Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendations:

1.    That Cabinet note the funding, as stated in the report, and that it will be used to support delivery of the Council’s programme of transport projects.

2.    That Cabinet approve receipt of £1.2 million City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) – Local & Neighbourhood Improvement block funding, and £181,000 South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority capital for pedestrian crossings, as set out in paragraph 2.1.

3.    That Cabinet approve the allocations for use of this funding, and previously approved RMBC capital funding, as set out in paragraph 2.1.

4.    That Cabinet approve the schemes set out in paragraphs 2.8 and 2.10 for delivery under the 2022-23 Transport Capital Programme. Further schemes for development and delivery will be presented in a future Cabinet for approval once they have been identified.

Consideration was given to the report which outlined the Transport Capital Programme for 2022-23 and set out the sources of funding. It provided an overview of the aims of the various project themes that the funding would be used for and described how projects would subsequently be managed within those themes.

Transport Capital funding had historically been provided to the Council via the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s (SYMCA) Integrated Transport Block allocation which was awarded to Local Transport Authorities each year from the Department for Transport specifically for transportation improvement works. The last financial year, 2021-22, was the final year of that round of funding.

For the period from 2022-23 to 2026-27, a new round of funding, called City Regions Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), had been confirmed. This funding was awarded to Local Transport Authorities who, in Combined Authority areas, distributed funding to Local Authorities. An allocation of £570m had been confirmed by the Department for Transport (DfT) for the South Yorkshire region, of which a total of £72.4m was confirmed for schemes in Rotherham.

There was an expectation from DfT that all CRSTS funding, including Local and Neighbourhood Transport Programmes, would contribute to the overarching objectives of: driving growth and productivity through infrastructure investment; levelling up services towards the standards of the best; and, decarbonising transport, especially promoting modal shift from cars to public transport, walking and cycling. Additionally, SYMCA proposed to allocate an additional £181,000 of Gainshare for the delivery of pedestrian crossings. This could be subject to a business case process within SYMCA.

Paragraph 2.1 of the report set out the funding profiles across the key themes. The funding profiles provided a larger fund for Local Neighbourhood and Road Safety Schemes which enabled local concerns to be addressed relating to local road safety and traffic management matters. This would be led by Elected Members.

Resolved:-

1.    That Cabinet note the funding, as stated in the report, and that it will be used to support delivery of the Council’s programme of transport projects.

2.    That Cabinet approve receipt of £1.2m City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) – Local and Neighbourhood Improvement block funding, and £181,000 South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority capital for pedestrian crossings, as set out in paragraph 2.1.

3.    That Cabinet approve the allocations for use of this funding, and previously approved RMBC capital funding, as set out in paragraph 2.1.

4.    That Cabinet approve the schemes set out in paragraphs 2.8 and 2.10 for delivery under the 2022-23 Transport Capital Programme. Further schemes for development and delivery will be presented in a future Cabinet for approval once they have been identified.