Agenda and minutes

The Chair, County Councillor Jennifer Mein, Lancashire County Council, welcomed all to the meeting.  Apologies for absence were received from Richard Perry, Department for Transport (Observer).  Heather Pritchard was welcomed to the meeting as the new Observer for Network Rail, replacing Tom Carberry.  Officer apologies were noted from Alan Cavill.

Resolved:  The minutes of the Committee meeting held on 2^nd December 2015 were approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

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Transport for the North Spring Report attached

It was agreed to consider the Transport for the North Update as the first substantive item of the agenda.

David Brown, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, gave a presentation on the recently formed Transport for the North body. 

It was reported that the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act – January 2016 amended the Local Transport Act 2008, the amendment enabling the Secretary of State to establish by regulations a sub-national transport body (STB) for any area in England outside Greater London.

It is proposed to formally establish "Transport for the North" as an STB; officers are currently preparing an STB proposal including constitutional arrangements, functions and powers.

Transport for the North will continue to provide a platform for engagement and collaboration with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), businesses and private sector to shape and inform its strategy.  In addition, there will be similar continuation of collaboration with national agencies such as Highways England, Network Rail, HS2 and the National Infrastructure Commission.

David stressed that the purpose of Transport for the North (TfN) is to draw functions down from central government, not take away any functions from existing local transport authorities.  It is not proposed that transport functions exercisable by a local authority (or PTE) should be exercisable by TfN instead of by the local authority (or PTE), but it is suggested that some transport functions should be exercisable by TfN concurrently with the local authority. TfN will be about adding value at a pan-Northern level.

It is intended that the next steps will include creation of a draft proposal by July 2016 for submission to the Department for Transport to review and prepare a Draft Order (Statutory Instrument) with the Statutory Instrument drafting and Parliamentary Stages beginning in October 2016, with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2017.

Committee Members welcomed the presentation and the opportunity to contribute, on behalf of Lancashire, to the development of TfN through the consultation stages.

Resolved:  That the Transport for the North presentation and update be noted.

Presentation by Jacobs

Peter Hibbert and Leighton Cardwell from the consultants Jacobs presented a report (circulated) regarding the Blackpool Tramway Extension application seeking conditional approval.

It was reported that the Blackpool Tramway Extension scheme will provide a new link from the current tramway on the Promenade adjacent to the North Pier along Talbot Road to Blackpool North station. 

The projected outturn capital cost of the Blackpool Tramway Extension scheme as set out in the Outline Business Case could rise from the £18.2m advised at Programme Entry to £24m; the agreed capital contribution from the Local Growth Fund through the Lancashire Growth Deal is £16.4m.  Blackpool Council has confirmed that it will meet the balance, but has requested that the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership consider allocating any future Growth Deal underspend or additional funding to support the scheme, to the extent that it becomes necessary at Full Approval.  The current local contribution amounts to just over 31% of the total projected scheme capital cost.

Jacobs have undertaken an independent assessment of the Outline Business Case on behalf of the LEP.  Jacobs confirmed they were satisfied that the project had been developed to the expected standard in most areas and recommended that Conditional Approval be granted to enable the scheme to progress to Full Business Case submission.  The revised scheme is predicted to deliver high value for money with a benefit to cost ratio of 2.86; it also has the potential to generate between £400,000 and £700,000 of wider economic benefits per annum for the local economy.

Jacobs advised that a number of conditions would need to be addressed as part of the Full Business Case submission, including confirmation of scheme funding arrangements once final costs are known.

Resolved:  The Committee considered the Outline Business Case report prepared by Jacobs and recommended that the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board grant the scheme Conditional Approval at its meeting to be held later on Tuesday 5^th April 2016.

Verbal update

Dave Colbert, Specialist Advisor Transportation, Lancashire County Council, gave an update on the Lancashire Strategic Transport Prospectus and informed the Committee that Transport for the North has endorsed the wider objectives of the Prospectus.  It is considered that the Prospectus is well positioned with regard to any developments with the wider Northern Powerhouse agenda.  It was also reported that the Prospectus has now been published.

With regard to the Chancellor's Budget announcement in March, it was reported that the Budget statement confirmed the opportunity to bid for funding to support development and delivery of large local major infrastructure transport schemes.  In addition, the Government has published an initial investigation examining the feasibility of extending HS2 to Scotland.  Transport for Lancashire will need to consider the implications for Preston and Lancaster in the future should this progress.

Resolved:  The Committee noted the update regarding Lancashire's Strategic Transport Prospectus and the Chancellor's Budget Statement for 2016.

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The next meeting is scheduled to be held on Friday 10^th June 2016, 10am, Cabinet Room 'D' - The Henry Bolingbroke Room, County Hall, Preston.

It was noted that the next Committee meeting was scheduled to be held on Friday 10^th June 2016, 10am in Cabinet Room 'D' – The Henry Bolingbroke Room, County Hall, Preston.

Full Outline Business Case relating to agenda item 5 is attached, in Part II, for information, this does not require printing.

Resolved:  The Committee noted the additional Part II documentation provided in relation to the Blackpool Tramway Extension submission.