Issue - items at meetings - 2013/14 Local Transport Plan Capital Programme

Report of the Strategic Director; Place (copy attached).

(1)               That the allocation of £6.349 million worth of funding for the 2013/14 Local Transport Plan capital programme to the Capital Renewal  (Maintenance) and Integrated Transport work programmes set out in Appendix 1 of the report be approved; and

(2)               That the indicative allocation of Local Transport Plan capital resources for 2014/15 and 2015/16 as part of a 3-year Delivery Plan, as set out in Appendix 1, which would be subject to future budget decisions be noted.

160.1          The strategic Director; Place introduced the report which detailed the proposed spend for the Local Transport Capital Programme (LTP) projects for 2013/14 which had been approved at the Budget Council meeting on the 28^th February 2013.  He stated that half of the available funding was ser aside for maintenance and the remaining half for projects and infrastructure.  There were also indicative allocations shown for 2014/15 and 2015/16 for which regular update reports would be brought to the committee.  It was intended to consult on the various projects and the City Transport Partnership would be included in that process throughout.

160.2          The Chair stated that it was a priority for the Administration to protect the LTP funding as the impact on the city was very clear and significant challenges would have to be faced e.g. the protection and securing of the seafront arches.

160.3          Councillor G. Theobald stated that he was surprised that the LTP had not been considered at the Transport Committee and welcomed the intention to reserve 50% of the funding for the maintenance budget.  He also noted that the LTP had been boosted by government funding and queried what the £50k identified for Queen’s Park related to and the £120k for traffic management cameras.

160.4          The Chair stated that council welcomed all funding that was secured from government and European avenues but noted that in general terms the LTP funding had declined over time.

160.5          The Lead Commissioner for City Regulation and Infrastructure stated that the £50k was to improve access to surrounding roads to the park and the £120k was for bus lane enforcement cameras.

160.6          Councillor Mitchell welcomed the level of investment but questioned the capacity within the department to be able to spend the available funding.  She also expressed concern over the difficulty ward councillors had found to secure improvements to local areas with the provision of bollards, yellow lines and other small-scale measures that residents had identified as being required.  Such improvements had previously been actioned but were now more difficult to get implemented.

160.7          The Strategic Director; Place stated that officers were aware of the need to have an effective programme of spend and were reviewing how this could be implemented across the various teams involved; e.g. consideration of the use of specialist support was being investigated.  In relation to road safety measures raised by Members, these would be looked at continually and where possible action taken.

160.8          Councillor West welcomed the report and noted that funding had been levered in from CIVATS and the National Park Authority and he wished to thank the officers involved.  There was a need to invest in the city and he welcomed the improved street lighting programme and choices for residents that were now available.

160.9          Councillor Morgan stated that there was a need to ensure residents understood the intentions of having large-scale projects and spending, especially when they found the small-scale improvements to their areas that they had requested were either delayed or not being taken forward.

160.10      The Chair noted the comments and agreed that information to residents should be made available so that the cost of projects and reasons for delays to the improvements they hoped for were understood and hoped that officers would take this on board.  He then put the recommendations to the vote.

160.11      RESOLVED:

(1)         That the allocation of £6.349 million worth of funding for the 2013/14 Local Transport Plan capital programme to the Capital Renewal  (Maintenance) and Integrated Transport work programmes set out in Appendix 1 of the report be approved; and

(2)         That the indicative allocation of Local Transport Plan capital resources for 2014/15 and 2015/16 as part of a 3-year Delivery Plan, as set out in Appendix 1, which would be subject to future budget decisions be noted.