Connecting Community Transport to Local Devolution: Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices

This project aims to explore the potential impact of devolved, locally controlled budgets on community transport (CT), particularly in the context of English devolution, franchising, and Enhanced Partnerships (EPs). With discussions around devolution central to the new Labour Government, this shift could significantly affect current funding structures and create opportunities for Community Transport Operators (CTOs) to strengthen their relationships with local governments.  

 

A high proportion of respondents in the Mapping England survey indicated that they feel disconnected from local decision-making processes. This project will focus on connecting CTOs to devolved local government structures, ensuring they remain visible and actively engaged in local transport partnerships and commissioning, particularly during local government reorganisation.

 

The project will review the current policy landscape surrounding devolution, franchising, and EPs, offering insights into how these frameworks are being applied across the country.  

 

Deliverables will include a series of reports or blogs providing good practice examples of CTO involvement in these areas. Additionally, the project will produce guides and tools for members on how to respond to local budget consultations and transport strategies, linked to a broader campaigning guide. A CTA offer and toolkit for transport authorities will also be developed, advising them on how to meaningfully involve CTOs in local planning and commissioning processes, ensuring that Community Transport has a central role in the future of local transport systems.

 

This research will focus on collecting evidence and insights from CTO’s in;

North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands and South Central.  

 

We will be particularly focused on the Mayoral/Combined regions of:

Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Greater Lincolnshire 

 

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