Agenda item

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

14.1  There had been circulated copies of a joint report by the Director Environment and Infrastructure and Director Resilient Communities providing an overview of current transport policy in Scotland and indicating how the Council was developing short, medium and longer term actions to help deliver national and regional transport strategy aspirations at a local level.  The second version of the National Transport Strategy (NTS) had been published in February 2020 and set out the national ambition for the next twenty years, while coordinating objectives and outcomes with planning, economic development and Net Zero strategies to provide a core set of principles for all new development.  The Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) which was developed by the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran) was approved by Local Authority Members in 2022 and by Transport Scotland in March 2023.  The document set out how transport priorities could be delivered across the South East of Scotland and linked directly to the NTS and local priorities.  The Scottish Borders was in the unique position of being partners in two Growth Deals and having a South of Scotland Enterprise Agency to support the Council’s ambitions.  The key national and regional transport policy documents were supplemented by the Regional Economic Strategy for the South (RES) and The Edinburgh and South East of Scotland City Region Deal (City Deal) along with the associated Regional Prosperity Framework (RPF) provided a strong commitment to improving transport in rural areas.  Scottish Borders Council had produced local transport strategy documents in the past and in 2015 a Main Issues Report recommended that a Local Access & Transport Strategy (LATS) for the Scottish Borders be refreshed once all of the national and regional strategies were in place.  It was hoped that the initiation of a new LATS would commence later in the year.  Even in the absence of an up-to- date LATS, there were still a number of strategically important projects being taken forward that delivered national and regional ambition, helped to improve transport connectivity in the area and looked to support the Council’s Net-Zero commitments. 

14.2  The Bus Network Review was the first full scale review of bus services for circa 30 years and was using data from operators and local businesses to help identify and design services that better met the needs of communities and try to grow patronage in a sustained period of funding pressures to subsidise services.  Changes were likely to include the removal of duplication and delivering services that would make a difference to local communities.  It was proposed to have a number of Elected Member briefings during the summer and bring forward proposals to Council in August/September 2023.  The development of Active Travel (Cycling, Walking and Wheeling) throughout Scotland was a key plank of national and regional transport policy and The Scottish Government had currently committed to spend at least £320 million, or 10% of the total transport budget on active travel by 2024?25 (up from £39 million in 2017/18).  However, in order to access this additional funding, Scottish Borders Council would need an Active Travel Team and develop a bespoke Active Travel Strategy for the area.  The Electric Vehicle Charging Expansion Plan acknowledged that Transport Scotland was transitioning away from publicly funding the public charging network and had provided support for Local Authorities to procure private sector investment in infrastructure, operations and services to grow the uptake of EV vehicles in Scotland.  A proposed model had been built for the Scottish Borders using significant community engagement to create a proposal that would see an initial charging network delivered to 100 communities in the region, creating an equitable distribution of infrastructure, while demonstrating a viable investment for the private sector.  It was proposed to bring the recommendations to Council in August/September 2023, to allow the procurement phase to commence later in the year.  Members welcomed the paper and highlighted the importance of public transport in the Borders including the need for the Borders Railway extension.

         DECISION

         AGREED to:-

(a)        note the status of Transport Policy in Scotland and the influence on regional and local actions;

(b)       note the progress on developing an updated Local Access and Transport Strategy in 2023;

(c)        note the progress on the Bus Network review and agreed that a report be presented to Council in Autumn 2023;

(d)       have a number of members briefings during the summer on the recommendations of the Bus Network review, based on locality areas;

(e)        noter the progress on Active Travel Development in the region;

(f)         note the progress on the Electric Vehicle Charging Expansion Plan and identify any additional briefings required before recommendations were brought to a future Council meeting; and

(g)       receive a report on the Electric Vehicle Charging Expansion Plan at the August or September Council meeting.

MEMBER

          Councillor Robson left the meeting.