Agenda item

Report of Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport

The Committee considered a report of the Cabinet Member for Highway and Transport updating them on progress towards the development of a new Local Transport Plan (LTP) for Staffordshire covering the period to 2050 (schedule 3 to the signed minutes).

Highways Authorities were required to produce an LTP under the Transport Act 2008 which set out the policies, plans, programmes and schemes aimed at delivering their vision for the transport network in their areas. The County Council had recently received £178,000 from Government in order to facilitate preparation of their fourth iteration of Staffordshire’s LTP.

Staffordshire’s current LTP incorporated Integrated Transport Strategies for each District and Borough and whilst the current LTP had not been updated since 2011, all the Integrated Transport Strategies have been updated between 2013 and 2018. However, it did not reflect the current challenges facing the Authority in respect of the following areas:- (i) climate and the environment; (ii) new economic strategies; (iii) Planning best practice; (iv) New technology; (v) National transport policy and targets; (vi) post pandemic, economic recovery and cost-of-living and; (vii) HS2.

DfT had published new draft guidance covering the preparation of LTPs in September 2022. However, the final guidance was still awaited. Ongoing engagement with DfT suggested that LTPs would be required to focus on:- (i) Planning transport for people and place, which prioritised active and sustainable travel, while also recognising the importance of private vehicle journeys where appropriate; (ii) Transport being an enabler of housing and commercial growth, and LTPs being a core part of spatial, energy, health and digital access planning; (iii) Decarbonising transport, setting out a clear and ambitious response to the climate emergency and meeting net zero by 2050. Delivering quantifiable carbon reductions must become a fundamental part of local transport planning and funding. Government funding for transport was to be dependent on the LTP delivering quantifiable carbon reductions and; (iv) Improving transport for the user, ensuring that the network was safe, reliable and inclusive.

Members heard that much of the Council’s existing work to maintain, enhance and support the operation of the Staffordshire’s transport system would remain relevant in the new LTP. However, reacting to the above-mentioned challenges required a fundamental change to how transport was delivered.

During the full and wide-ranging discussion which ensued Members gave detailed scrutiny to the proposed approach for the preparation of the new Plan including the Guiding Principles, governance arrangements, timelines and proposed engagement (as set out in the report), asking questions, seeking clarification and raising areas of concern, as necessary including:- (i) the role of cycling and how the LTP would encourage the development of additional non-commuter routes; (ii) the need to ensure Staffordshire embraced all the opportunities envisaged by the finalised LTP Guidance so that both rural and urban areas could benefit from improved transport links and; (iii) the need for all Partners to collaborate more effectively so that the issues which had previously prevented an integrated approach to transport planning could be avoided in the future.

In conclusion, Members welcomed news of the Plan which they said would be critical in achieving the Vision and Outcomes contained in the Authority’s Strategic Plan 2022/26. They expressed their support for the proposed approach to the preparation of the LTP and looked forward to the publication of finalised Guidance from Government so that further progress could be made.

RESOLVED – (a) That the report be received and noted.

(b) That the proposed approach to the preparation of a new Local Transport Plan for Staffordshire be supported.

(c) That further scrutiny be given to the work of the Cabinet Member in drafting a new Plan, at the appropriate time.