DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES REPORT TO CABINET 13 FEBRUARY 2008 THE SOUTH YORKSHIRE LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN: A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT, AND PROPOSED ‘LOCAL’ ALLOCATIONS FOR 2008/09. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report describes the Local Transport Plan Capital Allocation for 2008/09. It also advises Cabinet on recent discussions and progress on developing and delivering more schemes on a joint basis with South Yorkshire partners. Members are asked to endorse this, and approve the principle of developing new programmes of work as described below. 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 The Local Transport Plan (LTP) process is sponsored on a national basis by the Department for Transport (DfT). The second round of LTPs, covering the 2006-2011 time period is more geared to performance management than the first, and DfT has made it clear that it expects Local Authorities to use an analytical evidence-based approach to ensure that best value for money solutions are implemented and agreed targets and performance indicators are delivered. Nationally, LTP2 gives a major focus to Central Government’s ‘shared priorities’ for transport, i.e. road safety, air quality, congestion, and accessibility. All local authorities have to explain the contribution of LTP proposals towards these ‘shared priority’ themes and the impact on achieving key targets and Performance Indicators. 2.2 DfT is increasingly emphasising the importance of the monitoring progress towards LTP targets, to demonstrate good stewardship of their resources. DfT can, and have, set “bonuses and/or penalties” over or below their guideline resource levels for each authority, based on performance towards LTP targets. The last occasion resource levels were adjusted was the LTP1 Delivery Report in March 2006. The next Progress Report will be the LTP2 ‘Mid-point Report’, required in July 2008. 2.3 DfT Guidance therefore heavily influences the make-up of the overall South Yorkshire LTP Capital Programme, and the governance and management structures adopted at both sub-regional and regional levels to deliver this. The South Yorkshire LTP Partnership team was established to co-ordinate this process. 2.4 Discussions between South Yorkshire Leaders, Senior Managers and the SYLTP Partnership team have resulted in an agreed understanding of the need to improve ways of delivering LTP objectives and targets. A new monitoring and reporting structure across the county has been established, and a new approach to jointly developing and delivering a South Yorkshire Transport Capital Programme is now proposed in order to further improve our collective performance. 3.0 A COUNTYWIDE APPROACH TO PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT 3.1 DfT made it clear last Autumn that they were going to provide defined funding for all three years remaining of the LTP2 programme (2008 – 2011). In doing this, DfT asked what mechanism the five South Yorkshire authorities might wish to use to allocate funding. Until now, this mechanism has simply been based on size of population, plus an agreed allocation of 25% for SYPTE. 3.2 One of the issues the LTP process has to demonstrate is how funding decisions reflect strategic priorities, and the South Yorkshire partners have been looking to clarify this for some time. It was therefore agreed at Chief Executive level that the Partners should use this opportunity to bring South Yorkshire into line with other excellent rated areas who allocate their funds following a strategy led model. 3.3 South Yorkshire currently receives approx £22.5m per annum for Integrated Transport projects (excluding maintenance and ‘major schemes’, i.e. those greater than £5m). It has been agreed to allocate 50% of this to create a new ‘central pot’ held by the PTA (acting as banker). This will fund a new £11.2m county-wide programme of strategic schemes, those most important in delivering LTP objectives and targets, whilst being distributed as equitably as possible across the partners. 3.4 It is considered that the make-up of this new strategic programme will include: a new £1.0m county-wide programme of tackling road accidents on main roads. A Consultants’ study of the top ten locations was published in January 2008, six of these locations being in Sheffield; the remaining three year programme of Objective One – related schemes (previously funded using ‘Supplementary LTP funds but now incorporated into the overall allocation). The various city centre transport projects built over the last five years have been from this source, e.g. Eyre Street, Arundel Gate and Granville Square. Sheffield’s share of this programme in 2008/09 is £1.95m out of £3.3m. the programme of schemes developed to tackle congestion on the Target Routes described in the South Yorkshire Congestion Delivery Plan (including permit parking schemes adjacent to the Target Routes); programmes of strategic public transport improvement schemes, including Bus Quality Partnership Schemes, bus hotspots and Park & Ride projects. 3.5 Sheffield City Council officers are involved in the development of the overall programme of schemes described above for funding from the ‘central pot’, and it is expected that the value of ‘Sheffield’ schemes funded in this way will be approx £4m. 3.6 The remaining £11.2m will be split among the partners to fund schemes which are more ‘local’ in nature, but which are still materially contributing to progress on the LTP. This includes the following: accident saving schemes; Child Safety Zones; danger reduction schemes; ‘Safe Routes to School ‘ schemes; school and workplace Travel Plan schemes; permit parking schemes not linked to Congestion Target Routes; pedestrian crossing schemes; footway schemes; cycling schemes; local traffic management and enforcement schemes. 3.7 Sheffield’s share of this ‘local’ funding has been confirmed by DfT as £4.58m in 2008/09, rising to £4.66m and £4.72m in 2009/10 and 2010/11 respectively. 3.8 Sheffield’s current total LTP -IT allocation in 2007/08 is approx. £5.9m for Integrated Transport schemes plus £1.95m for the separately funded Objective 1 – related programme, totalling approx £8m. For 2008/09, the equivalent Sheffield allocation will be the confirmed ‘local’ funding of £4.58m plus Sheffield schemes approved as part of the South Yorkshire strategic programme. This will be determined by the end of January. The long list of possible schemes is attached in Appendix 1. 3.9 It can be seen therefore that the overall amount of funds allocated to Sheffield could increase through this new ‘needs-based’ process. It is unlikely to be less than funds currently received although there is a slight risk that this could happen were there to be more high priority schemes elsewhere. 4.0 PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT ISSUES ARISING FROM PROPOSED CHANGES. 4.1 As part of developing a new centrally funded strategic programme, it is necessary to be able to demonstrate why and how these projects are important in delivering LTP objectives and targets. The South Yorkshire Partners have therefore developed a new template which summarises the likely benefits accruing from each scheme. This template has been agreed for use on all projects funded from the ‘strategic’ central programme. The template is attached for Members’ information and endorsement in Appendix 2. 4.2 For local schemes, it is intended to continue using the current assessment mechanisms already endorsed by Members for existing blocks of expenditure. This has brought clarity and consistency to the overall process since 2001 and importantly has maintained the respect of Members from all parties and from the general public. 4.3 The current processes are therefore proposed to be continued for the following block allocations: accident savings schemes; Child Safety Zones; danger reduction schemes; ‘safe routes to school’ schemes; school and workplace travel plan schemes; permit parking schemes; pedestrian crossing schemes; and footway schemes. 4.4 In two areas however, new initiatives have recently arisen that merit recognition when schemes are being developed, namely cycling schemes and camera enforcement / urban clearway enforcement schemes. Cycle Action Plan projects 4.5 Following consultation with a range of stakeholders, the Sheffield Cycle Action Plan was approved via Band A report in July 2006. The priority resulting from the consultation work was to join-up the currently disjointed set of cycle facilities, to create a network of routes. 4.6 The Plan covers the period 2006 – 2011 and sets out a co-ordinated approach to increasing cycle use, including information, promotion, training and new routes. It includes a programme of schemes to join-up current cycle facilities to create a network of routes, Listed in Appendix 3, these schemes will form the basis for the allocation of LTP resources. 4.7 In addition to this, Members will be aware that in a recent televised competition to identify the favourite project for National Lottery funding of £50m, the SUSTRANS ‘Connect 2’ project was the winner. This is a collection of about 50 schemes around the country, one of which is local to our area. The intention is to provide a series of cycle routes linking communities in Killamarsh (North Derbyshire) to villages in South Rotherham and Halfway in Sheffield. The project will provide a new pedestrian /cycle bridge along Station Road over the River Rother plus new lengths of segregated pedestrian and cycling tracks between Halfway, Killamarsh and Rother Valley Park. The total project costs over £2m and requires a contribution of approx £250,000 from Sheffield. This is seen as a very good value for money way of tackling a longstanding problem of road safety on Station Road and also provides improved access from Killamarsh to the Supertram terminus at Halfway. Camera Enforcement Schemes 4.8 This is a new area of work, following the successful implementation of CCTV enforcement at the Hillsborough bus / tram gates from July 2007 onwards.