Councillor Stuart Whittingham introduced a report which informed that on 1 February 2019, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority had awarded £1,150,000 of Integrated Transport Block funding to Wirral Council, to support the delivery of the Liverpool City Region Transport Plan for Growth during 2019/20. The report sought the Cabinet’s approval to accept the £1,150,000 and allocate it to priorities and projects as outlined in the report.

Councillor Stuart Whittingham informed that Wirral’s Transport Plan for Growth supported the Wirral Plan 2020 pledge to provide Transport and Technology Infrastructure fit for the future by ensuring that Wirral had safe, affordable, well maintained and efficient transport networks for residents to access community services, leisure facilities and commute to work.

Appended to the report at Appendix 1 was the 2019/20 Transport Plan for Growth (Integrated Transport Block) Proposed Programme.

The Cabinet was informed that no other options had been considered as the proposed programmes and projects identified within the report enabled the Council to comply with its Statutory Duties as set out in the Highways Act 1980, Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984, Road Traffic Act 1988, Local Government Act 2000 and the Traffic Management Act 2004 and addressed the priorities of the Liverpool City Region Transport Plan for Growth, and the Council’s Wirral Plan pledge to ensure that Wirral had safe, affordable, well maintained and efficient transport networks for residents to access community services, enjoy our leisure facilities and commute to work.

This was a Key Decision and affected all Wards within the borough.

Councillor Whittingham reported that this was a good news story.  It was great news for Wirral residents and would bring about a programme transport infrastructure improvements throughout the borough as part of the Council’s Transport Plan for Growth.  This was a major investment in the transport network which would bring about real improvements.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the acceptance of £1,150,000 of Integrated Transport Block funding allocated to Wirral Council by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to support the delivery of the Transport Plan for Growth Programme be approved;

(2)  the proposed programme for this funding as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be approved; and

(3)  authority be delegated to the Interim Director Highways and Streetscene, in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to make necessary adjustments to the priorities within the programme should the need arise due to financial or other factors.