The Director of Technical Services submitted a report outlining progress to date on the Wirral University Teaching Hospital  (WUTH) NHS Foundation Trust’s Travel Plan Review 2010 which included a number if amendments to the plan.

The main aims of the review of the Travel Plan were:

- To provide an update on the Travel Plan implementation

- To demonstrate what has been achieved since the last review

- To identify and make changes to the plan

- To review future actions and target dates

WUTH had commissioned Mott MacDonald to undertake a review of the Travel Plan and the associated Traffic Management and Parking Policy, in consultation with the Council’s Sustainable Transport Coordinator. Copies of the Travel Plan Review 2010, Appendix 2, and Traffic Management and Parking Policy Report, Appendix 3, were attached and formed the main part of this report.

In summary the review included:

 - The results of a staff and patient/visitor travel survey and confirms that future surveys will be undertaken every two years.

-  Highlights key achievements and progress on delivery of the previous action plan.

 - A breakdown of the costs of delivering the travel plan and a proposal that public parking charges are increased in line with the increases in charges in other hospitals and public car parks in Wirral since 2005. It also proposed that in future parking charges should be increased periodically in line with inflation or the increase in parking charges in Wirral Council car parks, subject to coin of the realm limitations.

-  Confirmed that 300 free public parking spaces would continue to be provided and details the control measures to be implemented to ensure these spaces remain available for public use.

There was a requirement through the Section 106 Agreement that WUTH undertake a review of the Travel Plan on an annual basis and currently this review was also reported to members annually.  It was proposed that the requirement for an annual review, including consultation with Wirral’s Sustainable Transport Co-ordinator should remain but that future reporting to Members be undertaken on a bi-annual basis. Members were reminded that WUTH could not alter or amend the Travel Plan without the prior written approval of the Council, and the integrity of the Plan would not therefore be diminished by this proposal.

Mr J Foster, Director of Facilities and Estates WUTH, and Mr J Realey, Car Parks Operational Manager, attended the meeting and answered a range of questions from members relating to:-

-  the low take up of the staff car share scheme;

-  purchase of cycles through the salary sacrifice scheme;

-  the NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy and measures to achieve this objective e.g. the inter site bus, reduced use of officer vehicles and mileage claims;

-  the possibility of introducing a further park and ride scheme to the hospital from Tranmere Rovers F.C.;

-  the daily turnover of patient and visitors car parking spaces;

-  the justification for the proposed increase in car parking charges and the response in terms of the NHS policy that  income should match expenditure, and that this was an appropriate fee which was in line with council car parking charges;

-  the VAT bill from services suppliers and whether this offset the VAT on car parking income (a more detailed response would be provided to members);

-  the current location of the bus stop and ways of separating pedestrians from the car park  in front of the hospital;

-  the need for a patient and visitor survey to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the Travel Plan 

Resolved – That the Committee:

(1)  Note and endorse the contents of the Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Travel Plan Review 2010 and Traffic Management and Parking Policy Report. 

(2)  Endorse the reporting of future Travel Plans on a bi-annual basis to committee whilst reporting an update to the action plan on an annual basis to officers.