Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1. The attached draft Business Plan was considered by the Transport for South Hampshire (TfSH) Joint Committee at its meeting on 30 June 2009. This is the second Business Plan for the partnership and will span the political years June 2009 to May 2011. It provides for priority actions over this period for the developments that are planned for South Hampshire against the current congested transport network. The draft Plan considers that the resources allocated to Transport for South Hampshire are not currently adequate to progress the extent of actions required and will need a commitment from the three highway authorities to increase their contributions, if the Plan is to be delivered.

2. The governance agreement for TfSH requires the Joint Committee to recommend the Business Plan to the three constituent authorities for approval and in 2007 the Leader of the Council, in his capacity as Executive Member for Policy and Resources, established that TfSH's Business Plan should be considered by the County Council. This approach was used for the first Plan that covered the period 2007-09. Once the Plan has been approved by the three authorities, it will become the Approved Business Plan to guide the work and activity of TfSH over the coming two years. Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils are currently involved in securing their own respective approval processes.

3. The draft Business Plan confirms the Vision, supported by Key Objectives and Core Activities for the partnership, building upon the successful work in its first two years. This has included securing funds for the first phase of Bus Rapid Transit, bringing forward a number of major projects across the County boundary in Portsmouth and Southampton, and undertaking a number of key studies into the interventions needed to plan for future growth. The partnership is now recognised on the regional and national stage as a good working example of collaboration between authorities and, with the transport industry, as a beacon for other areas. Indeed, as a direct result of the opportunity to communicate with Transport for South Hampshire, the separate commercial bus operators have established a South Hampshire Bus Operators Association to speak with a single voice on bus enhancements.

4. To deliver the required Action Plan, the partnership needs to ramp up its resources. A further 4.5 full-time equivalent members of staff are required over the two year period of the Plan, at a monetary equivalent in the order of £220,000 per year, including on-costs. Southampton City Council has secured its share of funding to 2010-11 and Portsmouth City Council is taking steps to secure its contribution for the two years. The County Council's share is available for the current financial year through a reallocation of the partnership's revenue budget, which has been secured from the constituent authorities, grants and other sources. It is proposed to seek to ensure that an additional £75,000 for the next financial year 2010-11 can be found.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Transport for South Hampshire Business Plan 2009-11 be approved, subject to additional funding being secured by the three constituent highway authorities.