Agenda item

Background:

This report provided details of a ‘proposal to Government’ seeking statutory status for the Sub-National Transport Body for the South East. The report explained that Transport for the South East (TfSE) formed as a shadow Sub-National Transport Body (STB) in June 2017 and brought together sixteen Local Transport Authorities: Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Medway, Kent, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham.

The Shadow Partnership Board also included arrangements for involving five Local Enterprise Partnerships in its governance process, along with two National Park Authorities, forty-four Boroughs and Districts in East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and representatives from the transport industry.

The report stated that if statutory status was approved, TfSE would have the powers and responsibilities that were required to support the work of its constituent authorities and partners. It would allow TfSE to directly influence government decision-making and give it the tools to develop regional transport solutions and deliver major improvements to the transport network in the South East. Its main purpose would be to facilitate the development of a Transport Strategy for the region and to promote economic growth.

To achieve statutory status, TfSE was required to develop a ‘proposal to Government’. This needed to demonstrate the strategic case for the creation of a Sub-national Transport Body and set out how TfSE would fulfil the statutory requirements outlined in the enabling legislation. The proposal needed to also identify the types of powers and responsibilities sought, and the proposed governance structure. The proposal was set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

Reasons:

TfSE’s aim to grow the region’s economy by delivering an integrated and  sustainable transport system aligns with Medway’s vision to improve the quality of life for all our residents, protect and enhance our natural and built environment and deliver economic regeneration and growth.

TfSE provides an opportunity to support the delivery of growth plans in Medway through the development of a long-term strategic programme of transport measures to facilitate economic growth and make the South East more competitive. It will develop a Transport Strategy that complements the work of the Local Economic Partnerships and supports the delivery of Local Plans.

TfSE will address strategic transport infrastructure issues that have acted as a barrier to growth of the economy. As a constituent authority, Medway Council will be able to influence the prioritisation of investment by the major national transport agencies such as Highways England and Network Rail in a way that has not been possible in the past. Medway stands to benefit from a greater collective influence with Government and key stakeholders, helping to secure delivery of longstanding transport infrastructure ambitions.