Minutes - 10 March 2022 - NTS Delivery Board

Attendees

  • Jenny Gilruth, Minister for Transport (co-chair)
  • Councillor Steven Heddle , COSLA (co-chair)
  • Walter Scott, SCOTS
  • Jim Grieve, RTPs
  • Nicola Gill, ATCO
  • Pippa Milne, SOLACE
  • Hugh Gillies, Transport Scotland

Officials

  • Robert Nicol, COSLA
  • Anne Martin, Transport Scotland
  • Paul Junik, Transport Scotland
  • Bethany Sharp, Transport Scotland
  • Jonny Inglis, Transport Scotland
  • Karen McFarlane, Transport Scotland (minutes)
  • Sharon Dickson, Transport Scotland (secretariat)
  • Rebecca Vaughan, Transport Scotland

Apologies

  • Bruce Kiloh, RTPs
  • Ewan Wallace, SCOTS
  • Fiona Brown, Transport Scotland

Welcome and Introductions

Councillor Heddle welcomed members to the fifth NTS2 Delivery Board meeting and welcomed Ms Gilruth as the new co-chair.

Councillor Heddle thanked members and their officials for participating in pre-Board meeting discussions and encouraged this approach to continue in future.

Review of Actions from Last Meeting

Members were invited to discuss the action raised at the fourth Board meeting:

Action DB4-01: Members to gather information on positive local initiatives supporting the 20% Car KM reduction work.

SCOTS commented that the vast majority (93%) of roads are local authority responsibility and there are many opportunities for SCOTS members to contribute to this work. SCOTS continue to hold regular discussions with members about ongoing work, and a response will be submitted through the 20% route map consultation.

SCOTS provided a current example from Dundee City Council regarding their Sustainable Transport Plan for reference.

COSLA recognises that councils are undertaking a lot of work around discouraging car usage and notes that 20% is a bold target, requiring joined-up working with members and partners.

ATCO commented that councils have various projects ongoing to deliver climate change targets including bus partnership and active travel, and that there needs to be some structure on how these will help to deliver the target.

SOLACE added that opportunities that have arisen through the pandemic, such as hybrid working, should be upheld.  Innovative projects in partnership with the private sector, such as drone technology trials for medicines and blood samples, are also in progress.

Regional Transport Partnerships and Regional Transport Strategies

RTPs delivered a presentation on the Regional Transport Strategies which are in development or have been developed by the seven Partnerships. The strategies set out the long-term vision for transport, specific to the challenges and opportunities for the region and are aligned with the priorities and vision set out in NTS2 and the interventions identified in STPR2.

Members asked about European funding following the UK’s exit from the EU.  RTPs noted that the UK Government’s levelling up fund is aimed at local, rather than regional, level and European funds have not been allocated to RTPs at this stage. RTPs advised that SESTRAN have a range of ongoing projects that have European funding until completion.

Members commented that it is vital that regional strategies are used to set the context for local transport strategies, to ensure the strength of the regional approach is translated to local level. There needs to be a degree of latitude to allow for consistency in the approach between similar regions.

STPR2 Recommendations and Consultation

Transport Scotland delivered a presentation on the STPR2’s 45 recommendations.  The STPR2 consultation was launched on 20 January 2022 and will close on 15 April 2022.

Post-consultation, Transport Scotland will examine the responses, refine the recommendations, develop a delivery plan and publish their final report and SEA post-adoption statement.

Members commented that the Climate Change agenda is wider than just transport and that there is an opportunity to join up with the Population Strategy and the Islands Connectivity Plan.  Impact assessments should reflect real issues such as fuel price hikes, which are impacting transport in rural areas and affecting equalities in these areas.

Members commented that active freeways are not just for large urban areas as there can be links to rural areas.

Members referred to the Island Communities Impact Assessment carried out for STPR2 and commented that this was very ambitious, with over twenty major plans to be delivered.

NTS2 Progress Update

Transport Scotland delivered a presentation outlining progress on the NTS2 Delivery Plan and stakeholder engagement. A paper was issued to Board members in advance.

Members asked about the membership of the Peoples’ Panel and the status of monitoring of the first Delivery Plan.

ACTION DB5-01: Transport Scotland to outline the selection process for NTS2 Peoples’ Panel membership.

ACTION DB5-02: Transport Scotland to provide an update on the monitoring of the first NTS2 Delivery Plan at the next Board meeting.

Members also commented that the Rest and Be Thankful work should be aligned as contributing towards the Reducing Inequalities and Helps Develop Inclusive Economic Growth priorities of the NTS2 within the Delivery Plan.

Next Steps

Transport Scotland will continue to finalise the second NTS2 Delivery Plan and make arrangements for publication to take place after the local authority elections.

The sixth meeting of the NTS2 Delivery Board is expected to take place in June 2022. Members are asked to engage with the NTS2 team in advance with any questions or comments, and meetings will be scheduled with officials from each member organisation to discuss the agenda items.

Actions

DB5-01

Transport Scotland to outline the selection process for NTS2 Peoples’ Panel membership.

DB5-02

Transport Scotland to provide an update on the monitoring of the first NTS2 Delivery Plan at the next Board meeting.

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Published Date 6 Apr 2022 Type Topic