Contact: Iain Reeve, ext 5189 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report reviews the authority's school travel plans and safer routes to schools programme, with particular reference to historic performance, current resources (county and district level) and future policies. It proposes that the Environment Policy Review Committee seeks a joint meeting with Education Policy Resources Committee to:

(i) examine how best to promote safe and sustainable school travel related to existing schools; and

(ii) review the planning process for new sites to take full account of the County Council's transport policies and targets.

2. Performance

2.1 The County Council has a vigorous safer routes to school programme. In 2002/03 the authority invested £730,000 in schemes across the county. A further £240,000 was invested in 2002/03 by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Some 23 capital schemes were implemented in 2002/03, with a further 58 schemes planned for 2003/04 to 2005/06.

2.2 The authority has a deliberate policy to direct investment towards schools where approved travel plans have been produced in liaison with the County Council's School Travel Plan Officer. To date 62 schools have developed school travel plans which have been adopted by the school community and endorsed by the School Travel Plan Officer. These schools carry out annual reviews of progress and submit annual reports to the authority. A further 13 schools have developed draft school travel plans which are being considered for adoption. In addition, 26 schools have taken ownership of travel issues and are working towards travel plans. The authority is confident that it can meet its target of 150 travel plans by 2005/06.

3. Resources

3.1 The authority currently has one full-time member of staff working on school travel plans. That officer is assisted by a part-time graduate on a training placement and by a dedicated safer routes to school engineer. Other officers also work on school travel issues, including those from road safety and the area teams within Transport Policy.

3.2 There are no named school travel plan coordinators in the district councils. Eastleigh Borough Council does have a sustainable transport officer who works with schools and businesses.

3.3 Over the five year Local Transport Plan (LTP) period the authority expects to spend around 5% of its total Capital Programme on school travel. As more schools adopt travel plans it is likely that requests for capital investment will increase. Proposals for infrastructure works are considered alongside other capital projects by taking account of factors such as:

(i) safety records;

(ii) social exclusion indices;

(iii) likely benefits to modal shift; and

(iv) the level of commitment of the school community.

3.4 The Government has recently announced a new initiative to improve school travel. This includes a national £50 million funding package which provides resources to individual schools to develop school travel plans. However, the amounts per school are relatively small (up to £10,000 per school) and will not be sufficient to fund any substantial infrastructure improvements. As additional funding from Government appears to be unlikely, any increases in funding for school travel would have to be met by corresponding savings from other capital programmes.

3.5 It is important that the integrity of the entire Capital Programme is carefully considered to ensure delivery of the full range of LTP and PSA targets. The County Council is working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Audit Commission to advise on the methodology and targets for the next Comprehensive Performance Assessment. Draft assessment proposals indicate an expectation that by March 2006 a minimum of 40% of schools will have implemented travel plans and 60% for high performing authorities.

4. Future Funding and Policy Developments

4.1 In mid December 2003 the authority will receive notification of its local transport capital allocations for 2004/05. These will be closely based on the indicative allocations which are already known, but could also include supplementary funding of more than £1 million. Once the allocations are known, the Committee will be consulted about the Capital Programme for 2004/05. This will provide an opportunity to debate the appropriate proportion of the total allocation plus other resources which should be allocated to school travel.

4.2 District councils will also be commenting on the Capital Programme as part of the autumn meetings of the Area Transport Strategy Panels.

4.3 The DfT is currently coordinating a School Transport Policy Working Group which is planning to publish a policy and best practice guidelines document, although a publication date has not yet been set.

4.4 The authority is currently beginning the process of developing the next LTP. This LTP, which has to be finalised by summer 2005, will set the authority's strategies and plans for the five year period from 2006/07 to 2010/11. Development of the LTP allows the authority to take a long-term view of how best to improve safe travel to school. It is anticipated that this process will include:

(i) a long-term vision of how the authority wants its transport system to improve;

(ii) identification of the links between transport and other policy areas, and the scope for joint working on cross-cutting initiatives;

(iii) full consultation with a wide range of stakeholders about improvements to transport strategies;

(iv) a review of the effectiveness of existing and previous measures;

(v) initiatives to seek out, and learn from, best practice in other authorities and countries; and

(vi) the development and trialling of innovative measures.

4.5 School travel will be fully considered as a priority part of this process. The initial stages of consultation on the overall transport vision are likely to start in the next two to three months.

4.6 At its last meeting the Environment Policy Review Committee proposed a joint meeting with Education Policy and Resources Committee to consider the synergies between transport and education policies. As this could involve a large number of people, it may be more practicable to establish a smaller task group with representatives from both committees.

Recommendations

1. That the Executive Member for Environment be advised that the proportion of funds devoted to school travel be revisited when the 2004/05 Capital Programme is agreed.

2. That the authority's performance on school travel and the current position on resources be noted.

3. That the possibility of a joint task group with Education Policy and Resources Committee be explored as part of the process of developing the next Local Transport Plan.

8344/IR