Agenda item

The report before the Committee updated Members on funding cuts announced to the 2018/19 Local Implementation Plan and how the Council would change it’s 2018/19 Delivery Plan to take into account the cut in the funding.

Havering’s LIP submission for 2018/19 LIP was submitted to Transport for London (TFL) in October 2017 as required by TfL Guidelines.

As a result of Transport for London undertaking a transformation and looking at reducing its operating costs. TfL have written to all London Boroughs to set out the direct implications on borough LIP allocations.

The report informed the Committee that Havering’s 2018/19 LIP settlement for ‘corridors’ would be cut from £2.247m to £1.9182m for 2018/19 financial year. The figure represented a cut in LIP Corridors funding to the borough by £0.329m about (15%).

Havering had been requested to reprofile its funding submissions in order to accommodate the revised funding allocations.

Following a meeting attended by the Deputy Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Regulatory Services and Community Safety, the deputy Cabinet Member for Environment, Regulatory Services and Community Safety and officers to review Havering’s original submission and to discuss how to accommodate the reductions in funding, the following outcome was reached:

·         Given the cut in Havering’s Corridors Funding of around 15%, it was considered that the fairest and most equitable way of reprofiling the programme was to reduce the budgets of most of the schemes by 15%. Thereby allowing for the vast majority of the proposed Corridors programme to still be progressed;

·         Exceptions to the 15% cut were made to safety related, multi-year schemes and staff resourcing;

·         £0.1m Local Transport Funding would be retained for “patching work” on the Principal Road Network;

·         Two schemes that were put forward to the Committee; Wood Lane  speed reduction scheme and a speed table at the junction of Alma Avenue and Standen Avenue were to be taken out from the main submission and placed in the reserve list, with priority given to both of them for the 2019/20 LIP Submission.

The Committee was informed that the changes to the programme would be made via an Executive Decision signed by Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Safety in line with the signing off of the original submission to TfL.

During the debate, a Member expressed his concerns over the removal of the Wood Lane scheme from the submission. The Member sought clarification from officers for the reasons for the removal of the scheme.  For clarification officers confirmed that the reduction to funding was out of the Councils control; that all programmes had a 15% cut other than casualty-reduction schemes and staff-related projects; that the Alma Avenue/ Standen Avenue scheme was put back on the reserve list with priority given to the implementation of both schemes for the 2019/20 LIP Submission.

A Member questioned why the revised LIP submission list was not presented to the Committee for further consideration. In response officers explained that the original list was not discussed by the Members of the committee but ward councillors were consulted. Officers confirmed that the decisions on the revised LIP submissions were made by the Cabinet Member for Environment, Regulatory Services and Community Safety.

A Member asked for further clarification on the decisions making relating to the LIP submissions which officers confirmed would be done in writing. 

Following the debate the Committee noted the contents of the report.