Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament
Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, yr Amgylchedd a Seilwaith | Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee
Datgarboneiddio'r sector cyhoeddus | Decarbonising the public sector
Ymateb gan Cymdeithas Cludiant Cymunedol | Evidence from Community Transport Association
Gan adeiladu ar waith Archwilio Cymru, hoffai’r Pwyllgor gael barn am y canlynol:
The Community Transport Association champions, connects, supports and grows the UK’s not-for-profit Community Transport sector, and our members deliver a diverse range of adaptable, cost-effective and innovative services which are always for a social purpose and community benefit. In Wales, our team works alongside 100 Community Transport operators, and the sector expertly designs services delivering individual and community well-being benefits.
Community Transport facilitates modal shift away from private cars to more sustainable modes such as buses, minibuses, e-bikes and car-share. The sector delivers shared transport services including dial-a-ride, electric car clubs, community car schemes, patient transport, school transport, wheels to work, minibus hire and e-bike hire, as well as scheduled community bus services on socially necessary routes.
Our views on the role of Welsh Government in supporting public bodies to deliver on the calls to action identified in the Audit Wales report relate to the first two calls to action: 1. strengthen leadership and demonstrate collective responsibility through effective collaboration; and 2. clarify strategic direction and increase the pace of implementation.
The Community Transport Association (CTA) fully supports the statement that there has been a significant amount of work done by the Welsh Government in providing leadership on addressing the climate emergency. In relation to transport, the publication of Llwybr Newydd (A New Path: Wales Transport Strategy) in 2021 marked a significant change in policy and a new emphasis on the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy. CTA welcomed the recognition by Welsh Government that an accessible, affordable and integrated transport network must include Third Sector and community transport providers.
CTA recommends that this same principle is adopted by public bodies as they work towards the Route Map goals on Mobility and Transport. There is potential for the Welsh Government to prepare additional guidance for public bodies on effective collaboration within and across public bodies, and with the Community Transport sector and other Third Sector organisations.
The work required to achieve the ambitions in the Welsh Government Route Map could be achieved at pace through harnessing the expertise across different sectors, and the Community Transport sector would be a proactive partner. The decarbonisation of transport across public bodies requires a transition to ultra-low emission vehicles, behaviour change away from private car use and towards shared mobility solutions, as well as viewing related public sector activity through a net-zero lens. Through working collaboratively with Community Transport operators, Active Travel groups and shared mobility organisations, public bodies can be supported to implement effective transport strategies and solutions which serve the needs of different stakeholders.
Due to the complexity and variety of public sector bodies across Wales, an up-to-date and consistent point of contact for each public body is required to help facilitate effective collaboration with the Community Transport sector and Third Sector transport-related organisations on the Mobility and Transport priority area for action.
CTA recognises that the Route Map is a high level summary statement of ambitions and, as such, the detail is left open for the Welsh public sector to develop their own implementation plans. Due to the importance of achieving decarbonisation across public bodies, more guidance and support from Welsh Government could usefully be provided. With reference to Mobility and Transport priority area for action, clear guidance could be supplied to require public bodies to work in partnership with Third Sector transport providers to develop the “use of local hubs and shared facilities, active travel and greater use of public transport”.
Throughout Welsh Government policy documents relating to transport, behaviour change is identified as a key component in supporting people to make the best and most sustainable transport choices. The Welsh Government and public bodies could embody these behaviour change principles by encouraging staff to role model changes to their own transport use, leading by example and using low-carbon Community Transport schemes, community car clubs, cycling and walking. Having a dual internal and external focus around behaviour change is necessary when considering staff work travel patterns, transitioning grey fleets to green fleets, and in supporting citizen access to public bodies and public sector services.
Strategic direction from Welsh Government around the roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across public bodies would help integrate policies such as Llwybr Newydd and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. The location and management of such infrastructure could be managed to maximise community benefit by working with Community Transport schemes and community car clubs to provide access to charging infrastructure for their electric vehicles as part of wider efforts to support community wealth-building in the local area.
Assessing the progress made by public bodies in the priority areas for action set out in the Route Map is difficult due to the lack of publicly available information. The Community Transport sector could play a significant and helpful role supporting public bodies with their work around the Mobility and Transport priority area, but it is not easy to know who to contact, what work is already underway, and what future developments are planned. The Audit Wales report highlights that “there is also an opportunity to share the knowledge, expertise and capacity that exists within the public sector as well as the private and third sectors.”
Clear channels of communication and engagement could be developed with the Community Transport and Third Sector transport providers, alongside summaries of Mobility and Transport action plans, to help facilitate productive discussions across sectors and accelerate progress.
Whilst CTA is unable to comment specifically on the support provided, we believe it could be productive if Welsh Government facilitated meetings between public bodies and Third Sector transport providers such as CTA, Sustrans, CoMoUK, Community Energy Wales, and others, to deliver progress in the Mobility and Transport priority area.
This would build on the extensive work already developed by Welsh Government around Llwybr Newydd, Bws Cymru, One Network, the National Transport Delivery Plan, the Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance, and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. There would seem to be a natural role for Welsh Government to support public bodies to collaborate with different transport modes and sectors to transform the way in which people travel and services are delivered.
This would also recognise the fact that Regional and Local Transport Plans will be produced by Local Authorities and the Corporate Joint Councils, and should involve community engagement around local transport needs. The involvement of Third Sector transport organisations in the development of such plans is necessary for the meaningful engagement of citizens and the creation of joined up transport services. By creating engagement mechanisms and facilitating discussion between the public sector, Community Transport sector and wider Third Sector transport organisations, Welsh Government would be helping to embed the work public bodies do around Mobility and Transport within the wider context of Transport Plans.
CTA notes that there is potential overlap between priority areas, such as the Land Use priority area and the Mobility and Transport priority area. Mobility hubs could be developed by public bodies as part of land use planning, creating hubs of active travel, Community Transport and shared mobility options on site. The Route Map goal around ensuring communities are connected to green space could be cross-referenced to sustainable Community Transport provision to provide equality of access by different groups in society. Community Transport is already being used to underpin Green Prescribing in other areas in the UK, and could be similarly developed in Wales by the relevant public bodies.
This would fit well with the point in the Audit Wales report that public bodies “must adopt a wider leadership role in championing the decarbonisation agenda in all sectors within the communities they serve to work towards a ‘just transition.” Through our membership, CTA has significant reach into communities, and we look forward to working alongside the public sector in Wales in supporting the mission to achieve net zero carbon status.
No other points to raise.