Theme 9 - The localism agenda
Introduction
Localism heralds huge change for the way services are funded, procured and delivered. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of transport, where many years of centralised policy and funding decisions have shaped the passenger transport industry. A local sustainable transport white paper is planned for December 2010, to be followed by the Localism Bill. Sessions in this theme will look at how the issues of local transport planning, funding and delivery will be affected by the Localism Bill and how community transport can engage and respond to the new opportunities and challenges, including community driven solutions.
Session 9A – Transport planning and the Localism Bill
Wednesday 16 March, 09:30 to 10:15
The Decentralisation and Localism Bill will devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over planning decisions. This will include local transport planning. This session will explore how the new bill is likely to affect LTP3 plans which are due to come into effect from April.
Session 9B – Effects of localism on planning processes and outcomes
Wednesday 16 March, 10:45 to 11:30
Localism usually means that services are not ring-fenced. Is it better to free councils so that they make their own decisions rather than follow the diktats which are implicit with ring-fenced funding? Will the shift towards local decision making be good or bad for transport planning? Whilst some will see lack of ring fencing as potentially threatening, the new Localism Bill does provide new powers to help save local facilities and services threatened with closure, and give communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services. This session will explore the implications of localism on local transport services.
Session 9C – What do local communities think?
Wednesday 16 March, 12:15 to 13:00
Will the plans for devolution of power really make a difference to local communities? Localism means that local authority power is strengthened but does devolution of power really trickle down the next level to local communities? Do active citizens, seeking to develop their local communities, see councils as a help or a hindrance? Do people in local communities really want to take over the running of services, assets and facilities or would they prefer to leave the responsibilities to public bodies? This session will debate the pros and cons of community empowerment.
Session 9D – Building the evidence to influence policy
Wednesday 16 March, 13:45 to 14:30
Evidence based policy making is now the order of the day. With greatly reduced public finances the need to demonstrate your value is more important now than ever. The CTA has recently conducted State of the Sector surveys in some parts of the UK. These reports are being used at a national level to show the impact of community transport. This session will cover what the State of the Sector surveys tell us about the community transport sector and will suggest ways in which to gather evidence to influence local policy.
Session 9E – The role of community transport in local transport planning
Wednesday 16 March,15:00 to 15:45
The UK and devolved governments all have policies which increasingly favour community empowerment. On the face of it this should work in community transport’s favour as most services respond to local need. How can the sector capitalise on this shift towards localism? This session will explore how community transport can play a bigger part in local planning, and what community budgeting is all about.
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