Thurrock Council - Integrated Transport Audit 2004
Description
Inspection report August 2004 Integrated Transport Thurrock Borough Council p 2 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport Contents Summary 3 Scoring the service 4 Recommendations 6 Report 7 Context 7 The locality 7 The council 7 National Transport Policy 8 The council’s best value review 8 How good is the service? 10 Are the aims clear and challenging? 10 Does the service meet these aims? 12 How does the performance compare? 18 Summary 19 What are the prospects for improvement to the service? 21 Ownership of problems and willingness to change? 21 A sustained focus on what matters? 22 The capacity and systems to deliver performance and improvement? 23 Summary 24 Appendices 25 Documents reviewed 25 Reality checks undertaken 25 List of people interviewed 25 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport p 3 Summary 1 Thurrock Borough Council is a unitary authority, East of London, on the north bank of the River Thames. The total population is 143,212 of which 4.7 per cent are from minority ethnic communities. Much of its traditional industry has been concentrated along the 30 kilometres of river frontage incorporating Tilbury, Grays and Purfleet. By contrast, 60 per cent of the borough lies within the green belt. 2 The conservatives have recently gained overall control of the council with 28 of the 49 seats. 3 Integrated transport services, which lies with the community services directorate, covers a range of ...
Informations
| Publié par | Fawyeng |
| Nombre de lectures | 5 |
| Langue | English |
Extrait
August 2004
Integrated Transport
Thurrock Borough Council
p 2 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport Contents Summary 3 Scoring the service 4 Recommendations 6 Report 7 Context 7 The locality 7 The council 7 National Transport Policy 8 The councils best value review 8 How good is the service? 10 Are the aims clear and challenging? 10 Does the service meet these aims? 12 How does the performance compare? 18 Summary 19 What are the prospects for improvement to the service? 21 Ownership of problems and willingness to change? 21 A sustained focus on what matters? 22 The capacity and systems to deliver performance and improvement? 23 Summary 24 Appendices 25 Documents reviewed 25 Reality checks undertaken 25 List of people interviewed 25
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Summary 1authority, East of London, on the northThurrock Borough Council is a unitary bank of the River Thames. The total population is 143,212 of which 4.7 per cent are from minority ethnic communities. Much of its traditional industry has been concentrated along the 30 kilometres of river frontage incorporating Tilbury, Grays and Purfleet. By contrast, 60 per cent of the borough lies within the green belt. The conservatives have recently gained overall control of the council with 28 of the 49 seats. Integrated transport services, which lies with the community services directorate, covers a range of services including passenger transport, traffic management, road safety, car parking and safer journeys to school. The councils capital expenditure on highways and transportation has risen steadily from approximately £2.7 million in 2000/01 to almost £11 million in 2003/04. The net revenue expenditure has also risen from £1.2 million to £2.1 million over the same time period.
p 4 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport Scoring the service 5We have assessed the council as providing a fair one-star service that has uncertain prospects for improvement. Our judgements are based on the evidence obtained during the inspection and are outlined below. Scoring chart1: Thurrock Borough Council Integrated Transport Prospects for improvement? a fair service that Poor Fair Good Excellenthas uncertain e Excellentptcrpsor ims foemenprovt
Promising Uncertain
Poor
A good service?
6The councils integrated transport service is fair because: The aims for integrated transport are clear in the community strategy and the local transport plan. The council has had some notable successes contributing towards these aims: improving access and reducing the need to travel by car including through the introduction of free bus travel for those over 60 and disabled residents (Travel Thurrock) and a new town centre transport interchange; reducing congestion through the implementation of a new traffic management system in Grays and the completion of the £11 million St Clements Way relief road; and improving passenger transport through improvements to rail stations, targeted use of subsidies, introduction of a quality bus partnership that has seen an increase in those travelling by bus. The council has undertaken effective public engagement, including through the setting up of various user groups, which have advised on and influenced policy and performance. 7However:
1chart displays performance in two dimensions. The horizontal axis shows how good theThe scoring service or function is now, on a scale ranging from no stars for a service that is poor (at the left-hand end) to three stars for an excellent service (right-hand end). The vertical axis shows the improvement prospects of the service, also on a four-point scale.
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Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport p 5 public satisfaction with local bus provision and public transport information remains low; the overall accident rate where people are killed and seriously injured is high; although the council is making improvements to car parks, none currently meet the secure car park standard; not yet cascaded clearly to a servicethe aims in the high level strategies are planning level; targets supporting these aims in some cases lack clarity and a focus on outcomes; and delivery against planned targets has been slow. The prospects for improvement are currently uncertain. The council has recognised where integrated transport services need to improve and has started to put in place the necessary building blocks including the recent restructuring and appointment of key staff. There is clear commitment from councillors and officers as well as an openness and responsiveness to external challenge and views of the public. However the council does not currently have clear, SMART2, action plans. For example it is not clear from the service plans or improvement plan how the council will achieve the key objective to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads. The council therefore has yet to fully develop service plans and other transport related strategies so that actions are clear, consistent, contribute to corporate objectives and lead to customer focused outcomes.
2SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound
p 6 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport Recommendations 11To rise to the challenge of continuous improvement, councils need inspection reports that offer practical pointers for improvement. In this context, the inspection team makes the following recommendations: currently contained within the various strategies,Bring together the targets, services plans, the local transport plan and the best value action plan into a single hierarchy of unambiguous and realistic targets with milestones. delivery of local transport plan schemes andEnsure the work programme for measures is clearly set out and a monitoring system put in place to enable progress to be measured and timely corrective action taken. Ensure that the annual service plans are clearly linked to corporate objectives and reflect the targets contained within the long term work programme. Ensure all complaints about passenger transport are accurately captured to allow areas requiring attention to be identified as early as possible. 12We would like to thank the staff of Thurrock Borough Council, particularly those within regulatory and engineering services within the community services directorate, who made us welcome and who met our requests efficiently and courteously. Jon Barber Ron Boyd Inspectors Dates of inspection: 10 15 May 2004 Email: j-barber@audit-commission.gov.uk r-boyd@audit-commission.gov.uk
For more information please contact: Audit Commission Central Region 690 Melton Road Thurmaston Leicester LE4 8BA www.audit-commission.gov.uk Telephone: 0116 250 4100
Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport p 7
Report Context 13This report has been prepared by the Audit Commission (the Commission) following an inspection under Section 10 of the Local Government Act 1999, and issued in accordance with its duty under Section 13 of the 1999 Act. The locality 14The borough of Thurrock lies on the River Thames to the east of London and covers an area of almost 166 sq km. Main settlements include Aveley, Chadwell St Mary, Corringham, Grays, South Ockendon, Stanford and Tilbury, and there are numerous villages. Thurrock is also home to the Lakeside Shopping centre which has over 300 shops under one roof. The borough is a major part of the Thames Gateway area, a corridor of opportunity that has been identified by government as an area of significant development potential. 15The population is 143,212 of which 4.7 per cent are from minority ethnic communities. Much of the traditional industry has been concentrated along the 30 kilometres of river frontage incorporating Tilbury, Grays and Purfleet. By contrast, 60 per cent of the borough lies within the green belt. 16Being both on the river and adjacent to London, Thurrock has good communication links including the M25, the local railway line providing direct access to central London, the Port of Tilbury and the City of London Airport. However the capacity of these links is now under pressure. 17Gateway sub region, the population is expected toAs part of the Thames increase by around 50 per cent with and up to 25,000 new homes proposed in the next 20 years. An urban development corporation (UDC) was established in 2003 to take forward the development proposals for the Thurrock area of the sub region. 1863 per cent of the population work in the borough, mostly in wholesale and retail distribution, and the manufacturing sector. Unemployment stands at 2.6 per cent compared with the national average of 2.4 per cent. The index of multiple deprivation (2000) ranks the council as 101stout of 354 local authorities. The council 19The council is now controlled by the Conservatives who have 28 of the 49 seats. The main opposition is Labour with 19 seats. 20The council became unitary in April 1998 and has adopted the cabinet and leader model of governance. To enable local people to become more involved four area assemblies have been established covering the north east, south, central and west of the borough. 21The councils revenue budget for the year 2004/05 is £162 million. 22The councils vision is for a place where everyone will have the opportunity to reach their full potential and lead a full, healthy and satisfying life. Underpinning this are the councils priorities of learning and skills, support to vulnerable people and, improving the environment. These three corporate priorities directly support the community strategy a 20 year partnership strategy for Thurrock. 23Thurrocks community strategy, Aspire, was published in November 2003. Of the six key themes the council is leading onAspirational Thurrock, Inclusive Thurrock andRegenerated Thurrock.of the partnership are taking a leadOther members role on the remaining themes.
p 8 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport National Transport Policy 24Government policy for transport is set out in the 1998 white paper A New Deal for Transport Better for Everyone. The governments 10 year plan for transport (Transport 2010) sets key targets to be achieved by local transport authorities including: increasing the number of bus passenger journeys; increasing the number of households within ten minutes walk of an hourly bus service; reducing traffic congestion; and reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents. 25Local transport plans (LTPs) are the mechanism by which local transport authorities set out their future proposals for transportation in the area. Councils report progress to central government via the regional government office in an annual progress report (APR). 26The councils LTP for 2001-2006 contains key transport objectives including working in partnership to improve the transport infrastructure; improve road safety; to provide a safe, effective, accessible and efficient highway network, and to improve access thus reducing the need for car travel. The council s best value review 27The integrated transport services covered by the review include passenger transport, traffic management, road safety, car parking and safer journeys to school. Highways maintenance has previously been reviewed by the council and inspected by the Audit Commission in 2001. Pupil/student transport and social services/community transport is subject to a separate review. 28The capital expenditure on highways and transportation has risen steadily from approximately £2.7 million in 2000/01 to almost £11 million in 2003/04. The net revenue expenditure has also risen from £1.2 million to £2.1 million over the same time period. 29In 2003/04 the council secured approximately £1,460,000 from the LTP settlement for integrated transport, this money was allocated as follows: Work Programme Expenditure 2003/04 Accident investigation and £646,753 prevention Area traffic calming £202,722 Pedestrian facilities £127,470 Cycle facilities £124,982 Safer routes to schools £116,091 Minor works £108,434 Bus telematics £100,000 Bus priority £35,816
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Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport p 9 In addition to the LTP settlement money the council was allocated an additional £1 million in 2003/04 and £750,000 for 2004/05 from the Dartford Bridge toll money. In 2002/03 approximately £2.5 million was successfully obtained for integrated transport from other sources including S106 (planning gain money), the Channel tunnel rail link and transport for London. The council estimates that in 2004/05 a further £1.8 million of external funding will be secured for integrated transport. Integrated transport services were reorganised in November 2002 forming strategic transportation (transportation policy and production of the LTP/APR), within regulatory services and passenger transport, traffic management, road safety and parking, within engineering services. Both regulatory and engineering services are within the community services directorate. The council started a review of integrated transport in 2001 and progress was reported to cabinet during the review. The scope of the review changed to exclude pupil/student transport and social services/community transport. The improvement plan arising from the review was revised and reported back to cabinet on a number of occasions and was finally agreed in June 2003.
p 10 Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport How good is the service? Are the aims clear and challenging? 32has agreed the key aims for the serviceInspectors look to see how a council being inspected, how clear these aims are to the people that receive the service and whether these reflect the corporate aims of the organisation as a whole. 33Aims need to be challenging, address local needs and support national objectives. This requires the council to consider and demonstrate how a service contributes to its wider corporate aims and community plans. Are the aims for the service clearly documented in the LTP and service performance plans so that staff, councillors and residents can understand the responsibilities of the service and what it aims to achieve? 34The councils aims for transport set out in the community strategy, the draft UDP and the LTP address the national objectives outlined in the governments 10 year plan Transport 2010. However the service plans for regulatory services and engineering services do make clear how the services will contribute to achieving the councils overall aims and objectives. 35the community strategy, Aspire, identified transport asIn November 2003 supporting one of its six key themes, Regenerated Thurrock, and set out the following aims: promoting accessibility to facilities for those without a car and reducing rural isolation; reducing reliance on private vehicles; relieving congestion; supporting integrated and sustainable transport choices for the public and industry; and a safer and cleaner environment. 36key corporate transport objectives as being toThe LTP similarly states the improve accessibility and mobility without dependence on the private car, road safety, the environment and the overall transport infrastructure in the borough. 37five year programme of integrated transport measures inThe LTP contains a accordance with these aims. This included schemes for new roads, traffic management, improving road safety, supporting public transport and encouraging sustainable transport. The LTP was rated average by the Government Office (GO) East with a score of 60 per cent. 38the service plans how the integrated transport serviceHowever it is not clear from is contributing to achieving the aims. Although the engineering services service plan 2004/05 contains objectives and outcomes they are not clearly focused on achieving the overall corporate aims contained within the community strategy and LTP. Are the aims defined by challenging measurable targets? 39documents but they are not alwaysTargets are contained in a number of SMART3and there are examples of inconsistency between the various documents. 3 SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound
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Thurrock Borough Council - Integrated Transport p 11 The 47 targets within the LTP are generally clear and are defined for 2005 and 2010. Milestone targets are set out in the best value performance plan (BVPP), Performance Counts, and the engineering services service plan although there are some inconsistencies between the documents. For example the objective to promote accessibility through footpaths being easy to use has a target of 90 per cent to be achieved in 2004/05 in the BVPP and a target date of 2005/06 in the service plan. The LTP APR 2002/03 records the target as on course to be achieved by 2005 despite the performance of 76 per cent in both 2001 and 2002 having declined to 69 per cent in 2002/03. Aspire has an action plan for the targets to be achieved by 2006 which include accident reduction; provision of telematics (real time information displays) on major bus routes and improving passenger transport in rural areas. However not all targets are SMART. For example, although there is a target to complete the green grid network of cycle paths, bridleways and footways the network has yet to be defined. It is therefore not possible to say whether the target is achievable. Not all the targets within the best value review action plan are clear and precise. For example there is a target to increase the number of local bus passenger journeys by 4 per cent per annum to 2010. On the basis of 2.2 million journeys achieved in 2002/03 this would mean 2.9 million journeys by 2010 yet the commentary in the plan states 3 million 2005 target expected. Similarly, there is an action to improve the parking service, defined as to Establish a schedule of required maintenance works. It transpires that this is not to routine maintenance works but to identify works required to bring up to an improved standard one car park per annum. The programme for improving the car parks does not appear in the improvement plan although two have already been completed and a third will be achieved this year. Service plan targets are not all clear and SMART. For example the engineering services service plan for 2004/05 sets out an objective to continue work to reduce the number of people, particularly children, killed or seriously injured (KSI) in road accidents but the output of supporting actions is not defined. For example no specific number is given to the development of new school travel plans or to extending the kerbcraft scheme. The stated outcome is a reduction in KSI to achieve the PSA4target. The PSA stretch target is not clearly defined in the service or improvement plan even though it is particularly challenging requiring the KSI for 2004/05 and 2005/06 to average 63.5 compared with the actual for 2003/04 of 140. 44There are inconsistencies in target dates contained within plans. For example within parking services the activity for 2004/05 contains the target for decriminalisation of parking by November 2005 whereas advice during our inspection was that this is programmed to be achieved in January 2005 having slipped from October 2003. 45The council has published strategies for cycling, walking safety and parking which contain objectives and targets intended to be reviewed annually. It is not clear what progress is being made towards meeting these targets. Is there public support for/engagement in developing the service aims? 46The council is effective in engaging with the public and understands their concerns. These are taken into consideration in the way services are delivered and the council has seen through some difficult decisions.
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4PSA Public Service Agreement.
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