What does Levelling Up mean for Transport?
Introduction
The Government’s Levelling Up White Paper outlines a plan to transform the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of the country. Transport and connectivity are major themes with 180 mentions throughout the White Paper’s 12 stated missions.
Specifically for transport, one mission states, “By 2030, local public transport connectivity across the country will be significantly closer to the standards of London, with improved services, simpler fares and integrated ticketing.” However, transport can also support many of the other missions, such as improving wellbeing in every area of the UK as well as pay, employment, and productivity.
Public transport connects people to jobs, education, and wider opportunities, and allows businesses to invest in towns to grow their labour markets. For example, 77% of jobseekers outside of London do not have regular access to a car, van or motorbike, so access to quality public transport is important for the labour market.
There are a few specific funding and policy areas worth highlighting in the Levelling Up White Paper relating to transport:
In the 2021 Spending Review, the Government announced City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, with an investment package of £5.7bn for eight English city regions to transform local transport networks through London-style integrated settlements.
Outside City Regions, Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) will take on greater powers and responsibilities, so that they can plan their transport systems more effectively. Areas with directly elected leaders will benefit from more targeted resource sooner, with multi‑year integrated settlements.
The Government’s related Bus Back Better policy includes the potential for LTAs to access franchising powers if they have the capability and intention to work at pace to deliver passenger improvements.
There are several Government initiatives aimed at supporting regeneration, revitalising town centres, retaining community assets, and growing local economies. Many Towns Fund authorities will also develop Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bids. This funding will target the places with the most significant need for economic recovery and growth, improved transport connectivity and regeneration.
Practically, what does this mean for towns?
Towns will be updating their Local Transport Plans and making the case for transport investment in new ways:
Updated Local Transport Plans (LTPs)
An immediate focus for local transport authorities (LTAs) will to update their LTPs. Now in their fourth iteration, these plans have transformed into holistic economic growth and decarbonisation strategies, with active and sustainable transport modes at their heart. New guidance this year will require LTPs to be updated by Spring 2024. LTAs will also need project pipelines and comprehensive strategies to improve local transport for people and reduce carbon emissions. Future funding will be dependent on the delivery of these plans and wider LTA performance.
Levelling Up Toolkit
We are now starting to factor in the DfT’s Levelling Up Toolkit to business case development. This will help assess how a transport proposal contributes to delivering the DfT strategic priority to ‘grow and Level Up the economy’, and replaces the Rebalancing Toolkit. It is supplementary to the Transport Business Case Guidance, and aligns to the Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG).
The Toolkit reflects how projects align with wider strategies, such as Town Investment Plans (TIPs), with the golden thread from drivers of change running through individual projects. It provides a structure to the strategic dimension of the business case through the lens of transport investments and the Levelling Up agenda. It also enacts many of the refreshed principles set out in the Green Book 2022.Many of these recommendations and approaches are already captured in the Towns Fund Delivery Partner’s (TFDP’s) business case template.
Concluding thoughts
Transport continues to be an enabler and catalyst for Levelling Up and regeneration at a regional and local level. However, as the White Paper states, “Levelling Up requires a focused, long-term plan of action and a clear framework to identify and act upon the drivers of spatial disparity.”
Many of the TIPs developed by Towns involved in the Towns Fund had transport and connectivity enhancements at the heart, with clear interdependencies, and alignment to local, regional and national policy. There is now an opportunity for revised LTPs to build on the great case-making in these TIPs, and create short-, medium- and long-term transport enhancement plans for towns and communities across the country. Continually improved coordination through the LTP process could and should mean that transport investment takes a holistic, outcomes focussed approach, with a sustainable pipeline of projects for years to come.