Agenda item

To consider the report and make recommendations if necessary to the Corporate Joint Committee.

RESOLVED

The report was considered, and it was decided to add concerns surrounding the temporary closure of Menai Suspension Bridge on the Isle of Anglesey.

The report was presented by the Chief Executive of the North Wales CJC and the Senior Transport Officer.

RESOLVED

To consider the report and add concerns about the temporary closure of the Menai Strait Suspension Bridge in the county of Anglesey.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

The Terms of Reference were approved at the Sub-Committee meeting on 1 October 2024. It was considered appropriate to review progress in the work that was being carried out, ensuring that the right resources were in place to deliver future developments.

DISCUSSION

The members were reminded that the Strategic Transport Sub-Committee had now been established for a year, and that their Terms of Reference set out a commitment to prepare a quarterly report on their work for the Corporate Joint Committee (CJC).

It was explained that the quarterly report provided a strategic overview of progress, key achievements, and highlighted areas that need addressing. It was elaborated that the purpose of the report was to inform members of key issues, and to determine whether there were any issues that the Sub-Committee wished to escalate to the CJC.

Attention was drawn to the significant progress achieved, in particular in the preparation of the Draft Regional Transport Plan and its associated Delivery Plan, as well as the Public Consultation Exercise that was conducted between January and April 2025. This work had led to the submission of the Draft Regional Transport Plan to the Welsh Government in July 2025. The members, officers, and stakeholders were thanked for their work in preparing this draft.

It was noted that the report now considered the public consultation period for the Regional Transport Plan (RTP), which had lasted 12-weeks and ended in April 2025. The report had previously been presented in the Strategic Transport Sub-Committee and the CJC. It was elaborated that nearly 1,700 responses had been received; of these, over 1,400 related to campaigns by the North Wales Wildlife Trust regarding the wording around 'aspirations' for the A55 in Flintshire. As a result, the wording was revised following the consultation period. Discussions had also taken place between Ambition North Wales and the North Wales Wildlife Trust, which were included in the appendices for information.

Other key points were presented in the report, which included: the 'Grants Modernisation' Process, a Welsh Government project; timetables and how draft transport plans were being developed; and partner enterprises, notably Network North Wales, a multi-billion-pound investment vision by the Welsh Government for an integrated, high-frequency transport network for the region.

In response to an enquiry, it was agreed that a presentation on Network North Wales would be useful for future work plans to identify the aspirations for the next three to four years. It was noted that this would demonstrate the alignment between the Regional Transport Plan and the aspirations and schemes in Network North Wales.

It was also requested that an update on Bus Franchising would be appreciated, especially as several concerns had been identified previously regarding this matter.

The need to be aware of the variations between counties when considering bus franchising was highlighted, particularly the challenges of establishing and ensuring a reliable service for rural communities. It was noted that a consultation was currently underway by Transport for Wales on network maps and that it was imperative that regional authorities contributed to this consultation.

It was questioned whether the CJC could co-operate with GoSafe, as it was noted that some of the local authorities had already been in contact with GoSafe regarding the 20mph legislation. It was confirmed that the CJC had already been invited to engage with GoSafe, and that the Senior Transport Officer would lead on this regionally.

It was recommended that concerns about the temporary closure of the Menai Bridge following Storm Amy be included in the recommendation to the CJC.