To approve as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting of the South East Midlands Local Transport Board held on 23 April 2013.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting held on 23 April 2013 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive from Members any declarations of interest.

None were declared.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman and any matters of communication.

No announcement was made.

Members of the public or other organisations will be allowed to present their case on specific Agenda items.  A total of 15 minutes for these presentations will be allowed at the start of each Local Transport Board meeting.

No requests were received.

To receive an update report on the timescales for the Department for Transport’s approval of the Local Framework for the South East Midlands area.

The Board considered a report that provided an update on the Department for Transport’s (DfT) amended approach to signing off the Local Framework. 

The DfT was undertaking a significant amount of work in providing guidance that would inform the process for Local Transport Boards (LTBs) assessing and approving the Business Case for major transport projects.  The Board noted that DfT’s response to Part 1 (Governance) of the Local Framework had not been received.

The DfT was proposing that approval of Part 3 of the Local Framework would not be issued until each LTB had been given a chance to consider the guidance. It was anticipated that guidance from the DfT would be available in the autumn. 

RESOLVED

that the Department for Transport’s amended approach to signing off the Local Framework be noted.

To receive an update report on the prioritisation process for transport schemes in the South East Midlands area.

The Board considered a report that provided an update on the prioritisation process as set out in Part 2 of the Local Framework.  The key elements of the prioritisation process were:

• each Local Authority should prepare a list of eligible transport schemes; and
• the prioritised shortlist would be generated by a spreadsheet methodology that took into account the Local Transport Board objectives, together with the scheme cost, deliverability to programme, Value for Money and the environmental/social distribution impacts.

The Board noted the appointment of JMP Consultants Limited to undertake this work, together with their initial review of the spreadsheet and the long list of schemes to be prioritised.

The Board noted that JMP were presenting an initial assessment of the prioritisation of the long list of schemes, which had been amended following discussions with officers.

RESOLVED

1.            that the appointment of JMP to undertake the prioritisation process be noted;

2.            that the methodology of the prioritisation process as set out in Appendix A to the report be approved; and

3.            that the list of strategic transport schemes to be funded in part through the South East Midlands Local Transport Board funding application be approved.

To receive a presentation by JMP on the prioritisation work undertaken to date.

The Board received a presentation from JMP Consultants Ltd on the Local Major Scheme Devolution in the South East Midlands Local Transport Board (LTB) area.  JMP’s role would be to review the prioritisation process and framework, and provide supporting evidence for an audit trail of the prioritisation process.  It was noted the selection criteria must consider value for money, deliverability, environmental and social/distributional impact.

JMP had been working closely with officers and had reviewed the appropriateness, quality and consistency of evidence submitted by scheme sponsors for the prioritisation process.  The Consultants reported on the early sift of the long list of schemes, the initial assessment and “scoring” of a short list of schemes and provided an illustrative development of potential programme options.  A copy of JMP’s presentation is attached at Appendix A.

The Board discussed the short list of schemes and whether they were deliverable and were value for money.  Members discussed the need to adopt a more strategic approach to agreeing the LTB programme of schemes, and particularly noted that the Woodside Link, Bedford Western Bypass and the A421 dualling and associated roundabouts satisfied this approach.  It was agreed that further evidence supporting the A421 scheme was needed.     

The Board considered that some more local schemes should also be included in the LTB programme.  They therefore considered that the inclusion of the A421 dualling within Option C presented by JMP was the most appropriate LTB programme.

The Board requested that before the next meeting on 25 July the short list of schemes be mapped out and circulated to the Board. 

RESOLVED

that JMP Consultants Ltd and officers assess the following schemes before the next meeting:

• Woodside Link
• Bedford Western Bypass
• London Luton Airport surface access
• A421 dualling and associated roundabouts

with the addition of one or more schemes being included from the following:

• Milton Keynes Park and Ride
• Northern entrance to Luton Airport Parkway
• Central Milton Keynes Public Transport Interchange
• Bletchley Public Transport Interchange

1)     25 July 2013 – 10.00 a.m.

2)     December 2013/January 2014 to follow

Thursday 25 July 2013 at 10.00 a.m. in Committee Room 1, Watling House, Dunstable.