Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director, Regeneration and Local Services – Head of Transport and Contract Services, Regeneration and Local Services.

The Chairman introduced the Head of Transport and Contract Services, Regeneration and Local Services, Adrian White who was in attendance to give a brief overview of the transport activity undertaken by the North East Combined Authority (NECA) (for copy see file of minutes).

The Head of Transport and Contract Services reminded Members in 2014 seven Local Authorities (LAs): County Durham; Gateshead; Newcastle; North Tyneside; Northumberland; South Tyneside; and Sunderland established the NECA, to assist with the coordination of economic development, transport and skills with an aim to create better conditions for economic growth.  It was added that a part of the Legal Order creating the NECA conferred upon the NECA the role of “Transport Authority” for the whole area and while this primarily related to public transport, it also included the duty to prepare a Local Transport Plan (LTP).  Members recalled that there was a variation in spend per head of population on public transport across the LAs, in part due to the Metro system, and under the Operating Agreement for the NECA, the operational delivery of public transport was delegated back to County Durham and Northumberland Councils, with Nexus retaining responsibility for delivering public transport across Tyne and Wear.

The Committee noted that the aim of the NECA was to join up and align economic strategy, and for NECA to interact on a sub-national and Government level, being our voice in the context of a “Northern Powerhouse”.  It was noted that while each LA had their own issues, the NECA was a powerful organisation, for example, helping persuade Government on issues such as: the East Coast Main Line, working with the Tees Valley Combined Authority; dual lanes for the A1(M) in Northumberland; upgrading the western bypass for Newcastle; and dual lanes for the A66.  Members noted another issue was that of High Speed Rail (HSR), looking for links up along the east coast, and also for local rail services with the NECA working with Transport for the North and Rail North and providing representation in dealing with the Department for Transport (DfT).

Members were reminded of the NECA responsibilities in terms of a LTP and noted there would still be a Local Delivery Plan for County Durham, and these would replace the current LTP.  It was added that LAs would help shape the new LTP, with Newcastle for example being able to help in terms of urban areas, and County Durham in terms of influence in respect of rural issues.  It was noted that Councillors J Armstrong and R Crute were members of the NECA Overview and Scrutiny Committee and would therefore have oversight in respect of the work of the NECA.  Councillors were informed that in terms of Bus Operators, the Head of Transport and Contract Services had volunteered to work with them looking at the impact of the Government’s Buses Bill in relation to enhanced partnership working or the possibility of bus franchising.  It was explained that the NECA Transport Team work closely with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP) in respect of a forward pipeline of major transport capital investments, funded through the Local Growth Fund.  Members noted work included: “Local Motion”, a project to change hearts and minds in terms of sustainable transport, being rebranded to “Go Smarter”, with the NECA Transport Team leading on this; coordination of bids for car clubs, electric vehicle infrastructure and clean vehicle technology; and a public/private partnership in terms of freight movement and future needs, an example given being Forrest Park. 

Members noted the arrangements in terms of NECA governance and overview, and the Officer support given to the Transport Team at NECA.  Councillors learned that the funding arrangements comprised a combination of top-slicing of the LTP allocation and a contribution from NELEP resources.  It was added that the DfT makes an annual allocation for local transport issues through the Integrated Transport Block and Maintenance Block and that since the formation of the NECA this allocation was pooled across the seven LAs and given direct to NECA.

The Head of Transport and Contract Services explained that in terms of highways maintenance allocation, this was passported back to LAs and the allocation was as per a formula relating to road length and condition, with Northumberland and County Durham having the larger networks.  Members noted that for the future, there was some uncertainty in terms of any North of Tyne Mayoralty and how this would impact upon transport issues, including Nexus and the role of each LA in terms of being a Transport Authority.

The Chairman thanked the Head of Transport and Contract Services and reiterated that he and Councillor J Armstrong were DCC representatives on the NECA Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and there had been mention of issues such as dual carriageways for the A66 and A69 and reducing the travel time from Leeds to Newcastle to 60 minutes, though the Chairman noted whether the benefits of a 60 minute travel time would be worthwhile if the train did not stop at Durham station.  The Chairman noted that a link to the NECA Transport Plan had been set out within the report and could be useful for Members.  Councillor J Armstrong added that the NECA budget had been looked at for a year and agreed and there had been a lot of recommendations brought forward by the NECA Overview and Scrutiny Committee which were included in a recently completed Policy Review looking at ‘transport related barriers to education, employment and training’ in terms of: concessionary fares for teenagers aged 16-19; improvement to ticketing machines; improvements to the network; accessibility; and ensuring policies do not disadvantage development and employment at the planning stage.  It was suggested that the link to the above Policy Review report was circulated to the members of the committee following the conclusion of the meeting.

Councillor A Patterson asked as regards the Buses Bill and the potential impact upon rural communities.  The Head of Transport and Contract Services noted that it was hard to see there being much impact upon rural communities, with many services in rural areas being subsidised.  It was added that if the option of franchising, as set out in the bill, was pursued then some areas could look to take on profitable routes and use any profits to be able to subsidise other routes.  However, it was noted that there was not the opportunity in terms of large profits in County Durham and the opportunities set out in the Bill relating to partnership working were thought to be the best option for County Durham, to help look at issues such as congestion and operating services beyond 1 hour of the major centres. 

Councillor J Armstrong noted the issues in terms of rural routes and subsidies, and asked whether there was any update in terms of subsidised hospital transport.  The Head of Transport and Contract Services explained that DCC was working with the National Health Service and Public Health in terms of the volunteer car scheme to provide access to services.

Resolved:   

(i)       That the report be noted.

(ii)      That the NECA Policy Review Report looking at ‘transport related barriers to education, employment and training’ is circulated to members of the committee following the conclusion of the meeting.