Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of City Development which presents the draft Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy, ahead of the public consultation and engagement exercise to be undertaken in early 2021.

Further to Minute No. 134, 7^th January 2020, the Director of City Development submitted a report which presented the draft Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy for the Board’s consideration, ahead of the public consultation and engagement exercise to be undertaken in early 2021.

By way of introduction to the report, the Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainable Development highlighted how this strategy was integral to the successful delivery of a range of Council strategies and priorities, with specific reference being made to tackling the Climate Emergency, as declared by the Council in 2019.

Nigel Foster, Chair of the Transport Expert Panel, was in attendance at the meeting in order to provide the Board with an overview of the work undertaken by the Panel and how it continued to contribute towards the development of the strategy.

Responding to a Member’s enquiry, the Board was provided with further detail on how this strategy would align with the equivalent strategy of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, with Members also discussing the range of carbon emission targets which had been set locally, regionally and nationally.

Again, in response to a Member’s comments, the Board noted and discussed how communities would be able to engage and help the strategy to develop and evolve in order to enable it to reflect their priorities and help them to change their day to day transport habits.

Responding to a request, it was noted that Community Committees would be part of the associated consultation process for the strategy, and in addition, the business community would also be consulted.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the draft Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy, as presented at Appendix 1 to the submitted report, be endorsed;

(b)  That it be noted that a public consultation and engagement exercise will follow Executive Board through to February 2021 in order to help inform the final strategy;

(c)  That it be noted that the Director of City Development continues to be the lead officer for the delivery of the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy and will report back to Executive Board in Summer 2021 following public consultation with a final strategy.

(Under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.5, Councillor A Carter required it to be recorded that he abstained from voting on the decisions referred to within this minute)