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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED - County Councillor Keith Henson proposes that the following recommendations are accepted. This was seconded by County Councillor Alun Williams. · Climate & Nature emergency to be added to the report– under the ‘Impacts’ to note ‘this will have the impact on the future of our climate and nature’ so this is clear it is a commitment that is being made going forward. · Clarification of what is meant by engagement and consultation in the Case for Change.
Chair Councillor Jackie Charlton formally welcomed all members to the Regional Transport Planning meeting.
Apologies received - Powys County Council: Councillor David Selby, Councillor Angela Davies Ceredigion County Council: Councillor Clive Davies
There were no Declarations of Interest from Members relating to items to be on the agenda.
County Councillor Alun Williams proposed that the minutes of the CJC Regional Transport Planning Sub Committee meeting held on 23rd October 2023 be signed as a true record, County Councillor Keith Henson seconded, also agreed by the Chair, County Councillor Jackie Charlton.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED - County Councillor Keith Henson proposes that the following recommendations are accepted. This was seconded by County Councillor Alun Williams. · Climate & Nature emergency to be added to the report– under the ‘Impacts’ to note ‘this will have the impact on the future of our climate and nature’ so this is clear it is a commitment that is being made going forward. · Clarification of what is meant by engagement and consultation in the Case for Change.
Ann Elias guided the Board through the Regional Transport Plan update report on the progress of the work on the Regional Transport Plan. Gemma Thomas and Rhys Richards from WSP gave the Board a presentation of background of the Regional Transport Plan and guided the Board through the Case for Change (Appendix 4) to set out key issues for transport in Mid Wales and discusses regional challenges in relation to: • Rurality • Access to services • Economic connectivity • Tourism • Car dependencies • Carbon emissions • Public transport • Road safety • Active travel • Resilience of the transport network The issues identified in the Case for Change will inform the development of the Mid Wales RTP vision and objectives. Raised by Committee Responses from Officers The Board observed the Public Transport Volume mapping which displays the volume of people transported via public transport and noted the case for rail in the region. It was suggested that it may be due to lack of a viable alternative and that transport by bus should not be overlooked – despite less people appearing to travel by bus on the map. Board members suggested comparing the data from the mapping of access to services and journey time of Mid Wales to South Wales. Ann Elias stated the reason there may be less people travelling via bus on the data is that a bus has a seat capacity for each route whereas train can transport a greater number. It was agreed this highlighted what is already known but provides with the evidence required to support the Case for Change. Board members queried why the carbon emission per car in Mid Wales change/differs from that in Southeast Wales – there is a higher car ownership but a wider spread of population and if this is factored into the data in terms of air quality. WSP stated that data has not been compared between regions and was unsure if this is available but across Wales, car use is going to be one of the bigger emitters and RTP’s will need to have policies and projects in place to reduce car use. As Tourism is seasonal, the region gets a higher number of cars but also heavy agricultural machinery which does not impact on the RTP but does impact on carbon emissions and air quality – this should be considered as it may not be coming from the region’s cars but elsewhere. It was agreed that work will need to be done on this complicated issue because as a region, there is not access to the active travel in the same way that others have. It was raised this work could be linked into the local energy plans – if the region needs fast charging points, it will need capacity from the grid. There would also be an increased demand in summer months due to tourism. Electric car clubs also need to be a part of the RTP. Powys have taken a report (Road Safety Crisis in Powys) to Ken Skates on which gives a case for change. A meeting has been scheduled with Ken Skates for 18th July – per capita, Powys have got the most dangerous roads in the UK. TFW have reduced the timetable for one of the main routes in Ceredigion, which should be included into the Case for Change – the responsibility is put on the Local Authorities, but the transport company is making the decisions which leads to a disconnect. Some members were copied into a press release from TFW which stated reductions of services on the T5 were agreed with local authorities and bus operators which is not the case- by the time it was asked to be corrected, the release had already been published. The Board agreed that representing the public and engagement is extremely important. To hear of cuts to services which were said to have been supported by Councillors which were not the case is disappointing – with time, hopefully relationships will strengthen. Consultation and public engagement are different things. Engagement with communities is important so they can be brought along on the journey instead of consulting after the work is done. It is required for the RTP to include behaviour change projects which is not the same as public engagement but is encouraging people to get on board. The RTP guidance is clear on when to go to public consultation and specifies when to do that. Two stakeholder workshops have taken place including WG, TFW, Network Rail and representatives from GMW. Ann clarified that part of the initial engagement was to engage as a committee and officers to scope out the Case for Change- the communication plan sets out how this will be taken forward. Concerns were raised after a meeting between LA’s, TFW and WG where it was mentioned by TFW that the purpose of the RTP was to deliver the Wales Transport Strategy when in fact it is to deliver the needs of the people of Mid Wales - tailoring what the Board is to deliver to meet the aspirations of the transport strategy for the people of Mid Wales. Working in tandem with WG with continued meetings with views being considered will ensure positive work is taking place for a better future. It was noted that this CJC is the pathway to delivering the ministers transport strategy which needs to be raised and engagement with stakeholders such as TFW is critical to this. The Board feels the concerns and comments have been captured during the meeting for WSP to refine. Some points need to be strengthened around what the interventions will be. Decision Sought: A) To note the content of the report and tasks undertaken to deliver the development of a Regional Transport Plan for the Mid Wales CJC. B) To agree the RTP Case for Change, and Engagement Plan. RESOLVED - County Councillor Keith Henson proposes that the following recommendations are accepted. This was seconded by County Councillor Alun Williams. · Climate & Nature emergency to be added to the report– under the ‘Impacts’ to note ‘this will have the impact on the future of our climate and nature’ so this is clear it is a commitment that is being made going forward. · Clarification of what is meant by engagement and consultation in the Case for Change.
No matters arising.
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