affecting access to all services, this local accessibility study will focus upon tackling health inequality issues identified in the HSNAG findings and more general deprivation issues identified in the IMD. Large areas of rural West Somerset are not served by the core bus and therefore journey times are either long or there is no bus service at all. Demand Responsive Transport and community/voluntary transport schemes are crucial in this area for providing passenger transport for those without access to the core bus network or a car.

7.41 By working with local PCT’s, NHS Trusts, local passenger transport operators and other relevant stakeholders, we will identify opportunities and seek solutions that help deliver the following: ♦ A greater role, where appropriate, for community hospitals in Minehead and Williton has in delivering hospital care; ♦ Facilitate improve access to general hospitals from the deep rural areas; ♦ Integrate solutions that where possible deliver improved access to other key services such as post 16 education, employment and leisure activities; ♦ Access to other opportunities and services that promote healthier lifestyles such as leisure and sports activities, open spaces, healthy food, and greater use of cycling and walking; and ♦ Develop solutions that help to deliver healthcare locally such as district nurses.

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Access to Education and Skills in Frome and its Rural Surrounds (2007/08)

Strategic Accessibility Priorities to be Thematic addressed in the Local accessibility Priority assessments ( F Planning fo a S L L P D P T L A a A E A M o i i n r u r c c o o c m e e m m e a c d a c t c c c o r p u a p n v i a i e

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7.42 Accessibility mapping identified access to evening adult education as a priority, however analysis of wider socio-demographic information would suggest that this issue possible extends to daytime post 16 education provision. The Travel to Learn study commissioned by the LSC identified a number of access to education issues. These included a restricted vocational curriculum for prospective work based learning students in Mendip and journey to school difficulties for students living in rural settlements surrounding Frome.

7.43 Accessibility mapping further shows that rural areas outside of Frome are potentially excluded from the bus network late in the evening. This local area study will focus on working with local education providers in Frome and in bordering counties to help enhance educational opportunities in the area. The study will aim to provide a base on which to seek opportunities to tackle the following issues and objectives: ♦ Encourage more innovative delivery of educational services and transport to increase the level of access to education and training in the rural areas areas surrounding Frome; ♦ Encourage colleges to promote sustainable transport usage where possible to offer students the opportunity to access educational sites by bicycle, moped or on foot; ♦ Seek initiatives that broaden vocational opportunities e.g. greater cross border working; ♦ Reduce the number of young people with low standards of educational achievement and improve employment opportunities for people living in deprived parts of Frome; and ♦ Seek to form local partnerships between colleges and employers to promote uptake of educational opportunities.

113 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Post 16 Education and Employment in Rural West Somerset (2007/08)

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7.44 Access to employment and training is key to ensuring that West Somerset remains competitive in the local and regional economies. The district is characterised by dispersed settlement patterns and therefore its population is particularly vulnerable to exclusion from educational and employment opportunities.

7.45 Accessibility mapping and partnership feedback has identified that long journey times and lack of bus suitable bus services is a significant barrier to accessing education and employment opportunities in Minehead, Taunton or Bridgwater. Conclusions from the LSC Travel to Learn Study also demonstrated that access to post 16 education is a specific problem facing communities settlements such as Dulverton, Washford, Carhampton and suburban Minehead. In addition socio-demographic data illustrates strong correlations between pockets of multiple deprivation, low car ownership and low educational achievement and poor access to employment and education.

7.46 This accessibility study will aim to bring education and employment providers together to build a detailed understanding accessibility issues in the area. The study will help to address the following local issues: ♦ A need to cater for the education and employment needs of individuals and communities living in the most remote parts of rural West Somerset; ♦ A need to ensure that transport infrastructure is not a barrier to economic growth in West Somerset by ensuring local people can access jobs and training opportunities both within and outside the district. ♦ Tackle social exclusion by developing solutions to accessibility problems that recognise the important relationships that exist between local pockets of deprivation and access to education and employment; ♦ Develop innovative transport solutions where mainstream passenger transport services do not offer value for money e.g. Moped Loan Schemes, SLINKY bus services; ♦ Encourage local colleges and employers to take responsibility for accessibility problems e.g. travel plan development, funding of transport initiatives etc.

114 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Education and Skills in South Somerset (2007/08)

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7.47 Accessibility mapping illustrates that large areas of South Somerset have poor levels of access to local education providers. As with most rural locations, many settlements in South Somerset suffer from poor mainstream public transport services in terms of coverage and frequency. Despite some local colleges partially supporting or fully funding college transport for their students, the transport provided doesn’t always accommodate the needs of the student. The LSC Travel to Learn study revealed a number of issues facing students attending college in South Somerset district:

♦ Inconvenient and lack of flexible public transport between rural villages around Chard, Yeovil and Crewkerne; ♦ Inflexible transport from Ilminster to Yeovil College college despite the college providing a student bus; and ♦ Long journey times from eastern parts (Bruton, Wincanton and Cary) of the district to Yeovil College. 7.48 As has taken place in Taunton, Wellington and Sedgemoor the introduction of the new SLINKY service in the east of the district should play an important role in tackling the latter issue identified above. This study will predominantly involve working with local post 16 education providers to develop solutions that are flexible to the needs of the young people in South Somerset. The outcomes of this study will have a role in developing an action plan for tackling accessibility between the towns of Chard, Illminster and Crewkerne.

115 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Three Market Towns Study – Access to Services in Rural Chard, Ilminster and Crewkerne (2008/09)

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7.49 Accessibility mapping shows that although access to the key services within Chard, Ilminster and Crewkerne was relatively good, the suburban and rural areas surrounding these towns are less well served by the core bus network. Furthermore these towns have been identified as market towns in decline and pockets of urban deprivation and low car ownership exist within Chard. Access to post 16 education was also identified as an issue in the Travel to Learn study from rural villages in the vicinity of these market towns.

7.50 This study will seek to address a number of local issues by: ♦ Assisting in stemming the decline of market towns in South Somerset by improving access to the key services that they offer; ♦ Facilitate the regeneration of the Market Towns using accessibility planning to attract new investment. ♦ Facilitating access to key services such as Health, post 16 education and employment for people without access to a car and living in deprived areas; ♦ Assisting in tackling child health deprivation issues in Chard; ♦ Improving links to the core interurban bus network by introducing more innovative transport solutions such as DRT; ♦ Engaging local employers to take responsibility for tackling access to employment issues; and ♦ Encouraging the use of sustainable transport modes such as walking, cycling and powered two wheelers as well as sustainable delivery of the services where opportunities to do so exist. 7.51 We will continue working with local partners such as Job Centre Plus, Learning and Skills Council and the PCT to identify and develop solutions to tackle such issues. By undertaking this study across these three towns simultaneously, opportunities may arise to develop solutions that provide mutual benefits to each of the towns and minimise the potential for conflicts of interests. Such an approach will also enhance economies of scale and increase cost efficiencies.

116 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Employment in Yeovil’s Rural Hinterland (2008/09)

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7.52 The economic success of Yeovil is dependent upon people from surrounding towns and villages being able to access the key services that it provides.

7.53 As previously established there is a close relationship between access to education, access to employment and subsequently quality of life and therefore it is crucial that transport provision does not act as a barrier to accessing these opportunities. This accessibility study will focus on achieving the following objectives: ♦ To ensure affordable and convenient bus transport is in place between rural areas (particularly those away from the core interurban network) and Yeovil to access employment, education and training opportunities; ♦ Seek to reduce numbers in receipt of incapacity benefit by ensuring people have opportunities to access re-training ♦ To encourage employers and education providers to take responsibility for accessibility issues facing students and employees, and achieve this where possible by joint working and encouraging sustainable travel including the use of walking, cycling and powered two wheelers; ♦ Provide access from less affluent urban areas to employment opportunities in peripheral areas of Yeovil; ♦ Strengthen the role of Yeovil as a centre for key employment and education services; and ♦ To investigate opportunities for flexible learning e.g. distance learning, evening classes. 7.54 This accessibility study will be undertaken with key local employers and education providers. The development of company and college travel plans may be an important tool in achieving better access to these services particularly where opportunities for promoting cycling and walking exist.

117 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Adult Learning in Rural Mendip (2009/10)

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7.55 Access to evening classes was identified as a particular issue in the Mendip district, and more specifically a concern in Glastonbury, Frome and Shepton Mallet. This priority is further supported by an ongoing need to tackle employment problems in Mendip’s declining market towns. The local accessibility study and subsequent action plan will help to achieve the following local objectives: ♦ Enhance opportunities for individuals to seek re-training and enhance their career horizons; ♦ To reduce the number of long term unemployed in Mendip district (currently the highest in Somerset); ♦ To encourage local colleges and training providers to develop more innovative methods of delivering courses in rural areas; ♦ Enhance the role that evening courses can provide a form of social activity as well as education for adults of all ages; ♦ Reduce the barriers to adult learning caused by poor transport provision; and ♦ Provide a location and target population for disseminating information about accessing other key services and opportunities such as. Hospitals, daytime education courses, healthy eating. 7.56 A holistic and district wide approach to this issue has been chosen in order to promote localisation of services and joint working between colleges, training providers and where relevant employers. There are likely to be opportunities to implement this study alongside the access to hospitals study in rural Mendip.

118 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Hospitals from Mendip Market Towns and their Rural Hinterlands (2009/10)

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7.57 Accessibility mapping demonstrates that significant areas of rural Mendip are vulnerable to exclusion from general hospital facilities due to either a lack of bus services or long journey times. Poor access to health is not just an issue facing rural areas but also affects key towns such as Wells, Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Street as is identified in IMD 2004 and HSNAG data. Although many minor surgeries are available in local community hospitals, many people will still need to have access to the major hospital facilities located in Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil, Bath and Taunton.

7.58 This study will focus on improving access to the county’s major hospitals through partnership working with local PCT’s, NHS trusts and passenger transport operators in the area and look at how access can be improved through enhanced transport services or more localised provision of medical services. Whilst considering the issues highlighted in the table above, the local accessibility study will aim to: ♦ Ensure those communities and individuals vulnerable to exclusion have access to the major hospital sites; ♦ Facilitated transport arrangements for the carer as well as the patient to major hospital sites; ♦ Reduce the severity of health inequalities in the major towns of Frome, Shepton Mallet, Street and Glastonbury as suggested in IMD2004 and HSNAG data; ♦ Help reduce the number of missed hospital appointments within the Mendip PCT by facilitating transport access; ♦ Improving health by seeking to reduce exclusion from work and education opportunities in the most deprived areas of the Mendip towns and their hinterlands; and ♦ Consider the wider access to health issues such access to healthy food and physical exercise opportunities.

119 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Improving Access to Work and College for Residents of Rural Taunton (2009/10)

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7.59 Despite Taunton being a key provider of services in the county, there are still communities and geographical areas that are vulnerable to exclusion from key services and opportunities. Analysis of data from the accessibility mapping showed that access to adult evening education and employment are all issues in the rural/peripheral areas of Taunton. From a rural transport perspective this exclusion is likely to be a result of individuals or groups of people not living within walking distance of a bus stop or in some cases a result of long journey times caused by the need to interchange e.g. cross town journeys.

7.60 Given the diversity of accessibility issues existing locally, the Council has decided to focus first on access to employment and post 16 education, given that these are arguably the most influential variables affecting quality of life and economic prosperity. This will be followed up by a more detailed study into local access to hospitals and health opportunities. In addition to the strategic priorities identified above the study is likely to focus on issues such as: ♦ Facilitating journeys made by bus, cycle and walking to sites of employment, employment advice, education and training; ♦ Ensure that the quality of local transport infrastructure is not a barrier to entering further education (daytime and evening) or employment opportunities; ♦ Try to combine rural transport/service delivery solutions that also tackle issues of urban deprivation; ♦ Strengthen the role of Taunton and as a Principal Urban Area within the South West; ♦ Engage local employers and colleges to take responsibility for accessibility issues affecting their employees and students; and ♦ Develop solutions that help to form the concept of a seamless journey.

120 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Improving Access to Hospitals for Residents of Rural Taunton (2010/11)

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7.61 Accessibility mapping shows that almost 30% of residents living in the rural hinterlands of Taunton have to travel greater than one hour or have no bus service at all to their nearest hospital. This poor level of accessibility may partially be a result of people not being able to access the public transport network or the requirement to interchange making journey’s to the hospital less easy to make.

7.62 Although the availability of transport is likely to be one factor affecting access to health, data from Health and Social Needs Analysis 2004 and Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) suggest that there may be wider causes of health deprivation including lack of health awareness, inability to access healthy food and leisure centres and open spaces which also has general implications on peoples health.

7.63 Although the priority will lie towards facilitating rural access to Taunton Musgrove Hospital, the Council alongside its partners in the Health sector such as the Taunton Deane PCT, NHS trusts and promoters of healthy living are likely to focus on addressing the following issues: ♦ To ensure that long journey times and poor availability/quality of transport is not a barrier to accessing Taunton Musgrove and other hospital facilities; ♦ To ensure that transport requirements are considered when GP’s refer patients to hospital specialists; ♦ To promote ‘healthier lifestyle’ through promoting exercise, healthy eating, and use of walking and cycling transport; ♦ Help reduce missed appointments at Taunton Musgrove Hospital; ♦ Tackle the needs of rural residents whilst also seeking to achieve additional benefits in terms of reducing health inequalities in urban parts of Taunton; and ♦ To use alternative transport modes such as non-emergency patient transport, voluntary transport and demand responsive transport modes (SLINKY and Taxibus) to serve the needs of residents outside of the core bus network.

121 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Access to Health from NE Sedgemoor and West Mendip (2010/11)

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7.64 Access to hospitals was identified as a priority in the rural areas in the north of the county from accessibility mapping. The rural areas between Cheddar and Wells experience long journey times to hospital facilities despite there being local hospitals being located in Weston-super-Mare, Bath, Wells and Shepton Malllet. The introduction of a SLINKY service in September 2005, will help to alleviate some of the access to hospital issues in this area, but the Council will remain committed to investigating the wider issues affecting access to health such as: ♦ Ensuring that journey times and cost are not a barrier to accessing health care and hospitals in the study area; ♦ The need to cater for the above average elderly population living in this part of the county; ♦ Improve transport connections between the study area and the rest of Somerset whilst facilitating access to health facilities outside of the county; and ♦ Investigate opportunities to improve access to healthy food. 7.65 This study will specifically involve working with the major hospital facilities at Weston- super-Mare Hospital, Taunton Musgrove Hospital and Bath Royal Hospital and therefore reinforces the need for cross border working with adjacent local authorities. Close working with PCT’s and other health sector stakeholders will also be required to develop local solutions to access to health issues.

REVIEWING THE PRIORITIES

7.66 The Council acknowledges that this list of priorities represents only a snap shot of the current situation in the county. These priorities will be reviewed throughout the period of LTP2 as new research and data becomes available through undertaking bespoke studies with partners and the local accessibility assessments themselves.

122 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 8. The Strategy

INTRODUCTION 8.1 Delivering accessibility planning throughout Somerset requires a number of different initiatives and strategic action plans, collectively working together to improve our residents access to key services. These initiatives are outlined in the section that follows and are categorised according to the following strategy priorities:

♦ Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning; ♦ Tackling Rural Isolation; ♦ Improving Public Rights of Way; ♦ Strengthening the Role of Market Towns; ♦ Improving Urban Accessibility; and ♦ Information Strategy. 8.2 Figure 8.1 illustrates where specific improvements will be made over the next five years in improving accessibility through strengthening our core passenger transport network within the county. 8.3 This will be complemented by information, ticketing and fare initiatives and, crucially, a variety of 'non-transport' initiatives from our partner organisations to improve customer access to their services. Actions from our partners to improve accessibility will emerge in detail as the next stage of local accessibility assessments and accessibility action plans are developed for the priority areas we have identified.

MAINSTREAMING ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING

Corporate Responsibility

Overview

8.4 In addition we intend to use the process of accessibility planning as an opportunity to further develop our relationship with public and private organisations in bordering counties. These partnerships will ensure that joint responsibility is taken for those communities along the county boundaries and enable these residents to access key services in the locations that are most convenient. 8.5 Working with our partner local authorities will also help all parties appreciate localities where cross border travel to services is prevalent and accessibility issues may exist.

8.6 Improving accessibility is critical to the Council's corporate delivery of services, thus the Accessibility Strategy is embedded within Council activities and will be delivered through effective partnerships. The following section describes where and how accessibility planning is mainstreamed within the roles and responsibilities of the Council and how our partnerships are integrated throughout this process.

123 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Figure 8.1 - Summary of Core Passenger Transport Improvements that will Enhance Urban and Rural Accessibility

124 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 8.7 Somerset County Council has a responsibility for improving accessibility to essential services for individuals through: ♦ Implementing specific accessibility related initiatives; ♦ Mainstreaming and integrating accessibility considerations into wider policies and strategies; ♦ Mainstreaming and integrating accessibility considerations into corporate service delivery; and ♦ Influencing the decision-making and delivery of services from external agencies. 8.8 More specifically accessibility planning will ensure that accessibility is fully embedded when undertaking future development planning, service delivery and management of the transport network in the county and adjacent authorities. Furthermore accessibility planning can contribute towards achieving some of the Council’s corporate objectives including: ♦ Equity and Appraisal – assist in the appraisal of new initiatives, such as transport schemes and new education, employment or health facilities. Furthermore assessments on the distributional impacts of schemes, policy and public expenditure can be undertaken at various geographical scales; ♦ Land Use/Spatial planning – aid in the delivery of Planning Policy Guidance 13 embedded within RPG10 and sustainable and fully accessible developments; and ♦ Best Value and Service Delivery Excellence – aid in corporate and external agency delivery of services to our customers through cross sectional and joint working. Accessibility planning will enable assessments of the contribution initiatives are making towards improving access to essential services such as health, education and employment. 8.9 Somerset County Council has identified that access to customer services is a key area for improvement in the county if it is to become an excellent authority.

125 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Supporting Other Corporate Activities 8.10 Accessibility planning will make an important contribution to our corporate activities. A summary of these activities are as follows:

♦ Our Local Area Agreement; ♦ Corporate Plan; ♦ Integrated Passenger Transport Unit; ♦ Land Use Planning/Local Development Frameworks; ♦ Customer Access Strategy; ♦ Corporate Property Review; ♦ Community Safety Strategy; ♦ Rural Mentoring; and ♦ Equality of Opportunity. Somerset Local Area Agreement (LAA)

8.11 Local Area Agreements (LAAs) represent a fundamental change in the relationship between local, regional and central government. The aims of LAAs are four fold: ♦ Improve the delivery of local services; ♦ Improve the efficiency of local services; ♦ Enhance local leadership; and ♦ Establish challenging through effective partnerships. 8.12 An LAA is a three year agreement setting out the priorities of local authority area, encompassing both the districts and county as a whole. The agreement will be developed and endorsed by the Local Strategic Partnerships and GOSW. In short the LAA will consist of outcomes, indicators and targets aimed at delivering a better quality of life for local people through performance on specific, agreed local priorities. The LAA is being developed through four key groups (blocks): ♦ Children and Young People ♦ Safer and Stronger Communities ♦ Healthier Communities and Older People; and ♦ Economic Development and Enterprise. 8.13 Transport has been identified as a cross cutting theme that has a role to play in tackling issues within all of the aforementioned blocks. More specifically accessibility planning will undoubtedly have an important role in improving outcomes for children and young people, health and elderly people and safer stronger communities. Figure 8.2 illustrates the relationship that transport has within the LAA structure.

126 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Figure 8.2 - Transport and the LAA Structure

8.14 To date the LAA working group has already developed a short list of LAA objectives based around each of the 4 theme blocks. Table 8.1 illustrates the emerging LAA priorities that accessibility planning will have a role in addressing.

Table 8.1 - Links Between Accessibility Planning and the LAA Priorities LAA Theme & Objective Transport Objective/ Activity Children & Young People Increase the proportion of children taking • Emotional and physical health part in physical exercise – increase walking • Aspirations and Life chances and cycling Safer Communities Improve road and vehicle safety • Reduce crime and reassure the public, reducing fear of crime and anti-social behaviour; • Improving quality of life for people in most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and ensure service providers are more responsive to neighbourhood needs and improve their delivery Access to services Older People • Improving access to preventative and well-being services; • Increasing older peoples inclusion and participation Increase the proportion of adults and Stronger and Healthier Communities children taking part in physical exercise – • Healthier lifestyles increase walking and cycling • Reducing health inequalities • Maximising the potential for delivering better public health through partnership

Economic Development & Enterprise Access to post-16 education, skills training • Improving skills and removing barriers to employment and employment • Competitiveness of Somerset as a business location Economic Development & Enterprise Improve ease of use of rights of way • Improved rural infrastructure Use of voluntary and community transport Stronger Communities services • Strengthen the role of the voluntary and community sector

127 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Integrated Passenger Transport Unit (IPTU)

8.15 The aims of accessibility planning clearly complement the priorities of IPTU in terms of improving the passenger transport system in Somerset.

8.16 The process of accessibility planning will assist IPTU in directing funding into transport improvements that result in delivering the greatest benefits to the residents of Somerset, whilst simultaneously offering the best value for money. The accessibility strategy will help inform IPTU of key delivery issues to be addressed, and in prioritising specific geographic areas most in need of passenger transport improvements.

Accessibility Planning and Local Development Frameworks

8.17 Each District Council in Somerset has prepared a district wide Local Plan. Each Local Plan applies the policies of the county Structure Plan locally, and contains detailed policies for employment, housing, environment and green space. In the future, as part of the recently reformed planning system, these local plans will be superseded by Local Development Frameworks (LDF’s) produced by each local district council and are linked to the policy framework of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.

8.18 The LDF’s will have a shorter horizon for implementation and are in part to ensure that the planning system is responsive at the local level to the economy’s land use needs. It is envisaged that the accessibility planning and the Local Development Framework development processes will compliment each other in terms of identifying local accessibility issues and developing solutions to resolve them. Data sharing will also help to increase resource efficiencies by ensuring that data collection efforts are not duplicated.

8.19 Accessibility planning will help to inform LDF development in each of the Somerset Districts. The council has already undertaken work with Taunton Deane district planning officers to assess town centre accessibility walking levels and have consulted on accessibility planning processes with the other remaining districts.

Accessibility Planning Partnerships 8.20 Effective partnerships underpin accessibility planning and we acknowledge that an integrated approach with a wide variety of agencies, authorities and organisations is crucial in making a real difference to people’s accessibility within Somerset.

8.21 A significant amount of different partnership working is ongoing, both corporately and with neighbouring authorities and external organisations and service delivery agencies. These partnerships have built upon existing joint ventures and working groups developed through other processes, including the Somerset Strategic Partnership (SSP) and district Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). More recently the development of our Local Area Agreement (LAA) will help deliver our Accessibility Strategy.

8.22 The development of the Accessibility Strategy has involved presenting to potential transport and non transport partners the processes of accessibility planning and how they can benefit from such cross-sector working. The various theme workshops and one to one meetings has also provided partners with the opportunity to advise on their issues relating to accessibility.

128 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 The workshops were well received and a number of organisations are keen to work with the Council on this long term commitment.

8.23 We are committed to host more theme based workshops to help undertake our local accessibility assessments and deliver the action plans. More local level partnership working is currently taking place related to specific action plans (Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning) on non-emergency health transport in Taunton and Yeovil and with our Child and Adult Services departments.

The Accessibility Planning Project Group 8.24 This was established in January 2005 to help deliver an integrated and structured approach to accessibility planning in Somerset. Led by the Transport Policy Team, the project group meets monthly to bring together the County Council’s corporate managers from the following fields:

♦ Planning and Transport Policy; ♦ Integrated Passenger Transport Unit (IPTU); ♦ Community Services; ♦ Children and Young People Services; ♦ Adult Services; ♦ Property Services; and ♦ Rural Services. Transport for Somerset:

8.25 This is a new body recently set up by the Council to encourage better partnership working and sharing of information between transport and non- transport sectors with respect to transport provision and accessibility across the county. The group is headed by a ‘strategic’ group whose role is to consider funding proposals and projects arising from the subgroups (Health, Education, Youth and Community Research). 8.26 Transport for Somerset is jointly sponsored by the Council, District authorities and JobCentre Plus. This body will provide us with opportunities to take initial accessibility action plans and help advise on prioritisation.

TACKLING RURAL EXCLUSION

Our Bus Strategy - Network Hierarchy of Passenger Transport Provision 8.27 The Council is committed to concentrating financial support on the operation of a core bus network, enabling operators to also increase investment in these quality corridors, in turn leading to increased patronage and commercially viable routes. The more rural areas will be served by our demand responsive 'SLINKY' services and supported by voluntary/ community transport. Figure 8.3 illustrates where these new SLINKY services are likely to be introduced in the coming LTP period.

129 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Figure 8.3 - Summary of Existing and Proposed SLINKY Routes

130 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 8.28 This focusing of local authority support at different levels of service provision is known as a ‘Network Hierarchy’ and is based on the following different types of service:

♦ Rural: SLINKY/taxi bus/community/voluntary services linking deep rural areas and villages with the sub-county bus network; ♦ Sub-County: Quality Bus Partnerships serving routes between town centres such as Frome, Wells and Wincanton; and ♦ County: ‘’Fastlink’ Quality Bus Partnerships serving main town centres – Taunton and Yeovil. 8.29 The ‘Network Hierarchy’ will be delivered through a partnership consisting of bus operators, IPTU, community/voluntary transport providers and taxi operators. This section focuses on the rural tier of the hierarchy which is primarily aimed at tackling accessibility problems. The sub-county and county services will improve accessibility, but will also have a major role in tackling congestion in the main urban areas which are typically destinations for the target users of these services. 8.30 Our rural areas fall outside the established core bus network and represent villages of all sizes scattered throughout the county. These villages are currently served by a number of different services including fixed route community bus services, SLINKY services and voluntary car schemes as outlined below.

Community Vehicles Schemes

8.31 These schemes aim to provide regular, scheduled local bus services planned in response to local needs on a non-profit making basis. The schemes operate as either Section 22 services for vehicles allowing the general public to be carried or Section 19 service for vehicles being used by particular community, educational, religious or recreational groups. 8.32 These services will continue to play an important part in providing passenger transport for rural communities and have proved to be an invaluable asset to the more remote and isolated communities, where conventional bus services cannot meet passengers’ needs in a cost effective manner.

8.33 The processes involved in undertaking local areas assessments and developing Action Plans will examine the potential to introduce additional community bus schemes in response to community needs.

Voluntary Car Schemes:

8.34 A number of voluntary car schemes operate throughout the County and make a significant contribution to the movement of, in particular, the disabled and the frail and elderly. 8.35 We proposes making better use of the existing community transport organisations’ services and vehicles and are keen to ‘open up’ these services to all users, young and old, to improve the social inclusion of all residents in the more remote villages of the County.

131 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 SLINKY Services 8.36 Furthermore the Council will continue to support demand responsive bus services and has recently implemented three SLINKY’s in Cheddar, Taunton/Wellington and Wincanton (September 2005) which have been well received as they provide access to all kinds of services at times when conventional bus services cease to exist. The Council has identified a further 3 areas for SLINKY development over the next five years in areas identified as most needed, through the accessibility planning process. The accessibility planning process will be used to further identify opportunities to introduce SLINKY services.

8.37 These rural services provide a link to the sub-county bus network through key interchanges within our larger villages and market towns. To help provide passengers with a ‘seamless’ journey the quality of the interchange/waiting facilities and passenger information needs to be of a high standard. High quality interchanges are addressed in the following section 'Strengthening The Role of Market Towns'.

8.38 We will provide, in partnership with operators, set standards for bus stop facilities and maintenance based on the frequency and number of bus services using individual stops and the number of passengers using the bus stop. The will be in accordance with the Council’s ‘Interchange Audit’ (2003).

8.39 We also propose to examine the feasibility of a single booking centre providing scheduling software that enables bookings up to 2 hours in advance rather than the 24/48 hours notice required by some software packages.

8.40 The benefits of the ‘Network Hierarchy’ approach are:

♦ Improved access to essential services, employment and leisure for rural communities; ♦ Improved integration and co-ordination of services; ♦ Improved social inclusion; ♦ Support for the economy overall; ♦ The potential to reduce traffic congestion in major settlements and reduce pollution; ♦ Both operators and local authorities are able to concentrate efforts and resources in strategic areas; ♦ The services provided will be more attractive to users and thus are likely to become self sustaining in the longer term and increase modal shift in the short term; ♦ Modern vehicles and technology can be introduced; ♦ Support the development of the Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater as regional centres and the development of other major settlements; ♦ Improved infrastructure such as bus stops, interchanges and Quality Bus Corridors, encouraging mode shift and improve the accessibility of existing passengers; ♦ Through the identification of the strategic network, local authority planners and developers are aware of the network and these provide an aid for spatial location and design; and

132 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 ♦ The withdrawal of conventional bus services from deep rural areas and the encouragement (and support) of community transport provision that can be both more attractive in terms of service pattern and accessible in terms of passenger boarding. 8.41 This will enable people to access a greater number of facilities and services than are currently available in their own village and widen peoples’ travel choice, enabling them to involve themselves in more activities, which will lead to benefits in the quality of life.

School Travel

8.42 Approximately 15,500 children (approximately one quarter of all under 16's attending school in Somerset) make about 6 million trips per annum on free transport provided by the County Council. In addition a further 9,000 attend post 16 education for whom we provide season tickets and bus services.

8.43 We provide free home to school transport for children who have a statutory entitlement or qualify by virtue of our discretionary transport policy which considers individual circumstances. This includes children with additional educational needs. We also offer spare seats to students not entitled to free school transport, requiring pupils to purchase a seat on the vehicle at a discounted rate which we subsidise.

8.44 We are keen to improve this process and provision to help develop seamless frontline delivery for pupils, this includes: ♦ Upgrade of the fleet; ♦ further integration of special needs pupils with mainstream schooling, social services and health care provision; ♦ further integration to help deliver 14-19 year olds national curriculum of personalised learning; and ♦ further integration with admissions e.g. placement and transport entitlement are offered simultaneously. 8.45 We are undertaking area reviews with the aim of providing more efficient transport and to ensure that transport demands for a more flexible curriculum are met.

8.46 Our school travel plan team currently works with schools to produce school travel plans and co-ordinate subsequent implementation of the measures identified within the plans. Plans might identify actions required by the school as well as ourselves as the transport authority. In addition to helping improve access to schools, by more sustainable means of travel, a key aim of this work is to reduce the number of children being driven to school in order to tackle traffic congestion and safety issues.

8.47 We will review and develop our approach to school travel over the early part of the LTP2 period to respond to the new legislation, and better integrate school travel plan activity with provision of school transport, to meet a range of accessibility, congestion, safety and health issues.

133 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Cycling in Rural Areas

8.48 As a mode of transport, cycling is generally much more popular in urban areas due to the closer proximity of a large number of trip attractors. The Council has, in the past, generally prioritised new schemes in urban areas over new schemes in rural areas as they have been considered to provide greater value for money. 8.49 Rural cycling plays an important role within our Accessibility Strategy:

♦ Many outlying settlements are within realistic cycling distance of market towns and main urban areas; ♦ The National Cycle Network (NCN) offers potential to stimulate tourism and leisure cycling activity; and ♦ In suitable locations, rural cycle routes can serve as very good multi-use paths, thus improving accessibility for vulnerable road users, in particular walkers, horse riders and wheelchair users. Multi-use paths also represent value for money as many different users can share one route. 8.50 Our Strategy therefore gives an emphasis to those cycle routes between outlying settlements and market towns that are considered to have high potential demand, which reflects the role of market towns as important service centres. 8.51 A number of other rural cycle proposals will also be developed where they link to tourism and regeneration initiatives and demonstrate value for money.

8.52 Specific schemes requiring further feasibility assessment include the following:

♦ Cycle West Somerset Project; ♦ Continuation of Cheddar to Wells multi-user route; ♦ Wessex Cycle Route, Axe Sluice to Brean and; ♦ Dundas to Frome Path and Rail project (using Frome-Radstock railway line). 8.53 Improvements and maintenance of cycling facilities will also help to improve overall accessibility to key services by increasing public confidence in cycling in terms of road safety and fear of crime. Furthermore cycling allows individuals to travel relatively lengthy distances with minimum cost and thus can offer individuals an alternative to using the car or public transport, and aid in a healthy lifestyle.

Powered Two-Wheelers 8.54 The geographical expanse of Somerset and the dispersed nature of its population lends itself to the importance of motorcycles and other powered two wheelers. The success of the county Moped Loan Scheme administered by the Rural Partnership shows the attractiveness of such modes and this scheme will remain a funding priority for the Council over the next year.

8.55 Furthermore the Council is currently working with the British Motorcycle Federation (BMF) to identify locations for improved parking facilities and there maintenance and will continue to help provide a range of marketing, training and awareness material encouraging safe use of powered two wheelers.

134 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 IMPROVING PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY

8.56 The Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000 requires local authorities to prepare and publish a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP) by 2007. The Draft RoWIP is available in Appendix 4.

8.57 The Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP) is the prime means by which Somerset County Council will identify changes to be made, in respect of the management and improvements, to the local rights of way network in order to improve the provision for walkers, cyclists, equestrians and people with mobility problems. The RoWIP is a strategic document containing statements of action and each year a business plan will be produced detailing the plans and targets relating to specific individual schemes.

8.58 The public rights of way network in Somerset is one of the longest in the country at 6115km and is summarised in Table 8.2.

Table 8.2 - Rights of Way Network Characteristics

Category of Public RoW Length (Km) % of total network Footpath 4817 78.8 Bridleway 993 16.2 RUPP 299 4.9 BOAT 7 0.1

Total 6116 100

8.59 The public rights of way network also provides access to services, leisure and recreation opportunities, free exercise, a sustainable transport network and support to local businesses through tourism.

8.60 The wider benefits of the public rights of way network cannot be underestimated. It is a valuable resource in encouraging modal shift from private vehicular use to walking and cycling over short to medium distances linking local communities. This will assist in the delivery of the shared priorities and it will also assist in improving public health levels. Better maintenance, signage, improvement and promotion of the rights of way network will lead to increased usage levels, thus helping to address the 70% of men and 73% of women in Somerset who do not undertake enough physical activity.

8.61 The value of the public rights of way network to the sustainability and growth of the local economy was conclusively demonstrated during the 2001 Foot & Mouth disease epidemic when public rights of way were closed and many businesses suffered financial loss as a result of very few walking, cycling and riding tourists to the countryside. The development of themed routes such as the Coleridge Way, West Somerset Coast Path and the Blackdown Hills Herepaths can help to sustain and regenerate tourism in rural and deprived areas, as well as support the economy of market and coastal towns.

8.62 The network provision for walkers in Somerset is extremely good, whereas for safe, off-road riding and cycling, it is fragmented/non-existent (except in Exmoor and the Quantock Hills where it is good). As traffic volumes have

135 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 almost doubled over the past 25 years, the safety of using the road network to connect footpaths and bridleways has been considerably compromised.

8.63 Bridleways can help with social inclusion as they have the added benefit of being accessible to a wider range of people, including the mobility impaired both in terms of accessibility and recreation pursuits.

8.64 Table 8.2 details the key findings that have arisen as a result of extensive consultation and research and the proposed key actions:

Table 8.3 – Summary of Rights of Way Consultation Results

Consultation Findings and Key actions LTP shared and wider Key findings Key actions quality of life priorities Accessibility, Safety, Congestion & Air quality. Sustainable communities, Maintenance of existing Increase the % ease of use network is a high priority. to 84% by 2011. quality of public spaces and landscapes and public health.

Accessibility. Develop a GIS layer of Lack of information on accessible paths and make Sustainable communities accessible paths. this information available to the public. and public health.

Utility routes could be more Accessibility, Safety, accessible. Improve the provision, Congestion & Air Quality. accessibility and safety of rights of way, particularly Sustainable communities, Many RoW not used due to between residential areas quality of public spaces road junction safety and centres of education, concerns and poor employment, health and landscapes and connectivity. services and leisure. public health.

Accessibility, Safety, Congestion & Air Quality. Upgrade footpaths and bridleways to multi-use Sustainable communities, Fragmented riding/ cycling paths where appropriate network. quality of public spaces and encourage the public to use them. and landscapes, public health.

Many issues arise as a Increase the awareness of Accessibility. result of a lack of user and landowner understanding of users’ responsibilities through a Sustainable communities and landowners’ rights and variety of media and

136 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 Consultation Findings and Key actions LTP shared and wider Key findings Key actions quality of life priorities responsibilities. audiences. and community safety

Poorly maintained public Rights of Way Improving public rights of way network Improvement Plan Rights of Way lacking connectivity in parts

8.65 These key actions will contribute to delivering the shared priorities of LTP2 and meet some of the other quality of life priorities.

8.66 The delivery of LPI3 (increasing the % of rights of way which are easy to use) will be achieved with LTP capital funding which is supported by internal revenue and capital sources of funding. The revenue funding goes towards maintaining and developing the existing network, helping to sustain the percentage ‘ease of use’ level, whereas the capital funding (reviewed on an annual basis) has a more indirect impact on this through structural and community initiatives.

8.67 Exmoor National Park (ENP) is situated in two Highway Authorities, Somerset County Council and Devon County Council. Devon County Council’s adopted RoWIP includes a chapter for ENP that will subsequently form part of Somerset County Council’s RoWIP.

8.68 The RoWIP will be finalised by November 2006 and therefore it is not fully integrated within LTP2, however the substantial progress that has been made with the Draft has helped to inform our Accessibility Strategy.

STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF MARKET TOWNS

Market and Coastal Town Initiative 8.69 The Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTi) provides funding to a number of Somerset market towns, including Langport, Minehead, Shepton Mallet, Wiveliscombe, Chard, Crewkerne, Martock and Wincanton, Burnham on sea and Highbridge. The initiative enables these towns and their surrounding communities to identify priorities for the future of there area, and develop action plans to resolve these issues. Accessibility is clearly a key issue in successful regeneration.

8.70 Examples of such schemes implemented as a result of MCTi include a successful travel share scheme set up by the Langport Development Trust in 2002. This has now been taken up by the Community Voluntary Services in Yeovil, demonstrating how a community led idea can develop into a sustainable rural service.

8.71 In Chard, the local MCTi group have developed a Chard Transport Network Map Project 2005, providing a strategy for the local transport system including public transport and safe routes for walking and cycling. Similarly, Burnham on Sea and Highbridge are developing a project to link the two communities with a safe walking and cycle pathway.

137 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 8.72 We will work in partnership with local MCTi to establish links with accessibility planning and how these schemes are prioritised in terms of the co-ordination of scheme implementation.

Interchange Improvements 8.73 Our 'Interchange Audit' (2003) recommended new interchange localities and an appropriate standard of facilities. From this work, it can be shown as illustrated in the matrix below, that accessibility between our main market towns in the county is good: in most cases, direct trips can be made, either by bus, rail or both, with reasonably frequent services. Access from the rural areas to the nearest market town is reasonable and transport provision is provided by either conventional bus services or demand responsive transport. These journeys require a greater degree of advance planning due to relatively low frequencies.

8.74 Accessibility from the rural areas, beyond the nearest market town to other parts of the county is, again, less direct, with at least one bus service change required. In order to travel between a rural origin and a rural destination, in many cases two bus service changes will be required. This is likely to be unattractive, due to inconvenience and the length of the journey, and the journey would probably not be made by public transport.

8.75 Interchanges will therefore play a central role in promoting greater accessibility across Somerset, particularly for travel to and from rural areas. Interchange will also form an important part of trips between the suburban parts of the larger towns and destinations outside the town, both elsewhere in Somerset and for longer distance trips.

8.76 With this in mind, the provision of interchange of good quality facilities, including waiting facilities and information, can create new journey opportunities that might not otherwise be considered. In an area with limited direct journey opportunities, this will form an increasingly important part of the passenger transport network.

8.77 We will deliver improved interchange facilities across the county in co- ordination with passenger transport improvements such that the implementation of improved passenger services will be co-ordinated with improvement to interchanges.

Cycling in Market Towns

8.78 The market towns with the greatest potential to encourage more cycling are considered to be Burnham & Highbridge, Wellington, Cheddar, Minehead, Wells, Street and Glastonbury (in addition to the main urban areas of Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil – see Somerset Cycling Strategy Review). These towns are generally characterised by relatively gentle topography, road layouts which can be made more cycle friendly (e.g. junction alterations, contra-flow facilities, and improved level of parking and access to the town centre) and a history of a higher levels of cycling in the recent past. 8.79 These towns are generally characterised by relatively gentle topography, road layouts which can be made more cycle friendly, improved level of parking and access to the town centre, as well as a history of a higher levels of cycling in the recent past. Settlements within a 5km radius of these towns were also considered and the potential demand for connecting cycle routes was

138 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 assessed. The benefits for tourist activity along these often quiet and scenic routes were also taken into consideration.

8.80 For settlements thought to have less potential for increased levels of cycling and therefore less immediate value for money, the emphasis will be on improving conditions for existing cyclists through wider programmes such as safety or maintenance programmes, although there may be specific routes within these settlements where a value-for-money case can be made for funding in terms of the likely number of users of the route. Specific routes in Chard and Frome have been raised during consultation for an assessment of this nature.

8.81 In all towns where new development or re-generation schemes are proposed the Council will work closely with planning authorities and developers to ensure that accessibility improvements including cycle access are implemented where required.

IMPROVING URBAN ACCESSIBILITY

Improving Walking Provision 8.82 Walking schemes will play a major role in addressing accessibility issues within our more urban areas. Almost invariably, walking comprises an element of all journeys, and accessibility improvements cross-cut many strategies and associated schemes.

8.83 The Council is committed to increase walking and recognise its importance as a sustainable mode of transport for journeys to school and work, and for leisure and tourism activities.

8.84 Our first LTP targeted investment in new or improved road crossings, providing improved accessibility for pedestrians and people with mobility difficulties. This will remain a priority for the second LTP, ensuring that walking routes are accessible and safe, and that steps to improve the perception of safety also help create an accessible environment.

8.85 During the LTP2 period many of the major development and re-development proposals that have been emerging in our towns through the Local Plan process will come to fruition. Town-centre re-development proposals, in particular, such as the Taunton Vision will play a vital role in opening up new walking routes across our towns.

8.86 We will continue to support physical improvements such as dropped kerbs and tactile paving by continuing to produce information leaflets on bus travel, car sharing, cycling and walking and working with schools and employers on travel plan schemes.

8.87 Our Safer Routes to Schools (SRTS) programme continues to have a high priority in Council activities and is detailed in Chapter the accessibility and congestion chapters.

8.88 Alongside the new infrastructure and the promotional activities targeted at improving walking facilities, the quality of existing footways is also an important part of encouraging walking. The Transport Asset Management Plan will help in prioritising maintenance activities and ensuring that this key

139 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 component of making the best use of existing infrastructure delivers real benefits with positive outcomes in the level of walking throughout the county.

Cycling in Urban Areas

8.89 We will implement a phased programme of cycle improvements in our main urban areas over the LTP2 period, starting in Taunton, including: ♦ High priority larger schemes to expand the town cycle network; ♦ Lower-cost 'on-street' improvements identified through user surveys and audits; ♦ Marketing and awareness activity to promote use of the new cycling opportunities as they are provided; and ♦ Improvements required as part of new development proposals. 8.90 This is discussed in more detail in Chapter 6 of LTP2 (Congestion and Pollution).

INFORMATION AND TICKETING STRATEGY

Public Transport Information

8.91 The most frequently identified barrier to accessibility in Somerset, across all of our accessibility planning work to date, has been the lack of available information regarding transport provision, service provision, fares and ticketing.

8.92 A key recommendation from our Passenger Transport Strategy Review, and subsequently our accessibility strategy is the need for a clear dissemination strategy for information about transport and access to services in Somerset. This recommendation is supported by our accessibility partners.

8.93 There are a significant number of issues to deal across all sectors and we are therefore developing an information strategy as a 'cross cutting' strategic action plan within our overall accessibility strategy. This strategic action plan will take some time to develop, gain agreement and implement and will involve a number of specific initiatives. We will begin work on this action plan this year and continue to develop a number of smaller initiatives throughout the course of the five years.

8.94 In parallel with this we will continue to work with delivery agencies and operators to ensure that transport information we produce is consistent, effective and provided in various, easy to understand formats.

8.95 Our current Bus Information Strategy contains the following elements, which will be reviewed and developed over the course of LTP2 within the accessibility 'action plan' development process: ♦ 'One Network' Concept: this will be developed as part of our information action plan; ♦ Area Timetable Books: We will continue to produce area timetable books based on the District Council areas of Somerset, with the exception of West Somerset & Exmoor being subsumed within the area

140 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 book for Taunton.This range of timetable books have won commendation for their clarity and presentation from various users; ♦ Rail timetables: These will no longer be published in area timetable books or town guides. This will allow the books to be produced at more relevant times and not to be restricted to traditional rail change dates. In order to cater for the demand for rail information a special timetable book will be created dealing solely with rail services in Somerset; ♦ Community Transport Information: This has been included in area and town guides but never on a comprehensive basis. The growth and development of community transport in Somerset now forms a key strategic area for service development and will be given more space in the information guides produced. In some areas, and for some sections of the community, community transport is the only alternative to the private car; ♦ Timetable change dates: These will be flexible to allow operators the commercial freedom to make changes as necessary but will allow the Council and others to plan timetable production alongside known dates; ♦ Face to Face Enquiries: It is a contract condition that buses on tendered services must carry the relevant area timetable book for the journey being provided; ♦ Remote Enquiries: These will remain as part of the Somerset Enquiry Line and the number will continue to be published and resourced. The line provides useful feedback on areas of concern for passengers and some users prefer the more local touch provided by our enquiry staff. The integration of the enquiry line into other, council enquiry lines will be considered. The development of our internet site is important for enquiry handling and will be pursued with other partner authorities as part of the south-west development of Traveline. Other modes such as Television Text networks will be pursued as opportunities arise, and a watching brief will be kept on developments and potential operational use; ♦ Electronic Information: The Council will identify suitable opportunities to utilise technology, and as part of LTP2 programme we will introduce and integrate Real Time systems and traffic signal systems in Somerset , focusing investment on town and inter-urban routes; and ♦ At-Stop Information: This has been widely recognised as very poor. A number of bus companies, Mendip District Council and the Council invest significant resources in erecting and maintaining at-stop information. The standard at-stop display will consist of a list of departures with key points served and will include individual timetable where space allows. Over time it is the intention to concentrate cases of specific designs in certain areas so as to give a common, more aesthetic approach to stop presentation. 8.96 The information action plan will identify relevant information that should be targeted to different audiences. The most effective method or format for dissemination will be identified through the involvement of a wide variety of customers of transport and other services. Different target audiences will include: ♦ Adults; ♦ Older People; ♦ Young People;

141 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 ♦ People with various types of disability or visual/ hearing/ learning difficulties; ♦ Residential communities; ♦ Businesses; ♦ Service specific customers such as users of Health or Educational facilities; ♦ Visitors to tourism destinations; ♦ Women or people who may be concerned about security issues; and ♦ Minority ethnic groups who may need information in particular languages. 8.97 Overall we envisage that our approach to improving accessibility will be assisted by establishing clearer roles and responsibilities for those involved in the provision of information. Partnership working will also offer the possibility of developing more technical information systems such as through the internet or by text messaging.

8.98 Our Information Action Plan will also facilitate interchanges between modes and provide integrated transport information to create the concept of a ‘seamless’ journey and remove the uncertainty about using passenger transport, commonly felt by particular irregular users.

Ticketing

8.99 We have identified the importance of simple, easy methods of ticketing for meeting the needs of existing passengers and also as a means of attracting new passengers onto public transport. A common barrier to passenger transport usage is the inability to transfer between operators and therefore integrated ticketing will help deliver a more ‘seamless’ journey.

8.100 Ticketing initiatives for Somerset will incorporate the following: ♦ Introduction of smartcard technology in partnership with operators; ♦ Negotiation with bus operators and major tourist attractions to offer more discounted passenger transport tickets and entry tickets to attractions such as those produced for Wells Cathedral and Cheddar Gorge; ♦ Provide ticketing offers to local businesses, colleges, sixth forms and hospitals that implement travel plans to encourage usage of sustainable transport for the journey to their facilities; ♦ Provide ticketing offers or concessionary fares to those social service clients who could safely use or be trained to use everyday passenger transport to attend both day centres and for leisure trips, building on the ‘bus buddies’ scheme; and ♦ Develop ongoing partnerships with JobCentre Plus and operators to provide discounted ‘bulk ticket purchasing’ for individuals who require help in travelling to new employment and training opportunities. 8.101 As well as creating a more seamless journey with the obvious benefit of encouraging more people to use the services, these initiatives will also improve access to basic services, provide more affordable ticketing mechanisms and simplify the fare structure so it may be understood by all.

142 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006 8.102 The success of ticketing initiatives is heavily dependent upon a comprehensive and well publicised marketing campaign and we will be increasing our marketing activity to reflect this need.

Concessionary Fares

8.103 We operate a Somerset Travelpass scheme in partnership with our five district councils. This county-wide scheme enables transport on any journey, starting or finishing within Somerset, for which there is a through fare available.

8.104 The Somerset TravelPass group will move to a free scheme for pass-holders from 1st April 2006 which will go beyond the statutory minimum by embracing community transport and an earlier start at 0900.

8.105 The group is also working closely with neighbouring authorities, operators and the Government Office for the South-West to provide the infrastructure, and aims to create a regional scheme in the near future. The scheme and its reimbursement methodology has been welcomed by operators and uses the guidance notes for reimbursement provided by DfT.

143 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

9. Performance Indicators, Targets and Monitoring

INTRODUCTION

9.1 To enable the Council to monitor progress against our LTP2 objectives we have developed a number of indicators and set targets for the end of LTP2. The proposed targets and indicators of relevance are outlined in Table 9.1.

Table 9.1 – Summary of Accessibility Performance Indicators and Targets Performance Indicator Target (By 2011) LTP2 Shared Priority LTP 1 – The Geographical Increase % of parishes coverage provided by covered by SLINKY and Accessibility SLINKY and Taxibus (DRT) Taxibus to 80% LPI 1 – DRT Patronage To increase the number of Levels single passenger journeys made using DRT-Taxibus and SLINKY services from 7,095 passenger journeys Accessibility per annum to 87,495 passenger journeys per annum (a 1,233% increase) by 2011 BVPI 223 – Principal Road No more than 28% of the Condition principal road network to exceed the threshold for Accessibility and Safety deficiency by SCANNER survey BVPI 104 – Satisfaction with To lift the number of satisfied Accessibility and Congestion Local Bus Services users to 58% and Air Quality BVPI 187 – Condition of Maximum deficiencies not to Accessibility and Congestion Footways exceed 18% and Air Quality LTP3 – Cycling Increase the level of cycling Accessibility, Safety, by 10% from 2004/05 base Congestion and Air Quality LTP5 – Bus Punctuality 95% of bus services within 1- Accessibility and Congestion 5 minute late of scheduled and Air Quality departure time LP13: Ease of Use of Rights 84% of routes to be defined Accessibility, Safety, Wider of Way (BV178) as easy to use by members Quality of Life of the public LPI7: Modal Share of To reduce the level of single Accessibility and Congestion Journeys to Work occupancy vehicle use by and Air Quality 4% by 2010 LPI8 – Pedestrian activity in Target to be based on Accessibility, Wider Quality Taunton Town Centre 2006/07 monitoring of Life 9.2 We will monitor our performance against these targets on an annual basis and report bi-annually as in the required DfT Progress Report.

144 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR

The Indicator and Target

9.3 The mandatory accessibility performance indicator as required for LTP2 has two core elements: ♦ To improve the travel opportunities of Somerset residents to essential services by increasing the proportion of parishes covered by Demand Responsive Transport (DRT -Taxibus and SLINKY services) from 35% to 80% by 2011 (LTP1) ♦ To increase the number of single passenger journeys made using DRT-Taxibus and SLINKY services from 7,095 passenger journeys per annum to 87,495 passenger journeys per annum (a 1,233% increase) by 2011 (LPI1) Monitoring Methodology

9.4 The Council will undertake GIS based analysis of the % of parishes covered by DRT (Taxibus and SLINKY services). In addition the Council have new procedures for procuring such services which require successful operators to provide annual data on the following: ♦ Number of single passenger journeys; ♦ Journey purpose (health appointments, education, employment, recreation, shopping and other social activities – including evening classes); ♦ Age of user; ♦ Number of disabled users; and ♦ Time of travel. Realism and Ambition

9.5 The adopted Passenger Transport Strategy (2005) recommended a ‘Passenger Transport Network Hierarchy’, a ‘tiered’ approach to service classification and provision. This hierarchy will support joint investment with operators in a number of core, fixed bus routes (Quality Bus Partnerships) between towns. These will provide improvements to service provision and quality and thus building on existing QBP’s success increase bus patronage on these core routes.

9.6 Feeding into the core Quality Bus Partnership routes at key interchanges such as Market Towns, and covering the rest of the county will be our DRT (Taxibus and SLINKY) services. We recognise that these services are a key delivery tool for improving residents travel opportunities and improving accessibility, particularly in areas not covered by a regular/frequent bus service. These services provide value for money for the Council as they operate customer focused provision and thus higher patronage numbers are experienced than conventional bus services in these rural areas.

9.7 The Council has 14 taxibus services providing 7,095 single passenger journeys per annum and has made good progress in achieving 35% coverage of rural settlements by DRT – Taxibus and SLINKY services. The current success of taxibuses has developed a robust foundation to achieve future success. Thus we propose to gain

145 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

80,400 single passenger journeys over the course of five years through the implementation of number of Demand Responsive Transport services.

9.8 The Council has committed substantial new revenue resources to support the roll out of such services.

Key Actions of Local Government

9.9 The Council will undertake the following key actions: ♦ Continue to lead the ongoing development and implementation of the accessibility strategy; ♦ To secure the capital and, in particular, revenue budgets to deliver the services identified; and ♦ To use accessibility planning as a tool to inform the development and delivery of the accessibility strategy. Key Actions of Partners

9.10 Although the Council will lead in the development of new services, local community groups and wider stakeholders will need to help identify existing accessibility problems and participate in the development, funding and marketing of new schemes.

9.11 Operators will need to deliver services that meet the public’s expectation in terms of service reliability and quality so that the forecast level of single passenger journeys is matched by reality on the ground.

Risks

9.12 We have recently reviewed our commitment to provide revenue support to bus services and will continue to monitor the situation with respect to future budgets including efficiencies in the procurement of services. The withdrawal of existing commercial stage bus services and increasing bus route tender prices could result in fewer services being made available for the money identified in the Council’s plan. Active participation of service delivers and wider stakeholders cannot be guaranteed however we will continue to work with Somerset Strategic Partnership and Transport for Somerset.

146 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

APPENDIX A – LETTERS OF SUPPORT

147 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

CONNEXIONS SOMERSET

HEALTH ADVOCACY PARTNERSHIP – TAUNTON DEANE

148 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

TAUNTON DEANE PPI FORUM C/O Health Advocacy Partnership 5 Spa Road Melksham Wiltshire SN12 7NP

Telephone: 01225 701120 Fax: 01225 701138

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

28th June 2005

Lucy Bath Information Officer Transport Policy Somerset County Council Taunton TA1 4DQ

Dear Lucy

Re: Accessibility to Healthcare Workshop

I am writing to you on behalf of Taunton Deane, Somerset Coast and Taunton & Somerset Patient and Public Involvement in Health Forums. The Forums would welcome involvement in the development and planning of the Local Transport Plan’s (LTP) Framework Accessibility Strategy.

The statutory powers and responsibilities of the Forums include: Monitoring and reviewing the services provided by Taunton Deane/Somerset Coast Primary Care Trusts and Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust (or organisations they have paid to provide services for patients) with particular reference to any proposals, plans or changes to current services Obtaining the views of patients, users and carers about these services. Reports and recommendations about these services, based upon the views of users, carers and the public. The Forums look forward to continued involvement in the LTP Accessibility planning process.

Yours sincerely

Annie Barnard Forum Adviser Taunton Deane, Somerset Coast and Taunton & Somerset Forum

THE HEALTH ADVOCACY PARTNERSHIP Supporting Patient and Public Involvement in Health Forum The Health Advocacy Partnership Limited is a not for profit organisation, limited by guarantee. Company No 4773346

HEALTH ADVOCACY PARTNERSHIP – SOUTH SOMERSET

149 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Lucy Bath Information Officer Transport Policy Unit Somerset County Council Taunton Somerset

Dear Lucy Bath

Thank you for forwarding to me the summaries of the Accessibility to Health Care workshop. I am the Forum Adviser for three Somerset Patient and Public Involvement Forums: East Somerset, South Somerset and Mendip.

All of these forums have been involved in some way with transport issues. Clearly, as highlighted by your workshop, many people in rural area are disadvantaged by a lack of transport to enable them to access both primary and secondary health care. Forum members have also been made aware of the difficulties experienced by visitors. As long term patients are often elderly, their visitors are also elderly and may no longer be able to drive themselves, due to infirmity.

Yours sincerely

Rosemary Hasler Forum Adviser

Health Advocacy Partnership 5 Spa Road Melksham SN12 7 NP

JOBCENTRE PLUS - SOMERSET

150 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

LEANING & SKILLS COUNCIL SOMERSET

151 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

MENCAP

152 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

TAUNTON DEANE BOROUGH COUNCIL (E-MAIL)

153 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

From: TempletonAlison [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Mon 27/06/2005 17:35 To: Mike O'Dowd-Jones Cc: David Smith (E-mail); Leeman, Mark Subject: LTP2 and TD LSP

Mike

Re your letter of 9th June and the copy of the detailed summary, our LSP meets quarterly and infact met on 9th June, so will not be meeting again until Sept which I'm afraid is way beyond your deadline for responses.

That said, I dont think the LSP would have a collective or very informed view on LTP2. I do, however, think the work through the Spatial planning sub-group on accessibility planning is involving the LSP in a very positive way.

I have every confidence that TDBCs own councillors and officers are fully engaged in LTP2 and Mark will be in good position through the spatial planning work to raise issues through the sub-group as appropriate.

Please let me know if you feel that this is satisfactory at this stage. Thank you.

Regards Alison

Alison Templeton Corporate Business Development Manager [email protected] x2659 01823 356568

IMPORTANT NOTICE. This communication is intended solely for the person (s) or organisation to whom it is addressed. It may contain privileged and confidential information and if you are not the intended recipient (s), you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender and copy the message to [email protected]

154 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

APPENDIX B – BRIDGWATER ACTION PLAN

155 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Action Plan 1 - Access to Key Services in Bridgwater and its Rural Surrounds

Description Local Access to Key Services in Bridgwater and its Rural Surrounds Accessibility Study Title The aim of this study will be for Somerset County Council and its partners in the Health, Education and Employment sectors to improve their understanding of; and address the accessibility issues and needs affecting residents living in Bridgwater and its rural hinterlands.

Start Date January 2006

Projected Completion Date End September 2006

Thematic Priority(s) Access to Health, Education and Employment

Background Local socio-demographic and economic background to Key Issues • Pockets of multiple deprivation in urban Bridgwater Wards including Bridgwater Hamp and Bridgwater Sydenham where education, health and employment deprivation are particularly prevalent; • Bridgwater has the second highest rate of zero car ownership in the county (26.4%) increasing to 33% in the most deprived areas; • Bridgwater wards including Sydenham, Victoria and Hamp are identified as having the highest levels of health and social need amongst the elderly and child population group; • The nearest major hospital facilities are located in Weston Super Mare and Taunton; • Bridgwater College has a regional role in delivering post 16 education particularly in education, leisure and training courses. • Bridgwater is forecast to experience significant population growth over the next decade and is designated as a town for employment and shopping, education, residential, cultural and community use (Somerset and Exmoor National Park Joint Structure Plan Review); • High unemployment rate in comparison to the county average amongst the 16-19 years population group; and • Areas of education, training and skills deprivation coincide with areas of high overall deprivation. 156 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Emerging Accessibility Issues

• Public Transport is not perceived as a viable or attractive alternative for many journey to work trips. Bus services between Bridgwater and the rural hinterland are infrequent with sparse connections (Bridgwater Transport Strategy Review). In addition public transport does not compete well with the car in terms of perceived and real costs of using either mode to access key services in Bridgwater and further a field e.g. colleges and employment opportunities in Taunton • Accessibility mapping shows that poor access to hospitals, post 16 education and evening classes are particularly issues affecting the rural settlements around Bridgwater. • Long bus journey times to general hospitals in Weston Super-mare and Taunton are a further issue, even from urban parts of the study area. • With the exception of hospitals, strategic accessibility mapping has shown that transport provision is less likely to be a barrier to accessing key services from Urban Bridgwater than in the surrounding rural areas and therefore solutions such as marketing and educational campaigns may be more appropriate than transport solutions in these areas. The proposed introduction of DRT services in this area will help facilitate the process of improving access to key services from this area. LTP2 Mainstreaming Accessibility Planning, Limited Transport Services in Rural Areas, Localised Services; Poor Information, Pockets of Strategic Urban Deprivation, Limited Evening; and Transport Services. Objectives Other • Improve access to health, education and employment opportunities in the most socially excluded areas of Bridgwater and its Objectives rurality; • Provide an attractive and affordable public transport alternative for those individuals or groups without access to their own car and encourage sustainable car usage amongst car users; • Promote and facilitate access to healthy living through ensuring people can access affordable healthy food, open spaces and other leisure facilities promoting physical activity; and • Work with partners in the employment and education sector to reduce dependency on unemployment benefits by improving access to key employment/education sites by cycling, walking and public transport. Key Partners Jobcentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council, Bridgwater College, Weston Super Mare General Hospital, Taunton Musgrove Hospital, Somerset Foodlinks, Rural Youth Partnership, Somerset County Council Officers, Local Sixth Form Colleges, Local employers, Local Transport Providers. Study See Proposed Time Scales Below Processes Action Plan 1 (Proposed Time Scales) – Access to key services in Bridgwater and its Rural Surrounds

157 Somerset County Council Second Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Appendix 1: Detailed Accessibility Strategy March 2006

Stage Par Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept t ner Study Scoping s hip Wor Data Collection and Local Accessibility Mapping k ing andMains Issue Identification and Prioritisation Best Practice Review and Development of Solutions (including appraisal of options)

Agree an Action Plan with defined roles and t r

responsibilities for each stakeholder e aming

Establish a monitoring and review process

158