Agenda item

Consider report by Director Infrastructure and Environment.  (Copy attached.)

4.1       There had been circulated copies of a report by the Director Infrastructure and Environment seeking approval of the consultation response to South-East of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (SEStran) in reply to the Draft Regional Transport Strategy.  The response was required to be submitted by 11 February 2022.  The report explained that the Draft Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) for the South-East of Scotland had been prepared by SEStran which was set up under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005.  It covered eight constituent Local Authorities, namely Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian.  The Act also set the requirement to produce a statutory RTS to provide a strategic framework for transport management and investment for the Partnership area.  The Draft RTS had been prepared to replace the Regional Transport Strategy 2015 -2025 Refresh published in July 2015.  It replaced the original SEStran Regional Transport Strategy 2008 –2023 published in November 2008.  An Officers Group had reviewed the draft strategy in the context of national policy, local challenges and opportunities created through the establishment of SOSE and the regions involvement in two growth deals. From this review it was clear that the draft strategy did not properly represent the Scottish Borders and should be significantly changed to reflect more rural challenges and solutions.  It was proposed that Scottish Borders Council submit a structured response through the SEStran consultation portal and a detailed response to clearly articulate the areas where change was required in the draft strategy.  The draft responses were provided in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report.  Without an honest and detailed response the final strategy would not reflect the challenges and ambition of the Scottish Borders, leaving the region without the leverage to support cross boundary and local transport projects that were vital for our communities. 

4.2       SEStran also used the draft strategy to highlight the historic constraints that had hindered their delivery of cross boundary transport projects in the past and identified that there were discussions ongoing with Transport Scotland regarding further powers and funding for SEStran.  Developments would be monitored by Officers and communicated back to Scottish Border Council at the appropriate point. SEStran’s programme for approval of the final Regional Transport Strategy indicated the ambition to seek approval from their Board in March 2022.  It was proposed that the Council request a written response from SEStran on how they had actioned the Council’s comments so that the Council could consider their approach to being involved in the final approval process.  The Scottish Government would publish the draft Strategic Projects Review 2 on the 20 January 2022 (following the publication of this report) and it would inform transport investment programme in Scotland over the next 20 years (2022-2042).  Mr Curry proposed that recommendation 2.1(d) in the report be amended to read “approves in principle the detailed response provided in Appendix 2, and delegates authority to the Director Infrastructure & Environment – in consultation with the Leader and the Executive Member for Infrastructure, Travel & Transport – to finalise this response, for submission to SESTran on or before 11 February 2022”.

4.3       Members discussed the paper in detail and expressed their concerns regarding the Strategy and its failure to properly recognise rural issues.  It was important that the Council’s views were heard, particularly around the extension of the Borders Railway, and Members supported the work by officers.  With regard to the wording of the response, some Members felt that the phrasing could be improved and noted that this would be addressed by the amended recommendation proposed by the Director, which was unanimously accepted.

DECISION

AGREED:-

(a)     that the finalised strategy should fully reflect the challenges and ambition of the Scottish Borders;

(b)    that the finalised strategy should specifically address the comments identified in Section 4 of the report;

(c)     to approve the online questionnaire responses provided in Appendix 1 to the report, for submission to SEStran on, or before 11 February 2022;

(d)    to approve in principle the detailed response provided in Appendix 2 to the report, and delegate authority to the Director Infrastructure & Environment - in consultation with the Leader and the Executive Member for Infrastructure, Travel & Transport - to finalise this response, for submission to SESTran on or before 11 February 2022;

(e)     that officers request a written response from SEStran on how Scottish Borders Council’s comments had been incorporated into the next draft of the Strategy prior to the planned approval in March 2022;

(f)     that a further update be brought back to Council as the discussions developed regarding potential additional powers and funding being allocated to SEStran and

(g)    to consider any implications resulting from the Council’s views on the Draft Regional Transport Strategy following the publication of the Scottish Governments Strategic Transport Review 2 on 20 January 2022.