Our Ref: FOI 1320 16 February 2021 Dear Ms Taylor Freedom of Information Request – Reference FOI 1320 I refer to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, received on 24 January 2021. Set out below is the request you have raised and our response to it. REQUEST ‘South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has written to the Transport Secretary calling for smart motorways without a hard shoulder to be scrapped following a history of exchanges. I am asking for the exchanges with the Department for Transport and Highways England.” On 26 January 2021, I asked you to provide further clarification in relation to whether you required: Exchanges between Dr Alan Billings and the Department for Transport and Highways England or other staff within his office? Exchanges just relating to smart motorways? What time frame you would like the exchanges to be between? On 2 February 2021, you clarified that you would like to request: “Exchanges between Dr Alan Billings and the Department for Transport and Highways England and other staff within his office. Just exchanges relating to smart motorways and incidents on motorways from when the matter was raised. I've noted the chief constable wrote years ago. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-told-about-smart-motorway- dangers-in-2013-nf8wcklnv” South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Carbrook House, Carbrook Hall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 2EH Tel: 0114 2964150 Email: [email protected] www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk RESPONSE Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides two distinct but related rights of access to information, which impose corresponding duties on public authorities. These are: Section 1(1)(a) the duty to inform the applicant whether or not information is held by the authority, and if so, Section 1(1)(b) the duty to communicate that information to the applicant. To enable me to respond to your request an email search, using the key words of ‘Motorway(s), Smart Motorways, Highways England, Highways Agency and Department of Transport was carried out. This was on all Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) staff (including PCCs Shaun Wright and Dr Alan Billings) between 22 November 2012 (when PCCs were introduced) and 3 February 2021. Please see the attached emails relating to your request. You will see throughout the documentation that certain information is redacted. Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt), to provide you, the applicant, with a notice which: a. states that fact, b. specifies the exemption in question and c. states (if that would not otherwise be apparent why the exemption applies). The following exemption applies to the disclosure of information: Section 40(2) Personal Information This is an absolute exemption and therefore a Public Interest Test is not relevant. However, for clarity, I will explain my rationale for engaging this exemption. Section 40(2) provides that information is exempt if it is the personal data of someone other than the applicant and disclosure would breach any of the data protection principles. The term ‘personal data’ means data that relates to a living individual who can be identified. If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request an internal review by emailing this office. If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at: South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Carbrook House, Carbrook Hall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 2EH Tel: 0114 2964150 Email: [email protected] www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF Telephone: 08456 306060 or 01625 545745 Website: www.ico.gov.uk Yours sincerely Sally Parkin South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Carbrook House, Carbrook Hall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 2EH Tel: 0114 2964150 Email: [email protected] www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk Sally Parkin From: Sally Parkin Sent: 08 February 2021 20:20 To: Sally Parkin Subject: FW: Managed Motorway Networks Consultation Response Attachments: Managed Motorway Networks 11.02.13.docx Switch-MessageId: 477191d749194f109f5d8bf960455999 Sally Sally Parkin Governance and Compliance Manager South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Carbrook House Carbrook Hall Road Sheffield South Yorkshire S9 2EH Telephone: Internal: Mobile: Wesbite: www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk Follow on Facebook and Twitter (@SYPCC) WEF 19th March 2020, in order to comply with social distancing advice from the Government and in line with other OPCCs across the country, the Commissioner and staff from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner are conducting business from home for the foreseeable future. There should be minimal disruption to service and we will be operating normal business hours. Please get in touch using any of the information in this email signature. From: Sally Parkin [mailto: ] Sent: 11 February 2013 12:51 To: @highways.gsi.gov.uk Subject: Managed Motorway Networks Consultation Response Please find attached the consultation response from Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright. Kind Regards Sally Sally Parkin Interim Assistant Chief Executive South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Tel: Email: 1 OFFICE OF THE POLICE AND COMMISSIONER Awaiting Logo M1 junctions 32 to 35a Managed Motorway Scheme Consultation Consultation response from Commissioner Shaun Wright Commissioner Wright has reviewed the consultation and spoken to the emergency services about this motorway scheme and would like to submit the following comments. The emergency services have raised significant concerns with the HA about potential limitations to accessing serious collisions and added risk to both the public and emergency service personnel through the design proposed. The HA planning puts the increase in risk at over 200%, based on existing practice however most non-injury/minor collisions are quickly removed to the hard shoulder where the risk is significantly lower and in the absence of a hard shoulder, compliance with signage is more critical. The proposed mitigation of this increased risk is CCTV monitoring (however with no dedicated staff and cameras on a cyclical rotation), induction loops to identify queues in the traffic flow, plus the signage. The proposed signage for this scheme is a combination of overhead gantries and roadside mounted displays (other existing schemes have full gantries throughout the section of Managed Motorways). Members of the Safer Roads Partnership (SRP) have visited Transport Research Laboratory to view the research into the roadside signage, which demonstrated that this produces a lower compliance than full overhead gantries (as currently in use on stretches of existing managed motorway such as the M42) but which are not currently proposed for this scheme. This raises significant issues for ensuring the access of emergency personnel to the incident and their safety on attendance. South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright 18 Regent Street Barnsley South Yorkshire S70 2HG Tel: 01226 774600 Email: [email protected] www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk Sally Parkin From: Sally Parkin Sent: 08 February 2021 20:21 To: Sally Parkin Subject: FW: RE: Managed Motorway Networks Consultation Response Switch-MessageId: adaf1f277b534d8594c4409312d6183b Sally Sally Parkin Governance and Compliance Manager South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Carbrook House Carbrook Hall Road Sheffield South Yorkshire S9 2EH Telephone: Internal: Mobile: Wesbite: www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk Follow on Facebook and Twitter (@SYPCC) WEF 19th March 2020, in order to comply with social distancing advice from the Government and in line with other OPCCs across the country, the Commissioner and staff from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner are conducting business from home for the foreseeable future. There should be minimal disruption to service and we will be operating normal business hours. Please get in touch using any of the information in this email signature. From: M1J32-35a Managed Motorways [mailto: ] Sent: 11 February 2013 15:22 To: Subject: RE: Managed Motorway Networks Consultation Response Dear Ms Parkin Thank you for completing the Consultation Response form for the M1 J32-35a Managed Motorway. We are currently collating and reviewing all responses received and will respond to your comments once the consultation period has ended. In the meantime, further information about the scheme can be found on the Highways Agency website. Yours sincerely 1 Sally Parkin From: The Commissioner < > Sent: 21 January 2021 10:59 To: Cc: Subject: FAO Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP Attachments: 2021-01-21 Letter to Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP.pdf Dear Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Please find attached correspondence from Dr Billings for your attention. Please also note a copy is being sent to the Daily Telegraph. Kind Regards PA to the South Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Executive & Solicitor South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Carbrook House 5 Carbrook Hall Road Sheffield S9 2EH (S9 2EG for SatNav) Tel: Mobile: Website: www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk Follow onFacebookandTwitter (@SYPCC) WEF 19th March