Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

(a)  To agree the Minutes of the meeting held on 14^th July 2021

(b)  Matters arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 14^th July 2021 were agreed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Briefing Note of the Director of Transportation and Highways

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) received a Briefing Note and Presentation of the Director of Transportation and Highways that detailed the draft Coventry Transport Strategy, the review of the West Midlands Local Transport Plan, the emerging West Midlands submission to the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, and the current work on Coventry’s Transport Innovation Programme, as illustrated at the ‘Our Future Moves Exhibition’ hosted at the Coventry Transport Museum.

Coventry Transport Strategy

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was the statutory transport authority for the West Midlands, including Coventry and had a duty to prepare and implement a Local Transport Plan (LTP). The current LTP, Movement for Growth, was being reviewed to reflect national and regional policy changes, notably in relation to climate change, and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the transport delivery body for the WMCA had published a Green Transport Paper to start this process (copy attached as an Appendix to the Briefing Note).

As a constituent authority of the WMCA, Coventry City Council was closely engaged with the LTP Review. It had been agreed that the WMCA’s LTP would be integrated with Local Transport Strategies covering each of the individual constituent authorities, although the four Black Country authorities were working together on a joint strategy for their area.  Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull were all producing individual transport strategies for their areas.

Work had commenced on the preparation of the Coventry Transport Strategy, with engagement with the public through a Let’s Talk consultation in March 2021  (a summary of the responses were attached as an Appendix to the Briefing Note), and workshops being held with key stakeholders including bus and rail companies, neighbouring local authorities, TfWM, Midlands Connect, Highways England, Network Rail and other specific interest groups representing cyclists, businesses and other interests.

The engagement resulted in the identification of core objectives relating to the future management of Coventry’s transport network, and in the preparation of a draft Coventry Transport Strategy (attached as a further Appendix to the Briefing Note). Comments from the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) on the current draft were welcomed prior to consideration of the Draft Strategy by Cabinet at their meeting in October 2021.

The current draft strategy provided the policy framework, however an implementation plan setting out a five-year investment programme in Coventry’s transport network would be added before the strategy was brought back to Cabinet for approval. The implementation plan could not be finalised until the outcome of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) process was known.

Subject to Cabinet approval in October 2021, the draft strategy would be published for consultation later in 2021, and once consultation feedback had been reviewed and the outcome of the CRSTS process known, the strategy would be finalised, complete with implementation plan, and presented to Cabinet for approval in early 2022.

West Midlands Local Transport Plan

Work had commenced on the review of the West Midlands LTP with the publication of the Green Transport Paper (GTP) and this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) received a report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator that detailed issues on the Board’s Work Programme for meetings of the Board for 2021/2022.

Members of the Board requested that a copy of the Briefing Note and presentation relating to ‘Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 – Impact and Legacy Planning’ considered by the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee at their meeting on 8th September 2021, be circulated to them.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) notes the issues on the Board’s Work Programme for 2021/2022 with an update to the Programme that the item relating to ‘Cycling Strategy’ or the item relating to ‘Active Travel with Schools’ be included on the agenda for the meeting of the Board on 8th December 2021.

There were no other items of public business.