Decision details

As part of the process of devolving decision making on local major transport schemes, the Liverpool City Region is required to establish a Local Transport Body (LTB), which will make key decisions about setting priorities for local major transport schemes and allocating funding for schemes. The proposals for the governance and composition of the LTB and the framework for appraising local major transport schemes will be presented to Cabinet for approval.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment on the proposals by the Department for Transport (DfT) to devolve funding for local major transport schemes to local areas in the next spending review period which would necessitate the establishment of a new body called a Local Transport Body (LTB) to oversee the process, guided by an Assurance Framework, which must be agreed with the DfT in respect of its governance and management arrangements.

The report provided details about the way this would be implemented in the Liverpool City Region (LCR), the proposed representation on the LTB, and the proposed Assurance Framework and Scheme Prioritisation Methodology.

This was a Key Decision and was included in the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

Decision Made: That:

(1)          the Council be recommended to nominate the Leader of the Council onto the new Local Transport Body, together with an alternate member, the Cabinet Member - Transportation, to represent the Authority on the LTB as required;

(2)          the draft Assurance Framework and its associated principles, as set out within the Appendix of the report be approved for submission to the Department for Transport;

(3)          the Director of Built Environment submit follow-up information on the above issues, at appropriate intervals;

(4)          the Director of Built Environment be requested to commence preparation of a list of potential local major transport schemes in Sefton to be considered for submission to the LTB and to be agreed through the Council’s Strategic Capital Investment Board; and

(5)          it be noted that preliminary discussions have been held with the Head of Legal and Democratic Services at the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority to explore whether a more wide ranging partnership agreement as set out in paragraph 5 of the report is required. The Head of Corporate Legal Services would prepare the agreement, should that prove necessary, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Performance and Corporate Services.

Reasons for Decision:

The proposed arrangements for the Liverpool City Region LTB had been discussed and agreed by the LCR partners, but the appointments to the LTB and the assurance framework and prioritisation methodology had to be formally approved by each of the LCR partners.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available. The proposed arrangements for the Liverpool City Region LTB had been discussed and agreed by the LCR partners.  If the Council decided not to make the appointment to the LTB, it would mean that Sefton Council would not be represented in the City Region decision making process for local major transport schemes.