Agenda and minutes

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Venue: Committee Room 'D' - The Henry Bolingbroke Room, County Hall, Preston. View directions

Contact: Cath Rawcliffe  Tel: 01772 533380 Email:  cath.rawcliffe@lancashire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

Observers: 

 

Richard Perry, Department for Transport

Brian Parker, Highways England

 

In Attendance

 

Dave Colbert, Specialist Advisor, Transportation, Lancashire County Council

Martin Kelly, Director of Economic Development, Lancashire County Council

Mike Cliffe, Strategic Transport Manager, Blackburn with Darwen Council,

Brian Bailey, Director ofStrategy and Funding, Blackburn with Darwen Council

Jeremy Walker, Transport Policy Manager, Blackpool Council

Daniel Herbert, Group Manager – Highways and Community Services. LCC

Cath Rawcliffe, Democratic Services Officer, Lancashire County Council

 

1.

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

The Chair, County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE, Lancashire County Council, welcomed all to the meeting. 

 

Apologies were noted from Councillor Phil Riley.

 

Officer apologies were noted from Alan Cavill, Blackpool Council, Heather Prichard, Network Rail and Mike Kirby, Lancashire County Council.

 

2.

Chair of the Committee

The County Council at its meeting on the 25 May 2017 appointed County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE as leader of the County Council.  In accordance with the Committee's Terms of Reference, Councillor Driver will act as Chair of the LEP Transport for Lancashire Committee.

 

Minutes:

The Committee noted that in accordance with the Committee's Terms of Reference, County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE, Leader of Lancashire County Council, would act as Chair of the LEP Transport for Lancashire Committee.

 

3.

Terms of Reference pdf icon PDF 61 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report was presented on a small number of updates to the Committee's Terms of Reference. The updates reflected changes in the Council's Structure from April 2015 and the emergence of Transport for the North.

 

Resolved: That the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board be recommended to approve the revised Terms of Reference of the Transport for Lancashire Committee as set out at Appendix A to be the report.

 

4.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

None declared.

5.

Minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2017 pdf icon PDF 89 KB

Minutes:

Resolved:  The minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2017 be approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

6.

Matters Arising

Minutes:

There were no matters arising from the Minutes.

7.

National Productivity Investment Fund pdf icon PDF 94 KB

Minutes:

A report was presented on the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) which comprised of additional spending in areas key to boosting productivity throughout the UK.

 

The Committee was informed that the Department for Transport (DfT) had allocated a proportion of the available NPIF to Local Transport Authorities on a competitive basis. The funds could be used to tackle congestion and improve transport networks thereby improving productivity and local economic growth.

 

The report set out the process and requirements together with a brief summary of the bids being prepared for submission by Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council. These had been prioritised locally as those best able to deliver the outcomes of the NPIF and were set out at Appendix A to the report.  Officers from the three authorities gave a short presentation on each of the schemes.

 

Following the presentations each officer received feedback from the Committee on their respective bids. It was emphasised that there must be sufficient evidence in support of the strategic and economic cases for intervention and that it was essential that each bid attracted a private sector funding contribution. The bid must also contain information summarising the impacts against a number of metrics relevant to the Fund's objectives. The quality of the analysis submitted would be a material consideration in determining whether the bids were successful.

 

It was noted that DfT guidance had indicated that NPIF submissions would benefit from endorsement by the relevant Local Enterprise Partnership. The Committee was therefore asked to recommend that the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board endorse the bids.

 

Resolved: That the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board be recommended to endorse the bids being prepared for submission by Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council as set out at Appendix A to the report.  

 

8.

Transport for the North Update

A short presentation by Dave Colbert – Specialist Advisor Transport Planning, LCC

Minutes:

 

Dave Colbert, the Specialist Adviser, Transport Planning, informed the Committee of the developments that had taken place since the last meeting.

 

The Committee noted that Transport for the North (TfN) was currently seeking feedback from its partners and stakeholders on a number of published reports which would inform the Strategic Transport Plan (STP). These included an initial Major Roads report, an initial Integrated Rail report and a Strategic Development Corridors report.

The Major Roads report identified a Major Road Network for the north and set out the importance of strategic road connectivity in delivering transformational economic growth. Rather than focusing just on new roads or improved railways, TfN has identified economic centres which require improved transport connections and the infrastructure improvements which would improve those links. The report set out a portfolio of connectivity priorities that would inform the STP and the identification of Strategic Development Corridors.

The Committee was advised that TfN is developing proposals for a Northern Powerhouse Rail network which would link together six of the North’s major cities and Manchester Airport with faster and more frequent rail services. TfN was also working with Network Rail to identify improvements needed across the existing rail network in the North.

The Strategic Development Corridors report identifies the strategic corridors where TfN considers infrastructure investment would be needed to connect different areas, enabling people and goods to move rapidly and reliably around the North. It was reported that the STP would set out prioritised proposals to improve connectivity of these strategic corridors, which include Northern Powerhouse Rail, Integrated and Smart Travel, and several other geographic connectivity priorities that reflect the economic links across the North.

The Committee was advised of the results of the Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review, which found that the North of England has four prime highly-productive capabilities: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital, Energy and Health Innovation.  These capabilities were present across the North but poor connectivity inhibited them acting as unified industries.

 

The Committee noted that officers from TfN would be available to discuss their developing Strategic Transport Plan at a drop in session at County Hall, Preston on the 29 June 2017 from 3pm.  This would be an opportunity for local businesses, elected members and interested stakeholders to find out more about TfN’s work and give feedback on the recent publications.

 

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

 

 

9.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

None.

10.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday 30 August 2017 at 2pm in Cabinet Room 'B' - The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.

Minutes:

It was noted that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday 30 August 2017 at 2pm in Cabinet Room 'B' - The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.