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Section 1: Introduction and purpose of the guidance
1. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 1 placed a duty on the Scottish Ministers to create regional transport partnerships ( RTPs) covering the whole of Scotland. An order to create 7 RTPs was made by the Scottish Ministers on 30 November 2005 following approval by the Scottish Parliament. This fulfilled the commitment made by the Executive in its white paper Scotland's Transport Future2 to create "new statutory regional transport partnerships to facilitate the planning and delivery of our transport in a more strategic way within local government". A map of the partnership boundaries is attached as Annex A.
2. The Act places a statutory duty on the regional transport partnerships to draw up regional transport strategies ( RTS). This will be one of the first and most important tasks of each partnership and the Act requires RTPs to have regard to statutory guidance given to them for this purpose by the Scottish Ministers. This document contains that guidance.
3. The Act also sets out various specific requirements for regional transport strategies in terms of both their content and the procedures for their production, publication and implementation. These requirements form the basis of this guidance. The Act also places duties on local authorities and designated health boards to perform certain of their functions, so far as possible, consistently with the transport strategies. A full version of the relevant extracts from the Act is attached at Annex B.
4. The aim of this guidance is to help RTPs to draw up regional transport strategies that enjoy broad public support and will lead to improved transport provision in the region for those who need it. RTPs will consult with councils, health boards, other interested parties and the public at large in developing their strategies. RTPs will work with each other, particularly where the transport needs of one region are met by infrastructure or services located or originating in a neighbouring region.
5. The development and implementation of its strategy will require the RTP to focus on some issues more than others. Effective and objective prioritisation will be central to the success of the RTPs.
6. This guidance should assist RTPs in particular by:
- explaining and expanding on the statutory requirements for a strategy laid down in the legislation;
- providing direction for the form and content of strategies;
- providing outline timetables and processes for the completion of a strategy;
- explaining the links with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance ( STAG) and Strategic Environmental Assessment ( SEA);
- outlining linkages with the land-use planning system, the National Transport Strategy, the strategic projects review, local transport strategies and the broader policy objectives of the Scottish Ministers;
- outlining requirements for implementation, monitoring, reporting, evaluation and review;
- providing a route-map for securing approval of the RTS by the Scottish Ministers;
- giving statutory guidance on the form and content of requests for the conferring of functions.
7. Provided the guidance has been followed, an RTP should be confident that its strategy can be approved by the Scottish Ministers.
8. The production of this draft guidance has been supported by the Scottish Transport Act Implementation Group (formerly the Transport Bill Reference Group) and informed by a small working group of practitioners set up by it to assist in the drafting 3. A draft was issued for public consultation on 4 November 2005. Many helpful comments and suggestions were received and many of those incorporated into this final version. The responses can be viewed on the Scottish Executive's website 4 and a report on the consultation exercise will appear at the same address in due course. A seminar was held on 22 November 2005 with practitioners from local authorities, the current voluntary RTPs, Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive and others. This provided further valuable input. The Scottish Executive is grateful for all the many helpful contributions made.
9. The guidance has also been informed by the results of a Review of Regional Transport Strategies commissioned by the Scottish Executive from Atkins Transport Planning. 5 This looked at existing English and Scottish regional strategies. The four voluntary Scottish regional transport partnerships 6 have each produced a transport strategy and these documents, and the analytical and consultation work that underpins them, will provide useful inputs to the new statutory strategies.
10. There are limits to what guidance can provide. It cannot, for example, override the statutory requirements that Parliament has determined should apply to regional transport strategies although it can seek to explain these. Equally, it cannot anticipate every possible matter or question which an RTP will face. Even more it cannot - and should not - provide every answer. RTPs have been established as autonomous statutory bodies and the Scottish Executive believes they should be given appropriate levels of power to make decisions within the framework provided by the Act and this guidance. Not every issue requires a steer from the Executive and in many cases RTPs, local authorities and their partners in the region are best placed to determine the best way forward. There is a wealth of expertise in local authorities and other partners in the region and experience, in most parts of the country, of working within partnerships. The Executive will continue to provide advice and support during the period of the development of the strategies and beyond.
11. This guidance concentrates on the first set of regional transport strategies. Although much of it will continue to be relevant for future strategies and revisions. The Scottish Executive will keep in mind the need to issue revised guidance as required.
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