3. Roles and responsibilities in delivery
Introduction
No single organisation will be solely responsible for delivering the East Sussex Local Transport Plan (LTP). Across the county multiple organisations have different responsibilities for provision of transport infrastructure and services, spatial planning and economic development, all of which shape the county’s communities influence how people travel and how goods are moved.
This is summarised in the diagram below and discussed further in the following sub-section.
Key organisations
East Sussex County Council
The Investment Plan identifies investment priorities where East Sussex County Council will play a key lead role in delivering schemes, and where they will play a coordination or other key role.
Through development of the LTP, the County Council will play a role in setting the governance structures by which schemes are delivered and undertake the programme management role. This may include scheme prioritisation, government and stakeholder engagement, project management, monitoring and evaluation.
East Sussex County Council will also play an advocacy role on all schemes, supporting pre-feasibility work, identifying funding and likely appropriate delivery partners, and other key stakeholders. They will, and work with these partners, for onward business case and scheme development and support to applications and bids to secure funding.
Roles and responsibilities of other key agencies identified for delivery of identified schemes and policies are summarised below.
Central government
Central government will play a significant role in delivering many of the packages of interventions and investment priorities in this plan. This includes the Department for Transport, but also other government departments and their agencies (e.g. National Highways, Active Travel England). Central Government’s role will include:
- Setting national policy for wide-ranging topics including climate change and new technology regulation.
- Setting investment and business case development frameworks to guide the planning and delivery of interventions.
- Guiding the development and delivery of nationally significant infrastructure and networks (e.g. through setting National Policy Statements).
- Regulating the transport system (including economic and safety regulation).
- In some cases, funding interventions.
Network Rail, Great British Railways and rail operators
The British rail industry is currently undergoing one of the most significant periods of structural reform of the last three decades. In the immediate future, it is assumed that the Department for Transport will continue to outline the strategy for the rail network. Network Rail will continue in its role as infrastructure manager for the rail network, and that train operating companies will continue to deliver passenger or freight rail services. However,
In the short- to medium term, it is expected Network Rail’s strategic and planning functions (along with other industry functions) will merge into a new government agency, Great British Railways. This new agency will lead the future development of the rail network in Great Britain and specify future infrastructure and service needs, and lead delivery of the strategic rail schemes identified to deliver service enhancements which improve connectivity within, to and from East Sussex and to other regions.
Train operating companies operate the passenger train services on the rail network, set timetables and manage railway stations. Freight operating companies operate the freight services that operate on the rail network.
Bus and community transport operators
Bus and community transport operators play a key role in moving people around communities and run services within and to/from villages and towns providing people access to/for employment, education, training, shopping and leisure.
Many bus services are operated commercially (at the operators risk), with some services receive financial support (usually from local authorities) to operate.
National Highways
National Highways will lead the development and delivery of highway interventions on the strategic road network (SRN), which in East Sussex includes:
- A21 north of Hastings to the border with Kent (A21 in Hastings Borough is the responsibility of East Sussex County Council).
- A26 between Lewes and Newhaven.
- A27 between Falmer and Pevensey (Pevensey Bay roundabout).
- A259 from Pevensey (Pevensey Bay roundabout) to the east of Rye (except through Hastings Borough which is the responsibility of East Sussex County Council).
They will also support interventions where the Strategic Road Network interfaces with local transport authority highways. National Highways will utilise their internal project control framework to develop the business cases for highways interventions.
District and borough councils and South Downs National Park Authority
District and borough councils and the South Downs National Park Authority, as local planning authorities (LPAs), have a very significant role to play in delivering this plan. The County Council will ensure that the key principles of LTP4 are embedded within the respective Local Plans (and any subsequent reviews), to ensure developments are joined up, efficient and are well connected by walking, wheeling and cycling and by public transport, which supports the development of healthy and sustainable places.
The LPAs in their role and through the development management process, are able to secure transport infrastructure improvements through development contributions (s106 and Community Infrastructure Levy) which can be utilised to deliver transport infrastructure.
Local communities (town and parish councils, local communities and modal user groups)
Town and parish councils, local communities and user groups are the main users of transport and benefit most from the investment and improvements in networks. These groups are also the best voices to advise delivery partners what their local community or modal user groups want to see in terms of new transport infrastructure, networks and behaviour change initiatives.
Town and parish councils play an important role at the most local levels. They are consulted on East Sussex County Councils plans for transport and work in partnership to inform updated Neighbourhood Plans, which can include local infrastructure and connections that will benefit their local areas, which in turn feed into Local Plans.
Local communities, residents and user groups also contribute to helping shape scheme development proposals through engagement sessions, whether this be through collaborative design or consultation events/surveys.
Private sector and third parties
Private sector partners and third parties provide important assets, operations, funding, and insights; as well as being key planning and delivery partners.
The private sector may be involved in the delivery of interventions, including the renewal and maintenance, where the private sector or non-governmental organisations (e.g. Sustrans), have the expertise in delivering specific outputs which cannot exist in the public sector alone.
Land and other asset owners alongside developers, as highlighted under the ‘district and borough Councils’ section, may deliver infrastructure and services identified in Local Plans and their Infrastructure Delivery Plan’s or provide contributions as part of planning permissions linked to development.
The private sector may be involved in operating and maintaining public transport services, operate rail, bus and other shared mobility services.
Engagement and consultation
The plan’s ‘golden thread’ of equality and inclusion does not apply solely to the design and delivery of schemes and initiatives. With a ‘planning for people and places’ approach, inclusive engagement will be a key driver in this plan.
Proactive and inclusive engagement will be integrated from the outset of scheme identification and development to enable everyone to have a voice, including those who do not usually participate in consultations. The County Council will bring together communities and/or stakeholders to co-design particular types of schemes, for example school streets, that they want to see come forward within their local community.
Governance
East Sussex County Council will establish appropriate governance to oversee the development, delivery and benefits realisation arising from schemes and policies included in this strategy.
This approach will utilise the stakeholder groups established as part of the development of LTP4 and which will support the monitoring of the strategy and investment plan.