Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairperson welcomed everyone to the meeting.

There were no declarations of interests received.

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 January 2025 were approved as an accurate record.

Members were presented with the Final Regional Transport Plan (RTP) for the South West Wales region.

It was noted that Appendices 10 and 11, detailed within the circulated report, were exempt under Paragraph 14. There were no comments or questions received in relation to these appendices, therefore the meeting did not move into private session.

Officers explained that the purpose of the circulated report was to provide progress and seek endorsement of the Final RTP, and supporting documents, prior to submitting to the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC) for approval. In addition, the circulated report sought to highlight the latest position in terms of grant funding and the ongoing evolution of the Grants Modernisation process; and to also highlight the requirements for additional resources.

A discussion took place in regard to the next key steps and timescales. It was confirmed that the Final RTP would be presented to the SWWCJC Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee on 2 July 2025 and then to the SWWCJC on 10 July 2025; the aim was to submit to Welsh Government on 24 July 2025, subject to approval by the SWWCJC. It was added that Officers would be expecting to receive a response from Welsh Ministers by October 2025, which should indicate suitability of the RTP from Welsh Government terms and an indication of the funding.

Since the last meeting of this Sub Committee, Officers stated that a public consultation had been conducted, in which 900 responses had been received; there were a lot of similar emerging themes to the previous consultation, including the bus network, the suitability of active travel and where routes would be best located, and lobbying for and against particular schemes. Members were informed that the relevant stakeholder groups were also consulted, and their responses were similar to what had been previously analysed from past consultations; including issues regarding public transport, specifically the bus and rail networks and how these would be delivered. It was mentioned that the stakeholder groups also provided useful context and suggestions, such as a stronger link to the energy policy that the SWWCJC was exploring.

The Committee was informed that the RTP, contained within the circulated report, included all of the statutory assessments that Officers were required to undertake such as the Integrated Wellbeing Assessment (IWBA), which also incorporated the statutory Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and the statutory Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA). It was noted that at this stage, was that there was no impediment, in those statutory assessments, to the RTP proceeding forward into the phase of delivering schemes and applying the policies.

Officers highlighted the following key changes that had been made to the documentation associated with the RTP:

·        The national schemes contained within Welsh Government’s National Delivery Plan, including the schemes that will be delivered by Welsh Government in a revised National Delivery Plan from 2027 onwards, had been moved from the Delivery Plan and into the main body of the RTP. It was explained that although these schemes wouldn’t be delivered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Forward Work Programme was noted.

Any urgent items at the discretion of the Chairperson pursuant to Section 100BA(6)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

There were no urgent items received.