Changes in South-East transport funding
- Below, a press release from Government News Network South-East.
- On dft.gov.uk, 3-year LTP “settlement document” [PDF]
John Edward writes of the settlement report,
you’ll find (on the third page) this: “Challenges ahead: The Eddington Report makes clear what local authorities have long known: that small local schemes to improve traffic flows, promote buses, cycling and walking, enable effective road maintenance and enhance local travel networks represent excellent value for money and make a real difference to local people and their access to services and jobs. The challenge is therefore to deliver these improvements over the next three years and ensure that value for money is secured.”
and, a few lines below, figures showing that the money for “Integrated Transport” for Hampshire is to reduce year by year!Over the coming months, when we’re talking with Hampshire County Council officers and elected members, let’s ask them how they interpret the settlement and how they’re reacting to it.
Press Release
Passengers, drivers and businesses across the South East are set to benefit from a £649 million investment in local transport over the next three years, Transport Minister Rosie Winterton confirmed today.
The funding is part of the Local Transport Capital Settlement given to local authorities to help them deliver vital improvements, including new road safety measures, better street lighting, road maintenance, park and ride facilities and cycle lanes.
To give local authorities greater certainty to plan for the coming years, this settlement provides year on year increases for a three year period to 2010/11, unlike previous years where funding was allocated annually.
The South East is a major contributor to the UK economy. As well as supporting around four million jobs, the region also provides a significant proportion of the labour market in London. An efficient transport system will play a key part in the region’s future development, and the investment confirmed today will be used to support the sort of local transport schemes that deliver value for money, as well as significant benefits for communities.
Rosie Winterton said:
“The South East region is such an important part of our national economy, not only in the services and workforce it provides for London, but also as an area of enterprise and innovation in its own right.
“The £649million we are confirming today will go towards improvements in its transport network that can make a real difference to the people that live and do business here. It will help take forward schemes specifically targeted to improve safety, reduce congestion or upgrade facilities for pedestrians and cyclists – the sort of projects that can make a significant contribution towards helping the region meet its future challenges.”
Minister for the South East, Jonathan Shaw, said:
“This significant investment in our regional transport infrastructure is excellent news for the South East economy. It is encouraging to see the success of schemes financed through previous Local Transport Capital Settlements, and this new funding will enable our local authorities to deliver further transport improvements.”
Examples of recent projects funded by local transport settlements:
* The introduction of a pedestrian prioritised street in Brighton city centre. New Road has increased pedestrian flow by 162%, reduced traffic volume by 93% and resulted in a 22% increase in the number of cyclists.
* £3.1m towards Oxfordshire’s Headington Roundabout re-construction to reduce traffic congestion and improve bus reliability.
* The introduction of 20mph speed limits on over half of Portsmouth’s residential roads to improve safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The remainder will be completed by March 2008 as part of the £475,000 scheme.
* Continued improvements to the Fastway guided bus scheme in Crawley which now carries approximately 9000 passengers a day.
* School Safety Zones at 30 West Sussex schools to raise awareness of the need to travel more safely around schools. An additional 68 schemes will be delivered by 2010.
The South East will also benefit from £51.8 million through the Specific Road Safety Grant announced last year. The grant means more money and flexibility for local authorities to deliver safer roads.
Notes to Editors
1. Today’s investment includes £371 million for highways capital maintenance and £278 million for smaller transport improvement schemes.
2. This year’s investment delivers funding for 2008/09 to 2010/11. It confirms the indicative integrated transport allocations of £1,768 million across the country for 2008/09 to 2010/11 announced last year, which were subject to this year’s spending review.
3. The specific road safety grant of £51.8 million replaces the previous system of funding safety cameras through fine income. From 1 April 2007 safety cameras have been integrated into the local transport plan system and authorities have greater flexibility to use this grant to implement any locally agreed mix of road safety measures.
4. Of the funding for highways capital maintenance, £363 million is being distributed formulaically. The remaining £8 million is being allocated in response to specific bids. These include bids for major maintenance and bridge strengthening on the primary route network and, for smaller authorities, bids for exceptional maintenance schemes.
5. The highways capital maintenance formula has recently been revised, following a consultation. The results of this consultation, ‘Local Transport Planning: The Next Steps’, which also asked about the future of Local Transport Plans and reporting on progress, can be found at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/localtransportbill/govresponse
6. The second Local Transport Plans (LTPs) were submitted in 2006 by all English local transport authorities outside London, containing an integrated transport strategy for their area and a costed programme of measures to improve local transport over the period 2006/07 to 2010/11.
7. Full details of individual local authority LTP allocations throughout England will be available on the Department’s website http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/ltp/capital/ltpsettle07/
8. The attached table shows the 2008/09 to 2010/11 allocations announced today for each of the local transport authorities in the South East region.
Integrated Highways Total Road
Transport Capital (2008/09 to Safety
Block (2008/09 Maintenance 2010/11) Grant
to 2010/11) (2008/09 to £000s £000s
£000s 2010/11) £000s
South East 277,583 371,000 648,583 51,879
Region Total
Bracknell Forest 2,833 4,189 7,022 726
Brighton and 14,144 4,109 18,253 1,380
Hove
Buckinghamshire 16,822 22,731 39,553 3,690
East Sussex 15,057 27,893 42,950 3,175
Hampshire 40,215 57,153 97,368 8,171
Isle of Wight 5,636 8,065 13,701 1,008
Kent 43,928 78,109 122,037 8,659
Medway 9,498 6,548 16,046 1,161
Milton Keynes 7,841 8,595 16,436 1,672
Oxfordshire 24,198 39,466 63,664 4,486
Portsmouth 7,739 3,502 11,241 1,183
Reading 11,653 4,375 16,028 958
Slough 3,982 2,010 5,992 792
Southampton 9,054 4,249 13,303 1,120
Surrey 32,119 48,931 81,050 6,445
West Berkshire 3,787 9,872 13,659 1,085
West Sussex 21,282 29,773 51,055 4,426
Windsor and 3,860 6,437 10,297 872
Maidenhead
Wokingham 3,935 4,993 8,928 869
Regional Department for Transport press notices can be viewed at http://www.gnn.gov.uk
Issued on behalf of DfT by the Government News Network South East.