2006-2011 Main LTP

Accessibility Strategy

Introduction

Background

The Government's Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) published a report in February 2003 entitled Making the Connections, which examined the link between social exclusion, transport and the location of services. The report highlighted that the ability of people to access places of work, learning, health care, shopping, leisure and exercise, and other opportunities can significantly impact on their quality of life, and on their opportunities in life. Schemes and initiatives to improve accessibility can therefore have wide reaching benefits, for example, encouraging participation and retention in education, reducing inequalities in health, and helping people move from welfare into work.

The SEU report recommended a strategy for improving accessibility to key services and facilities through the introduction of accessibility planning. Accessibility planning aims to ensure that there is a clearer and more systematic approach to identifying and tackling the barriers that people, particularly those from disadvantaged groups and areas, face in accessing jobs and key services.

The Scope of Accessibility Planning

The County Council, as the local transport authority, is leading on the work on accessibility planning in Warwickshire as a key component of this new Local Transport Plan. Strategies, policies and programmes in the LTP can make a significant contribution to improving accessibility - for example, by improving the availability and accessibility of public transport and improving the attractiveness of walking and cycling for local journeys. However, helping to ensure that people can access the services they need and want is not just a matter of improving local transport. Improving the provision of services and developments in more accessible places and ways, and at more convenient times, can have as much impact on accessibility as transport provision itself. The emphasis of accessibility planning is therefore on engaging with partners who can influence the location and delivery of services – land use planners, health, education and employment sectors – to ensure that accessibility is factored into decision-making to maximise accessibility and its benefits.

This Accessibility Strategy sets out the approach the County Council are taking to improve accessibility for Warwickshire residents. The remainder of this Strategy sets out:

An overview of accessibility within Warwickshire;
The approach to improve accessibility;
Results of the accessibility assessments;
Cross-cutting accessibility improvements;
The action plan for delivering proposed recommendations and initiatives; and
How the strategy will be monitored.

Accessibility within Warwickshire

Accessibility Vision

The vision for the accessibility strategy is:

To enable people to reach a range of education, training, employment, healthcare, shopping and leisure opportunities, with a particular focus on improving accessibility for disadvantaged groups and areas

The vision recognises that, to enjoy a balanced lifestyle and to take advantage of opportunities which arise, people need to be able to access a wide range of facilities. However, as highlighted by the Social Exclusion Unit’s report Making the Connections, a number of barriers serve to limit access to opportunities. The nature of these barriers and their influence in a Warwickshire context is outlined below.

Barriers to Accessibility

The Availability and Physical Accessibility of Transport - limitations imposed by the geographical and time of day coverage of public transport services, or the ability to physically access public transport vehicles. Within Warwickshire there are varying levels of public transport service across the County. Whilst the main urban areas are relatively well served by public transport, many rural or edge of town areas have only minimum public transport service levels, limiting the opportunity for local communities to travel to services and facilities outside their local area. The problem is particularly acute for remote rural areas and for travel in the evenings or on Sundays.
Cost of Transport – for some people the costs of private or public transport are very high and often unaffordable. Bus fares have risen by nearly a third since 1985. Motoring costs account for 24 per cent of the weekly expenditure of households in the lowest income quintile who have cars. There is a local perception within Warwickshire of increasing costs for public transport use, with the Citizens’ Panel Survey (June 2005) indicating that nearly half (48%) of respondents considered that the cost of public transport had increased over the last 5 years, whilst only 17% considered that costs had stayed the same.
Services and Activities Located in Places Inaccessible by Public Transport or at Some Distance – the increasingly dispersed patterns of development for key services and job opportunities serves to limit accessibility for those without access to a car. In Warwickshire the development of out-of-town shopping centres and business and industrial parks has resulted in longer journey distances to access services and facilities. Such developments tend to be designed around the needs of the car and can be difficult to serve efficiently by public transport or to access on foot or by bicycle. In addition a loss of rural services and centralisation of some health services has resulted in services being harder to reach for local communities.
Safety and Security – crime and fear of crime can deter walking, cycling and the use of public transport. Similarly, the perceived safety and security of parking may deter people from travelling by car to certain destinations. The recent Citizen’s Panel Survey indicated that only 5% considered that there had been an improvement in safety on public transport over the last 5 years; 28% thought it had got worse and 31% thought safety had stayed the same.
Travel Horizons – people may be reluctant to make journeys that require longer distances or journey times, or interchange. Inconsistency in the provision of public transport information and poor integration of public transport services (including ticketing) can contribute to a reluctance to make longer or more complex journeys by public transport. Findings from a recent Citizens’ Panel Survey (June 2005) indicate the extent to which the above factors limit peoples’ ability to access key destinations - the workplace, healthcare (GP surgery or hospital), supermarkets and educational institutes such as schools, colleges or learning centres. A summary of the findings is presented in Figure 2.1 below.

Figure 1 Factors that slightly / severly limit respondents access to specified locations

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Although the overall view is mixed, the availability of public transport services is the main factor which limits panel members accessing each of the list of services to any extent. Location of facilities and lack of information are listed to a lesser extent.

The effect of these barriers is not felt uniformly, but varies by type of area (for example urban or rural) and for different groups of people, such as those on low incomes, older people, younger people, disabled people (including those with mental health problems), people with illnesses, women and people from ethnic communities. The influence of these factors in different areas and for different groups is explored in more detail below.

Lack of access to a car can also severely limit access to opportunities and is considered to be one of the major transport problems in Warwickshire (Warwickshire Citizens’ Panel Survey, April 2004). The problem has not decreased in recent years, with most of the recent growth in car ownership coming from households acquiring second or third cars. Hence, the proportion of households without access to a car has remained relatively stable.

Geographical Variation in Barriers

Results from the recent Citizen’s Panel Survey (June 2005) reveal:

A greater percentage of respondents from North Warwickshire state that the barriers severely limit or limit their ability to access services. This is particularly significant in relation to the availability of public transport services for journeys to work, education and food shopping, the cost of transport to education, the location of education and lack of information for journeys to work and education;
Stratford District has the second highest percentage of respondents stating that the barriers severely limit or limit their ability to access services. This is most notable in relation to the availability of public transport services, cost of travel, location of services and lack of information;
Respondents from Nuneaton and Bedworth identified the availability of public transport as the most significant barrier, particularly for journeys to work and education. To a lesser extent the cost of travel and the location of services were identified as barriers, again most notably for journeys to work and education;
The most significant barrier in Rugby Borough is the availability of public transport services, in particular for journeys to work and education. To a lesser extent the location of services was identified as a barrier, most notably for journeys to work; and
Respondents from Warwick District identified the availability of public transport as the most significant barrier, particularly for journeys to work and education.

Socio-demographic Influences on Accessibility

Socio-demographic data enables the identification and location of different groups of people who may be at a higher risk of social exclusion due to the limitations of poor access to services and facilities. Specific groups considered include:

Elderly people (over the age of 65);
People of working age (16-74);
People without access to a car;
People with a Limiting Long-Term Illness (LLI); and
Low income population (Job Seekers Allowance claimants).

Key points about each of these population groups along with location specific information is highlighted in Table 2.2 below.

Table 2 Overview of Socio-demographic Data
Demographic Group	Key Points	Location Specific Information
Elderly people (over the age of 65)	Just over 16% of Warwickshire’s population is over the age of 65. It is important that elderly people are taken into account in the strategic mapping audit as financial constraints and mobility issues may be significant factors within this age group. Importantly, the number of people aged 65-74 is forecast to increase by 44% in Warwickshire by 2021 whilst the population aged over 85 is forecast to increase by a massive 74.2%.	Stratford District (a rural/semi rural district) has an older age profile than other Warwickshire districts, with over 18% of the total population aged over 65. Conversely, only 14.8% of Nuneaton & Bedworth’s population is aged over 65.
People of working age (16-74)	There are approximately 369,000 people aged 16-74 in Warwickshire, representing approximately 73% of the total population. It is vital that this age group is taken into account in the accessibility assessments as limits on access to education and employment may have a significant affect on life chances now and in the future.	Warwick District has a slightly higher proportion of the population who are of working age (76%) when compared to the County overall.
People without access to a car	People without access to a car may not be able to access key services quickly and easily; they are reliant on public transport and thus may be at significant risk of suffering social exclusion. This is especially true if key services are not available within the local vicinity or the area is poorly served by public transport.	Levels of car ownership in Warwickshire are higher than on a regional or national basis. Just under a fifth of Warwickshire households do not have access to a car. This is significantly lower than the national (27%) and regional (27%) figures. There are hotspots of low levels of car ownership across the County, notably in Nuneaton & Bedworth and Rugby Borough.
People with a Limiting Long Term Illness (LLI)	The Limiting Long Term Illness (LLI) dataset is derived from the 2001 Census and can be used as a suitable proxy for disability. Approximately 17% of Warwickshire’s population has a LLI, and this proportion is likely to increase, as Warwickshire’s age structure grows older.	The health of Warwickshire’s population is generally good when compared to a national basis. However, there are hotspots of poor health throughout the County, notably in North Warwickshire and Nuneaton & Bedworth, and to a lesser extent, Rugby.
Low income population (Job Seekers Allowance claimants)	The number of people who are in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) provides a good proxy for identifying people out of work. As of August 2005 the unemployment rate in Warwickshire was just 1.5%.	The unemployment rate in Warwickshire is significantly lower than that at a regional level (3.0%) and at a national level (2.4%). The unemployment rate in Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough stands at 2.6% (Aug 05), which is significantly higher than the County average. Pockets of high unemployment also exist in Rugby Borough, Warwick District (small parts of Leamington-Spa and Warwick) and Stratford-on-Avon District.

An overview of the geographical variation in socio-demographic factors across Warwickshire is provided in Figures A to G below.

Rural/Urban Warwickshire

Using the Office of National Statistics Urban/Rural classification, it is evident that a third of Warwickshire’s population live in rural Warwickshire, with 18% of the population living in villages, hamlets or isolated dwellings. Significantly, over 22% of people aged 60 and over live in rural Warwickshire and nearly a quarter of these people live in hamlets or isolated dwellings. Although almost half of households in rural Warwickshire own two or more cars, access to key services can still be problematic, especially for those without access to a car for all or part of the day. The urban/rural classification is shown graphically in Figure H.

Disadvantaged Communities

Despite Warwickshire’s overall prosperity and strong economic performance there are significant inequalities that exist across the County with a number of communities, often in specific localities, experiencing deprivation and disadvantage. Whilst higher levels of deprivation exist in the north of the County, even within generally more prosperous southern districts, pockets of disadvantage exist. This is compounded by the physical and practical problems of lack of transport and support services, and of limited employment opportunities outside the main towns of the County.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 (IMD 2004) provides the most detailed and comprehensive measure of deprivation and disadvantage to date. It reveals:

Two areas within Nuneaton & Bedworth feature in 10% of the most disadvantaged in England (at Super Output Area (SOA) level);
Of the 37 Warwickshire areas in the worst 30% nationally, 26 are within Nuneaton and Bedworth, 4 within Rugby, 5 within Warwick and 2 within North Warwickshire; and
The IMD 2004 also measures the disadvantage rural communities can experience in terms of the accessibility of key services and access to affordable housing. Five Warwickshire Super Output Areas (SOAs) feature in the 1% most deprived areas for access to services and housing in England. These areas are all in Stratford and Warwick Districts, reflecting a lack of affordable housing and dispersed nature of many key services.

Figure I below shows the geographical variation in the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Cross-boundary Issues

Warwickshire has extensive external administrative boundaries with the West Midlands conurbation (specifically Coventry and Solihull) as well as to the Shire Counties of Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire to the north and east, and Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire to the south and west. In terms of accessing jobs and services, significant cross-boundary movement occurs, most notably towards the Metropolitan Area.

Work on the modelling of cross-boundary movements is progressing as authorities across the West Midlands Region begin to develop working arrangements to share data. However, a number of issues have already been highlighted via consultation with partners and through the development of our evidence base. For example 2001 census information shows almost 30,000 workers a day commuting into Coventry from the surrounding districts, particularly from the adjacent areas of Nuneaton / Bedworth, Warwick / Leamington and Rugby. The reverse movement is also strong with almost 18,000 people travelling daily from Coventry to Warwickshire. There are also several cross-boundary movements for access to hospitals, with a number of patients travelling between Coventry and Rugby as the hospitals provide different services. Similarly, in the south of the County many residents travel to the Alexandra hospital in Redditch for treatment.

Work will continue to develop both partnerships and an analytical base to progress cross-boundary working throughout this LTP period.

Approach to Improve Accessibility

To achieve our accessibility vision, the County Council will focus on reducing or removing barriers that serve to limit access to services, with a particular emphasis on those groups and areas who are most affected by them. The following objectives have been developed to support our accessibility vision:

To promote a transport system within Warwickshire that improves access to key services and facilities for all;
To promote accessibility as a key consideration when making decisions on the location of new services and facilities;
To promote the delivery of services in ways which can contribute towards improved accessibility; and
To achieve improvement for all, but with the fastest improvement for the most deprived.

A five-stage process (as recommended in the accessibility planning guidance) is being undertaken to support these objectives:

Strategic accessibility assessment;
Local accessibility assessments, focused on priority areas, groups and issues;
Option appraisal and identification of resources;
Accessibility action plan development; and
Monitoring and evaluation.

More detail on each stage is outlined below and summarised in Figure 2.2.

This process will provide an improved evidence base which will enable a greater understanding of accessibility needs across the area and the delivery of the most cost-effective ways to tackle these needs.

An important part of the success in meeting our accessibility vision is the active engagement of the appropriate sectors and partners. The strategy therefore recognises the need for improved partnership working to maximise opportunities to improve accessibility, and the involvement of partners will be crucial throughout the above stages. Our approach for engaging with partners is outlined later in this strategy.

Figure 2 Mian stages of the recommended accessibility planning process

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Stage 1: Strategic Accessibility Assessment & Stage 2: Local Accessibility Assessments

A strategic accessibility assessment has been carried out to highlight those areas or groups of people who currently experience the lowest levels of accessibility in relation to the access to work, access to health (including healthy food) and access to education and training. For each theme the strategic assessment has combined:

A mapping exercise using Accession software (of origins and destinations and availability of transport between the two);
A policy review to identify any implications for accessibility;
A review of existing evidence; and
Consideration of socio-demographic and geographical influences on accessibility.

The strategic assessment enables accessibility to key services across the County to be examined in a systematic and objective way. The mapping exercise has been carried out using Accession, a mapping software tool that enables access by both public and private transport to be measured, from specified origins to specified destinations. Comparisons can be made over time and between different geographical areas.

The outcome of the strategic assessment has been used as a basis for discussion with main partners and has resulted in a series of actions being prioritised for each theme. In determining priorities consideration has been given to where:

Disadvantage is greatest or there are concentrations of people at risk of social exclusion;
The accessibility of a single service or combination of services is poorest; and
Accessibility improvements are likely to make the greatest contribution to delivering the authority’s wider objectives, and those of the strategic level partnership.

Some of these actions require more detailed local accessibility assessments to be carried out, including undertaking additional mapping of local issues and the investigation of possible solutions arising from the Stage 1 work. The local assessments and actions will be overseen by a partnership appropriate to the priority, and will be phased through the lifetime of this Local Transport Plan period (2006-2011).

Stage 3: Option Appraisal and Identification of Resources

Having identified specific local priority areas, groups and activities through the accessibility assessment, a range of potential solutions to address these problems will need to be considered. This will be undertaken with partners so that the broadest possible range of solutions can be looked at and any practical barriers to delivery identified from the outset.

A number of factors will be considered when appraising and selecting options:

The impacts (benefits and disbenefits) of proposed actions and their appropriateness for meeting local needs;
The barriers to implementation that exist for the proposed action;
The resources available to support the proposed action; and
The stakeholders necessary to take forward the proposed action.

Where appropriate, the accessibility software will be used to compare the impacts of particular interventions. However, it is recognised that consideration of travel time issues alone is not necessarily appropriate. Other factors, such as safety, travel cost, readily available easy to understand information, or frequency of service may be equally, if not more, important. The involvement of partners and targeted consultation with local communities in option appraisal will help to ensure that any planned actions address the actual problems experienced by affected people.

The availability of resources is likely to be one of the most significant barriers and opportunities for determining whether it is practicable to develop individual actions. When considering what resources are available to implement actions, a broad view of resource availability will be taken, including staff resources, skills, locations and vehicles as well as funding across partners.

Proposed actions are likely to call on existing budgets as much as utilising new funding opportunities. In this respect the County Council will explore the possibility of efficiency gains, for example, whether integration between the forms and functions of transport across local authority departments (transport, social services and education) could lead to better accessibility and better use of resources.

In addition to maximising the benefits of existing transport funds, where it can be demonstrated that accessibility interventions are key to the successful delivery of the authority’s wider policies and objectives, consideration will be given to setting up an ‘accessibility pot’ – made up of pooled resources from across Departments – to fund joint solutions.

Stage 4: Delivery

The phased approach of carrying out accessibility assessments and reviewing options and resources will enable an action plan to be drawn up to tackle local accessibility problems. This will include consultation with partners and communities to determine the specific types of initiatives that are most appropriate for tackling local accessibility problems. The types of mechanisms that might be identified for delivering improved accessibility through action plans focus on three main areas:

Travel to Services – improving travel to services, including the availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability of public transport; the attractiveness of walking and cycling to local destinations; and the role of parking provision, in particular the availability of parking for disabled users and the adequacy of short stay parking;
Location of Services – role of service providers and land-use planning in ensuring the location of new service provision in accessible places; and
Service Delivery – approaches such as taking services nearer to people (e.g. mobile services) or providing some services through other means which avoid the need to travel (e-govt, internet shopping) and improving access of other sorts (e.g. use of language).

A number of policies have been developed under each of these headings to provide an overall framework for delivering cross-cutting accessibility improvements. These are detailed later in the strategy.

Stage 5: Monitoring and Evaluation

To evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy in meeting our accessibility objectives, the County Council will monitor the change in accessibility levels (as expressed by journey times) for access to the following key services and facilities:

Access to healthcare and healthy food;
Access to education; and
Access to employment.

In addition, project specific targets will be developed where appropriate.

Partnership Approach

As stated previously, helping to ensure that people can access the services they need is not just a matter of improving local transport, but also of improving the provision of other services and developments in more accessible places and ways, and at more accessible times. Engaging with relevant partners is therefore crucial to our success in meeting accessibility strategy objectives. Where possible, existing partnerships are being used to pursue accessibility objectives within Warwickshire.

Countywide Partnership

On a strategic level, engagement is through the Warwickshire Strategic Partnership (the countywide Local Strategic Partnership). An Accessibility project group has been set up as a sub-group of the Transport Theme Group to ensure that the aims of accessibility planning are supported. Activity of the project group is divided between two areas:

A core accessibility group – represented by a small number of Warwickshire County Council officers. The group’s remit is to ensure that the aims of accessibility planning are supported by:

Ensuring there is a clear process and responsibility for identifying groups or areas with accessibility problems;
Ensuring that the development and delivery of LTP2 is informed by improved information on barriers to accessibility and solutions to remove or reduce these barriers; and
Engaging with other agencies to ensure that the widest range of solutions to accessibility problems can be considered

A ‘virtual’ wider partnership group – including representatives from partner organisations and agencies represented on the Warwickshire Strategic Partnership (health, education, employment and community sectors as well as relevant officers from District/Borough Councils e.g. land use planning officers). Representatives are engaged by the core accessibility group on an ‘as and when required’ basis to assist with accessibility planning work. To date this has included consultation on the development of the Accessibility Strategy and providing details of work or partnerships that can assist with accessibility planning.

Theme Specific Partnerships

In addition to engagement with partners at a strategic level, the County Council are working with partners to consider accessibility issues relating to specific themes. This is being progressed through existing partnerships, including:

Health and Wellbeing Partnership (for access to health and healthy food);
Travel to Learn Partnership (for access to education); and
Jobs Strategy Group (for access to employment).

Specific involvement of partnership groups has included: helping to identify accessibility issues (and providing a reality check on data sources already available); agreeing priorities within different sectors; and helping to identify solutions and their role in delivering these solutions. Further detail on partnership membership and engagement is outlined later in the strategy.

Links with Wider Objectives

Links with County Council and Corporate Objectives

Improving accessibility has an integral role to play in helping to meet the wider vision and objectives of the authority and its partners. As outlined in Part 1 of this LTP, the County Council’s vision and corporate objectives are set out in the Corporate Business Plan for 2005-2008. Five corporate objectives set out the long term aspirations to achieve the vision of ‘Making Warwickshire the best place to live and work’. The objectives are as follows:

To promote lifelong learning and personal development;
To promote the health and social care of our citizens;
To improve the environment);
To reduce crime and improve safety of the community; and
To develop and maintain a vibrant local economy which promotes employment and prosperity for all.

Improved access to key services and facilities can help meet all 5 of these corporate objectives by:

Lifelong Learning and Personal Development –

Making it easier for people to get to schools, colleges and libraries, encouraging participation and retention in education.

Health and Social Care of our Citizens –

Reducing inequalities in health by ensuring that those most in need can access health services, ensuring that appointments are not missed and that medical help is sought at an early opportunity;
Bringing about health benefits by enabling people to access and participate in everyday activities; and
Encouraging healthier lifestyles by improving access to leisure facilities, improving opportunities to walk and cycle and improving access to a healthy diet.

Improve the Environment –

Reducing the dependency on car journeys by offering more travel choice through improvements to public transport, walking and cycling; and
Reducing the need to travel by relocating services and facilities closer to where they are needed and delivering services in ways which avoid the need to travel.

Reduce crime and improve safety of the community –

Improving accessibility includes considering the safety of people whilst travelling; helping to ensure that people feel safe whilst making journeys on foot or by cycle, or whilst waiting or using public transport.

Vibrant Local Economy which Promotes Employment and Prosperity for All –

Making it easier for people to travel to jobs, helping people to move from welfare into work.

Similar themes have been adopted in The Strategic Plan for Warwickshire 2005-2008, ensuring commitment from a wide range of stakeholders and the local community. Principles and actions included in the Plan which directly support the delivery of accessibility objectives are listed in Table 2.3 below.

Table 3 Links between the Warwickshire Strategic Plan and the Accessibility Strategy
Community Plan Theme	Objective and Action	Link to Accessibility Strategy
Housing Affordability	LPSA2 - We will improve streets for people by improving our street scenes in specific targeted areas through lighting, graffiti cleaning etc and reducing the number of anti-social behaviour and nuisance incidents.	Safety when Travelling
Jobs, Skills and Learning	We will improve basic skills in the most deprived areas of the County and in under-represented groups through: Better targeting of provision to priority groups and localities; Giving a higher profile to family and parenting support and ensuring that parents have the opportunity to develop their skills through literacy, language and numeracy learning.	Access to Education and Employment
Jobs, Skills and Learning	We will reduce the number of economically inactive (including those on incapacity benefit, lone parents and carers) by helping those who would want to work secure work through: Early engagement with these individuals, improving employability skills and through supporting confidence building measures; Promoting and supporting the adoption of good employment and recruitment practices by employers throughout the County, particular in respect to this target group.	Access to Employment
Jobs, Skills and Learning	We will provide and maintain transport infrastructure that supports a competitive economy and encourage business to remain in and relocate to Warwickshire and seek to improve mobility for all	Access to Employment
Community Safety	We will reduce the fear of crime and improve people’s feeling of safety in their communities, by identifying what causes people to be fearful of crime and create interventions to counteract this fear	Safety when Travelling
Community Safety	We will provide a safer environment for vulnerable road users through: Provision of safer routes to school; Improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists; Implement appropriate speed limits in villages.	Safety when Travelling
Health and Wellbeing	We will promote healthy lifestyles for young people through expanding our Healthy Schools programme and creating an integrated programme of professional development and network support levels for attainment in physical education.	Access to Health and Healthy Affordable Food
Health and Wellbeing	We will improve access to jobs and essential services e.g. GP surgeries, food shops, and leisure services by improving provision of public and community transport and directing services to the right locations.	Access to Education, Employment, Health and Healthy Affordable Food
Health and Wellbeing	We will improve accessibility of the highways for people with physical or sensory impairments and for others with special requirements including: Upgrading pedestrian crossings; Provision of improved bus stop infrastructure; Provision of dropped kerbs.	All, particularly those with Mobility Impairments
Spatial Strategy	The spatial strategy running through the strategic plan favours new development on ‘brownfield’ land in the main Warwickshire towns as they already have access to jobs, community facilities, shops and public transport.	Location of new Facilities

Results of Accessibility Assessments

Accessibility Assessment Process

Accessibility assessments have been carried out for each of the main themes: Access to Health; Access to Education & Training; and Access to Employment. An overview of the accessibility assessment process is outlined in the figure below. Results of the assessments are detailed for each theme along with an overview of the strategic mapping audit stage is outlined in Figure 2.3 below.

Figure 3 Key stages and processes involved in the accessibility assessments

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Strategic Mapping Audit

The strategic accessibility maps have been produced using Accession, a mapping software tool that enables access by both public and private transport to be measured from specified origins to specified destinations. Comparisons can then be made over time and between different geographical areas. Four key destination groups have been considered: access to education and learning; access to employment; access to key health services and access to healthy food. The destination groups were chosen to take into account those journeys that may have the greatest impact on overall life chances, as identified in the SEU report ‘Making the Connexions’.

Data Collection and Accession Runs

Access to the four key destination groups (8 different destinations in total) were plotted and analysed in Accession. Data (both for public transport and destinations) has been collected for Warwickshire and surrounding authorities where possible to reflect the cross-boundary nature of some journeys. Details of the data used in the mapping work, including the limitations, is provided in Table 2.4 below.

Accession runs (based on journey time threshold calculations) for all destinations were carried out using the public transport network, with key time periods, as set out in Table 2.5 below. Thresholds were set using DfT guidance and input from our partners on appropriate time periods. Accessibility runs were replicated using the ITN network (access by car) for comparative purposes.

Further Accession Plots

Following consultation with partners, a number of additional accession runs have been identified as being useful, including access to leisure facilities, access to health clinics and access to the four key destination groups by bicycle. Accessibility to the additional destinations may be examined at a later date after further consultation with the relevant partners.

Access by bicycle has not been considered at the strategic assessment stage due to limitations in representing cycle journeys at a countywide level in Accession. Whilst Accession can consider a ‘cycle’ mode, it is difficult to adequately represent in the road network the specific requirements of, and issues affecting, cyclists (for example the deterrence factors due to heavy traffic). More work will be carried out at the local accessibility assessment stage to try to take into account deterrence factors when mapping accessibility levels by bicycle.

Table 4 Details of Datasets used in Strategic Mapping Audits
Destination/ Network Data	Data Set	Source	Limitations of the Data/ Implications for Stage 2 Assessments
Public Transport Network	The bus network, including cross-boundary routes.	Public transport data.	Only contains commercial and subsidised bus services. Does not contain school bus routes or routes operated through community transport initiatives. No rail services included.
Education	Schools (primary & secondary) in Warwickshire, sixth form colleges, FE colleges and work based learning providers.	Warwickshire County Council Education Department and the Coventry & Warwickshire LSC.	Access is mapped using only the PT network which does not include the statutory school transport network (this will be included when looking at Stage 2, local assessments).
Employment	Employment sites with over 500 employees located inside and outside Warwickshire and key Warwickshire town centres which offer a range of employment opportunities.	IDBR data plus information from partners.	Strategic level maps only show access to nearest possible employment, not nearest suitable employment. PT data used to measure accessibility does not include community transport initiatives to enable people to access employment (e.g. Busterwerkanbak operating in the north of the County). This will be included in Stage 2 assessments.
Key Health Services	GP Surgeries in and outside Warwickshire (including branch surgeries where possible) and hospitals. Small, hospitals offering limited services have been excluded from the Stage 1 assessment as it is felt that they do not inform the strategic level assessment as well as the large hospitals, offering a full range of patient care facilities.	Data provided by DfT plus amendments made by partners (e.g. to include branch surgeries).	Data may not include all branch surgeries. Accessibility maps only show access using the PT network, they don’t include the many community transport initiatives. Health clinics are not included at stage 1 assessments even though a number of residents (in particular the very young and the very old) access health clinics in addition to GP services. Stage 2 assessments may take these other transport options and health service destinations into account.
Healthy Food	Outlets (including small local shops, supermarkets and farmers markets) selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Located in and outside Warwickshire.	Warwickshire Food for Health group and www.yell.com	Fruit and Vegetable outlet data may not be fully comprehensive as it relies on data held by www.yell.com and local knowledge. Produce sold in small, local independent shops may be relatively expensive and therefore not provide a real choice for those on low incomes.

Table 5 Detail of Accession runs
Destination	Accessibility Measure/Threshold Journey Time	Mode	Time Period	Population	Socio-demographic data as a proxy for social exclusion	Rural / Urban¹
Access to Work
Main employment centres (including town centres)	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus/ walk	0730-0900 (Out) 1700-1830 (In)	People of working age (16-74)	- Jobseekers allowance - Households without access to a car	Yes
Access to Learning
Primary school	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus / walk	0800-0900 (Out) 1500-1600 (In)	Compulsory school age children	- Income Deprivation Affecting Children (IDAC)	Yes
Secondary school	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus/ walk	0730-0900 (Out) 1530-1730 (In)	Compulsory school age children	- Income Deprivation Affecting Children (IDAC)	Yes
Secondary school / Sixth forms / FE colleges	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus/ walk	0730-0900 (Out) 1530-1730 (In)	16-19 year olds	- Income Deprivation Affecting Children (IDAC)	Yes
Access to Health Care
GPs, including branch surgeries	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus / walk	0900-1000 (Out) 1000-1100 (In) 1500-1600 (Out) 1600-1700 (In)	All households	- Households without access to a car - Limiting long-term illness - Population aged over 65	Yes
Hospitals – general hospitals offering a range of care facilities	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus / walk	0900-1000 (Out) 1300-1400 (In & Out) 1700-1800 (In)	All households	- Households without access to a car - Limiting long term illness - Population aged over 65	Yes
Access to food shopping
Supermarkets, shops and markets selling fresh fruit & vegetables	15 minute intervals up to 60 minutes maximum	Bus/ walk	0900 –1100 (out) 1500 – 1700 (in)	All households	- Households without access to a car	Yes
Access to Main Service Centres
Access to main service centres (providing a range of employment, retail, health (inc general hospital) education (inc FE) & leisure opportunities)	Varying intervals up to 90 minutes maximum	Bus/ walk	0900 –1200 (out) 1200-1500 (in)	All households	- Households without access to a car	Yes

Access to Health (including Healthy Affordable Food)

Accessibility Planning and the Health Agenda

Good accessibility to key health related services, including health facilities and affordable healthy food, is vital in improving the overall quality of life and can significantly impact upon life chances. Improving access to health facilities, either through transport improvements or changes to the way services are delivered (including the location of facilities), can encourage people to seek medical help at the earliest opportunity as well as helping to reduce the number of missed appointments. Similarly, improving access to a healthy and affordable diet can significantly improve overall health, contributing to a reduction in obesity levels, helping to reduce the incidents of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

The circumstances of some individuals can impose further restrictions on access to healthcare and healthy food. For example:

Levels of mobility - can people physically walk or drive to the shop or GP surgery or use public transport;
Affordability - is healthy food affordable; and
Skill-set - consumers with no, or few cooking skills may rely on ready-made convenience foods, which are often a more unhealthy option.

The influence of the above factors will be considered when developing solutions to improve accessibility.

Review of Health Conditions in Warwickshire

General health is, on the whole, good across Warwickshire although, as shown in Figure J below, there are hotspots of health and disability deprivation in all five districts across Warwickshire. Warwickshire has an aging population and this may present further health provision challenges in future years.

Access to Primary Health Care Services

There are currently three Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in Warwickshire (see Figure K below): North Warwickshire PCT, which covers the boroughs of North Warwickshire and Nuneaton & Bedworth; Rugby PCT; and South Warwickshire PCT which covers Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon districts.

The structure of primary care at a national level is currently under review and present thinking indicates that the three PCT model currently in existence in Warwickshire will be replaced with a single Primary Care Trust covering the whole of the County. Small, local offices will provide a local, district level focus. In terms of accessibility planning, moving to a countywide PCT structure may be beneficial, as overall health based policies should be implemented at a county level, as opposed to the different policies being applied to different areas of the County.

GP surgeries are a crucial link into primary health care, and act as the first interface between the public and the health care system. Good access to GP surgeries is therefore vital. Poor accessibility may lead to patients not seeking medical help at the earliest opportunity, which may be detrimental to long-term health, and contribute to the incidence of missed appointments (at an estimated cost of around £100 each to the local health trust).

There are over 60 GP surgeries within Warwickshire plus additional surgeries in neighbouring local authorities where, as suggested by anecdotal evidence, Warwickshire residents living on the County border are registered.

Results of Strategic Mapping Exercise - the analysis shows that 85% of the County’s population have access to GPs by bus or on foot within a 30 minute threshold. The majority of areas which have poor or no access by bus are rural areas of the County where there is a lower population density and dispersed deprivation. A number of community transport schemes operate in the areas denoted as having poor accessibility, suggesting that on the ground accessibility is better than indicated by the strategic mapping exercise. Access to GP surgeries by community or voluntary transport services is summarised below in the section 'Provision of Specialist Transport for Access to Health' and will be mapped as part of Stage 2 local accessibility audits.

Access to Hospitals

Warwickshire residents primarily use one of twelve hospitals located in Warwickshire and the surrounding areas. With hospitals tending to specialise in certain types of treatment, the choice of which hospital to attend is determined by which services are on offer, and can often result in patients having to visit the hospital that has the most suitable health care provision, as opposed to the hospital that is the most easily accessible.

The provision of acute services is currently under review, the outcome of which may have a profound and possibly detrimental effect on accessibility to hospitals for patients and visitors alike. The implementation of ‘Choose & Book’ (see page 30) may improve accessibility at an individual level.

Results of Strategic Mapping Exercise - the analysis shows that 47% of the County’s population have access to hospitals by bus or on foot within a 30 minute threshold, the lowest percentage of all the destination types analysed. The majority of areas which have poor or no access by bus are rural areas of the County where there is a lower population density and dispersed deprivation.

There are a number of limitations of the strategic mapping exercise, namely:

The assessment does not take account of community transport or voluntary transport schemes operating in the area, suggesting that on the ground accessibility is better than indicated by the strategic mapping exercise. A summary of services is given below; and
The assessment only considers accessibility to the nearest hospital and does not take into account what treatments are available. Patients requiring specialist treatment may therefore have to travel to hospitals further afield and experience even lower levels of accessibility.

Further analysis and investigation of these issues is being considered as part of the Stage 2 local accessibility audits.

Access to Healthy Affordable Food

Low-income and socially excluded groups are more likely to face problems in accessing healthy and affordable food. Retail patterns have changed significantly over the last twenty years, with more and more supermarkets relocating to out of town sites and the decline of small, independent, specialist shops, such as a greengrocers or a fishmonger within town centres. Groups that have mobility problems, such as those without access to a car and who are reliant on public transport, are more likely to experience difficulties in accessing out of town supermarkets and therefore cannot take advantage of the wide choice of fresh food available at low cost. The only real option for many is to use small, local shops where often the availability of healthy food is poor, quality is poor and the price is often high.

Results of Strategic Mapping Exercise - the analysis shows that 92% of the County’s population have access to fresh food outlets by bus or on foot within a 30 minute threshold. The majority of areas which have poor or no access by bus are rural areas of the County where there is a lower population density and dispersed deprivation. The assessment does not take account of community transport schemes operating in the area, suggesting that on the ground accessibility is better than indicated by the strategic mapping exercise. Access to fresh food outlets by community transport services or dedicated supermarket transport services will be analysed as part of the Stage 2 local accessibility audits.

Whilst the results of the strategic mapping exercise appear promising, the assessment does not take into account the range of produce on offer or its affordability. Further investigation of these issues will be undertaken as part of the ongoing work of the Warwickshire Food for Health Partnership (details provided below).

Provision of Specialist Transport for Access to Health

A number of specialist transport schemes operate throughout Warwickshire, all of which, to some extent help improve accessibility to key health services and to healthy food. These transport options are outlined below. Due to time constraints these ‘non-timetable’ services have not been included in the Stage 1 accessibility assessment. It is anticipated that the services will be reflected in the Stage 2 assessment.

Flexibus - the Flexibus scheme across Warwickshire provides wheelchair accessible buses, running to a timetable on a fixed route but with the option to divert to convenient pick up points. The Flexibus scheme allows people who live too far from the standard pick up point (which is especially relevant in rural Warwickshire) or are unable to get to the bus stop, perhaps due to ill health or disability, to still access public transport. An overview of the Flexibus operation in Warwickshire is outlined below:

District	Summary of Flexibus operation
North Warwickshire	Nine Flexibus routes are in operation in North Warwickshire, serving Atherstone, Tamworth (Staffordshire), Hinckley (Leicestershire), Coleshill, Bedworth and Solihull
Nuneaton & Bedworth	Four Flexibus routes all bring people into the bus station in Nuneaton town centre, two of the routes take people into Bedworth town centre
Central Warwickshire	Nine routes are in operation, bringing people into Leamington Spa and Warwick town centres. Warwick Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda are also served. Two routes take people into Solihull town centre
Rugby	Ten of the twelve routes in operation bring people into the town centre. Routes also serve out of town centres, including a service that drops people off at Tescos and Sainsbury's. Nuneaton and Leicester town centres are also served by the Rugby flexibus

Community Transport in Warwickshire - the community transport sector in Warwickshire has evolved due to the unmet transport needs of Warwickshire residents. Community transport has an important role in filling the gaps in the mainstream public transport network.

Any Warwickshire resident facing some kind of transport barrier, such as those experiencing permanent temporary illness, a disability or mobility problem can use community transport. Also eligible, are those who are geographically isolated or socially excluded because they do not have access to a private car or affordable transport.

Examples of community transport schemes that provide transport primarily to enable access to health services are set out below. Across Warwickshire there is no consistent approach to eligibility, charges levied, use of the service and marketing and publicity regarding the services available.

District	Summary of ‘Access to Health’ Community Transport Schemes
North Warwickshire	Beeline Community Transport provides transport to and from hospitals, doctors' and dentists' surgeries, opticians and chiropodists. The service is for residents of North Warwickshire and patients who are registered with a North Warwickshire GP and who do not have access to public or private transport or are unable to use public or private transport due to sickness or disability
Nuneaton & Bedworth	Medi-Car provides transport for all medical related journeys, using volunteer drivers within the Borough
Warwick	'Racing to Get There' provides transport for people over the age of 65, who live in Warwick District, to medically related appointments
Stratford-on-Avon	The Stratford-on-Avon Volunteer Bureau runs a car scheme (driven by volunteers) for people with a genuine need to attend hospitals, doctors, dentists or day centres
Rugby	The Rugby Volunteer Bureau organises transport for clients who need to get to day centres, hospitals, doctors, dentists and other necessary appointments. Volunteer drivers in their own cars provide the transport

Patient Transport Service - the Patient Transport Service (PTS) is available for those attending pre booked hospital appointments. A door-to-door service is provided for those who have a condition that prevents them using public transport. For patients on a low income (in receipt of income support, working tax credit or guaranteed pensions credit) the cost of travel to the appointment is reimbursed – a rate per mile for those patients who use their own car or full public transport fare, where appropriate. For patients unable to use public transport as a result of mobility problems a taxi may be used as an alternative.

Health Policies and Schemes that currently impact on Access to Health Provision

Advanced Access Appointment System - the advanced access appointment system offers accessibility benefits by giving patients flexibility in making appointments, enabling patients to take advantage of available public transport services, or, if travelling by car, at times when they will be able to park with relative ease. Advanced Access Appointment Systems have been implemented in GP surgeries (to different degrees) across the County by all three PCTs, although no standard currently exists across Warwickshire.

Choose and Book - the Choose and Book initiative allows patients to select which of their local hospitals (from a list of four or five) they want to be treated in. A number of factors may affect patient choice as to which hospital they wish to use, including waiting times, hospital specialisms and location. Choose and book has been operating in Warwickshire since January 2006.

The location of the hospital may be a significant factor for socially excluded groups. If the patient does not have access to a car the choice of hospital may greatly affect which hospitals the patient and their families can most easily access using public transport. A hospital a greater distance away may be accessible but cost may then act as a prohibitive factor to the individual.

The Fruit & Vegetables in Schools Scheme - access to fresh, healthy food has been improved by the introduction of The Fruit and Vegetables in Schools scheme. Under the scheme, all four to six year old children in Local Education Authority maintained infant, primary and special schools will be entitled to a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day. All but 2% of eligible Warwickshire schools have signed up to the scheme.

Review of Secondary Evidence

Transport to Medical Facilities in North Warwickshire

The project was developed to identify and evaluate transport issues to medical facilities for the residents of North Warwickshire. A questionnaire was placed in all North Warwickshire GP surgeries asking patients if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their method of transport to the surgery and whether or not they were aware of Beeline, the community transport initiative operating in North Warwickshire.

Of the 796 questionnaires distributed, 269 were returned (35% response rate). Across the borough:

87% of respondents were satisfied with their method of travel to the GP surgery;
9% were dissatisfied; the remaining 4% gave contradictory responses;
each individual surgery in the borough had a satisfaction rate of over 80%;
17% of respondents at Coleshill surgery were dissatisfied with their transport options to the surgery;
10-11% of respondents attending Atherstone, Polesworth / Dordon and Kingsbury surgeries felt dissatisfied; and
The highest levels of satisfaction were found amongst the respondents who attended Baddesley Ensor (100%), Hurley (100%) and Arley (91%).

The majority of respondents across the borough used their own car in which to travel to the surgery:

Kingsbury had the highest number of residents who used Beeline (21%). In contrast, none of the patients who use Arley, Baddesley Ensor or Hurley surgeries, used Beeline;
Taxi usage to access medical facilities is highest for respondents using Atherstone and Polesworth/Dordon surgeries (10% of respondents from each); and
Half of all respondents had not heard of Beeline service. 64% stated they would use the service if the need arose. Of the 120 respondents who had heard of Beeline, 24% said they would not use the service. Reasons given include that it’s too expensive or they drove their own car.

Respondents were also asked to highlight additional transport requirements specific to their own geographical location. A cross section of the answers given can be found below:

"A direct bus service to hospitals (George Eliot, Heartlands etc)"

"Improvement in the Beeline Service – cheaper, increased availability/volunteers and immediate service provision as opposed to just a pre-bookable service (to accommodate “same day” and emergency appointments)"

"More bus services – improved frequency, extended operation times to accommodate medical facility appointment requirements, additional routes"

It is evident that the use of a car (whether it be a private car, receiving a lift or taxi) is the preferred mode of transport to medical facilities. Comments conveyed that if respondents were of ill health, they would not necessarily feel well enough to travel by public transport. In addition, comments were made that public transport was not always punctual enough for respondents to be assured of meeting set appointment times.

In response to the project findings, the North Warwickshire Community Partnership has produced a ‘Health Map’ – giving details of transport and healthcare in Rural North Warwickshire – which was funded by Warwickshire County Council.

The Best Value Survey in Warwickshire

The Best Value Survey in Warwickshire is held annually. The survey is sent to approximately 4,000 households across the County and asks residents opinions on a variety of key issues, including satisfaction with health provision in the area in which they live and the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed on a daily basis.

Figure 4 Quantity of fresh fruit and vegetables consunmed per day: Warwickshire residents by District (2004 - 2005)

Open large scaleable image in Popup

Over a quarter of respondents in Stratford-on-Avon District consume more than 5 pieces of fresh fruit and vegetables per day compared to only 16.7% in Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough; and
Over 5% of respondents eat no fruit or vegetables in Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough, however, over 50% of respondents in Nuneaton & Bedworth eat 2-3 pieces of fruit or vegetable per day.

Partnership Working

Relevant partners have been engaged in the accessibility planning process through linking with existing health-based partnerships. This includes:

Health & Wellbeing Partnership - the Health & Wellbeing Partnership brings together the three Warwickshire PCTs, NHS hospitals, District and Borough councils and the community and voluntary sector and forms one of the County’s Priority Groups for the County LSP. The partnership’s key objective is to tackle health inequalities by supporting and developing local communities, particularly those that are socially and economically disadvantaged and experience poor health, with access to services and community inclusion high on the agenda. The partnership agreed to set up a short life project group to assist with the Stage 1 strategic assessment. Results from this work have been fed back to the main partnership. In addition, members of the Transport Planning team displayed preliminary findings from the mapping work at a health event, ‘For a Healthier Warwickshire’, hosted by Warwickshire County Council and attended by statutory and voluntary bodies that have an interest in health matters.

Warwickshire Food for Health Partnership - the Warwickshire Food for Health group is a sub-group of the Health & Wellbeing Group and membership comprises the PCTs, Warwickshire County Council, the District and Borough councils, trading standards and others (e.g. Action21). The main aim of the partnership is to improve and promote healthy eating and physical activity. More recently, one focus of the group has been on how easily people can actually access fresh fruit and vegetables. The transport planning team is represented on the group.

Existing Local Networks - a number of locally based health partnerships exist within Warwickshire, for example Healthy Living Networks in Nuneaton & Bedworth and Southern Warwickshire. The County Council will engage with and, where applicable, support the activities of existing local health networks through its accessibility planning work.

Recommendations, Way Forward & Monitoring

A number of recommendations are proposed for further action based on the outcome of the strategic assessment. These are detailed in the table below.

Action		To be taken forward by
1	Overlay data on specialist transport to health / fresh food with Accession maps based on mainstream public transport to identify where ‘on the ground’ accessibility is poorest	WCC; Health sector
2	Investigate ways of improving awareness of initiatives which currently exist (including reproducing N Warks Health Map in other areas of the County)	WCC; community transport operators; Health sector
3	Investigate ways of expanding/tailoring current initiatives to access health / healthy food e.g. through better co-ordination of community & voluntary transport services	WCC; community transport operators
4	Explore options to deliver health services and healthy food more locally e.g. through mobile surgeries, ‘veggie’ vans etc	WCC; Health sector
5	Assist with accessibility mapping work for health service reviews, including the current review of acute services in Coventry & Warwickshire	WCC; Health sector
6	Engage with and, where applicable, support the activities of existing local health networks, including the Nuneaton & Bedworth and South Warwickshire Healthy Living Networks and the pilot study in Shipston looking at locally based care for older people	WCC; Healthy Living Networks; Health sector

Taking Forward Actions

The above actions will be taken forward by Warwickshire County Council in conjunction with partners in the health and community transport sectors. Where appropriate, short life project groups will be established to take forward the actions, with progress being reported back to the Health & Wellbeing Partnership.

Monitoring

A number of indicators are proposed to enable progress towards improving access to key health related destinations to be monitored:

% total population within 30 minutes of a hospital (with outpatient’s department) on foot or by public transport;
% of total population within 30 minutes of a GP on foot or by public transport; and
% of total population within 30 minutes of a food outlet selling fresh fruit & vegetables on foot or by public transport.

Access to Education and Training

Accessibility Planning and the Education Agenda

The Government is committed to an inclusive education system that provides all pupils with the opportunity to meet their full potential. Locally, improving education standards, widening participation and promoting inclusion are important objectives that cut across many of the policies and plans of the County Council and its partners, with ‘Promoting lifelong learning and personal development’ being one of the County Council’s five corporate objectives.

Whilst there are many factors which combine to influence participation and retention in education, difficulties with transport can prevent people from participating in learning, or restrict the choice of learning that they attend. The principles of accessibility planning can help local authorities and their partners meet the education agenda by:

highlighting where transport barriers may restrict access to education and, in conjunction with partners, consider ways in which these could be overcome; and
helping to inform the provision of education and training - in terms of location and delivery – in ways which maximise accessibility.

Review of Educational Attainment in Warwickshire

Educational levels in Warwickshire at all levels are above national average and rising. Levels of participation post-16 are high and the number of 17 year olds not in education, employment or training, very low. Action is being taken to reduce that number further. Key to raising standards is the strategy of increasing the range of opportunities both vocational and academic, through collaboration between schools, colleges and other providers. Also key is a culture of lifelong learning and a range of formal and informal opportunities for adults to aid learning including essential skills, work based training and learning for its own sake.

Access to Education and Training for Warwickshire residents

Within Warwickshire there are 37 secondary schools, 10 special schools and the authority’s Pupil Reintegration Unit, which is based over 4 sites. Secondary provision includes grammar and high schools and both 11-16 and 11-18 comprehensive schools. There are three general FE colleges across the County and a sixth form college in Nuneaton. In addition, the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funds a number of training providers across the County.

A number of young learners resident in Warwickshire travel to learn across education administration boundaries and to bordering counties. By the same token, considerable numbers of young people come into Warwickshire for their education/training.

The location of schools, further education colleges and work-based learning providers in Warwickshire are shown in Figures O, P and Q [Accession maps] below. This highlights the concentration of education and training facilities in the main urban areas and can result in learners from more remote rural areas having to travel considerable distances (with long journey times) to access learning and training.

Results of Strategic Mapping Exercise – due to time constraints, the results shown in the accessibility maps do not include dedicated school or college transport and are therefore not a true reflection of access to education provision. However, based on the mainstream bus network, analysis shows that 92%, 81% and 78% of the County’s school age population have access to a primary school, secondary school and sixth form/FE College respectively by bus or on foot within a 30 minute threshold. The majority of areas which have poor or no access are rural areas of the County where there is a lower population density and dispersed deprivation.

Consideration of access to education by dedicated school or college transport services will be undertaken as part of the Stage 2 local accessibility audits. The Stage 2 audit will also consider the implications of greater collaboration between educational establishments and participation in activities beyond the standard school day. Both these issues have been highlighted from the review of education policies as having an impact on travel needs for accessing education (more details are provided below).

Provision of Specialist Transport for Access to Education

Within Warwickshire the education department sets out a framework for the provision of transport to access learning and training in Warwickshire in their Home to School transport and Home to College transport policies, as summarised below.

Home to School Transport - Warwickshire County Council has a statutory obligation (set out in Section 55 of the 1944 Education Act with minor modifications by subsequent acts) to provide free home to school transport for compulsory age students (year 11 or below) who live beyond the statutory walking distance (over 2 miles for children under the age of 8 years or over 3 miles for children aged 8 years or overⁱ) from the nearest suitable schoolⁱⁱ. In addition, the majority of school transport services in Warwickshire are available to non-entitled pupils on payment of a commercial fare. Around 13,000 students make use of Home to School transport services in Warwickshire.

The County Council's Transport Operations Group plan and procure Home to School Transport on behalf of the Local Education Authority (LEA). This helps make better use of resources; for example, some entitled pupils are given passes to use on local buses, rather than dedicated school services, which helps to support the local public transport network. In addition, vehicles contracted for the school run can also be used for other work during the day.

In response to escalating home to school transport costs, the County Council launched its ‘School Links’ service in 2003, acquiring five 70 seat coaches for in-house operation in those areas which were particularly expensive due to lack of competition. The fleet has subsequently doubled in size and offers a range of home to school transport services, mainly in South Warwickshire.

Operation of Home to School transport is generally based around the standard school day. Eligible students are issued travel passes valid for one journey in the morning and one journey in the afternoon, at times shown on a timetable sent out with the pass.

Whilst Home to School transport arrangements ensure good accessibility for entitled pupils to access their nearest school (and for non-entitled pupils on payment of a commercial fare), accessibility issues may exist for non-entitled pupils from low income families where safety concerns deter travel on foot or by bicycle and alternatives are unaffordable. To address this issue the education department investigates safety concerns for accompanied pupils and maintains a register of ‘dangerous routes’.

Home to College transport - the Government considers it essential to our nation’s competitiveness that we increase participation in learning beyond age 16, and this is a fundamental aim of the reforms being made to the 14-19 phase of learning. New post-16 transport policy and legislative arrangements include a fundamental criterion that no young person should be prevented from accessing further education in school sixth forms or colleges because of a lack of availability of transport services or their ability to afford them.

Warwickshire County Council, as Local Education Authority (LEA), has a responsibility to consult with local providers and others and to prepare and publish local transport policy statements for young people aged 16-19 by the end of May each year. The statement sets out the transport services and support available to students. A summary of the assistance offered is set out below:

Heavily discounted Home to College travel, payable either annually or termly. Payment is waived if a student or parent is on a low income (although students in receipt of Educational Maintenance Allowance may be required to contribute a proportion of this allowance for transport costs);
If a student wishes to attend a Further Education institution outside Warwickshire which is not served by Warwickshire County Council transport, it is likely that a travel allowance will be offered; and
Support received by a student is either in the form of a bus or rail pass, or a payment of a maximum of £369 per annum (less initial contribution). Where bus passes are issued, these are only valid for one journey in the morning and one journey in the afternoon at the times shown on the timetable and indicated on the pass.

Education Policies and Schemes that currently Impact on Accessibility

Parental choice and school selection arrangements - a sizeable minority of families exercise 'parental preference' and do not send their children to the nearest suitable school, creating an increased demand for travel. Whilst the County Council’s duty to provide free school transport does not apply when pupils choose not to attend their nearest school, the authority does operate a flexible policy whereby non-eligible pupils can purchase passes to travel on Home to School transport services, helping to support the Council’s policy for reducing car dependency for the journey to school. The additional demand for travel therefore has an impact on the provision and operation of Home to School transport services.

Within Warwickshire travel to school is further complicated by the variation in selection procedures for secondary schools, with Central and North Warwickshire having no selection policy and South and East Warwickshire having a selection policy in some schools. This serves to create a demand for travel across administrative areas, resulting in an increase in the distance travelled to access education.

As free school transport is only provided to the nearest school, it could be argued that this can limit the choice of school to those families on low incomes for whom travel costs are unaffordable. This issue has been highlighted in the Government’s recent White Paper, ‘Higher Standards, Better Schools For All’ (2005). To help ensure that everyone can exercise their right to choice, the Government is proposing to introduce new legislation to entitle disadvantaged pupilsⁱⁱⁱ to free transport to any of the three suitable secondary schools closest to their home, where these schools are between two and six miles away. If introduced, additional funds would be required to implement the proposals.

Broader range of 14-19 provision and out of hours activities in extended schools - the DfES is introducing greater flexibility and personalisation into the 14-19 education system so that increasing numbers of young people can take up vocational options and other studies which may include learning for part of the week at locations other than their usual school. Warwickshire has embraced this agenda and the Warwickshire Strategy for 14-19 Education and Training (developed by Warwickshire County Council in conjunction with the Learning and Skills Council, Coventry & Warwickshire) aims to maximise educational benefits to Warwickshire learners through an innovative approach to collaborative ways of working to offer a broader range of 14-19 provision.

As a result of increased collaboration, learners will increasingly need appropriate travel provision during the day as well as at either end of the day. To ensure that all students can benefit from these opportunities, careful consideration needs to be given to the transport implications and how these can be met.

Similarly, the encouragement by DfES of a much wider range of activities outside the standard school day may create demand for travel at different times of day which are not currently met by Home to School transport services.

Review of Secondary Evidence

Strategic Area Reviews - The LSC has undertaken a series of Strategic Area Reviews (StARs) of education and training provision in the sub-region in response to Success for All, the Government’s reform strategy for further education and training.

StARs aim to meet learner, employer and community needs, and to improve the choice and quality of post-16 education and skills provision. It was agreed that the Warwickshire Area Reviews would cover 14-19 rather than just 16-19 provision because of the pertinence of the Government’s new 14-19 education and training agenda, and the importance of continuity to provide pathways for progression within this phase.

The 14-19 reviews were carried out on an area basis, starting with South Warwickshire, and continuing with East Warwickshire, North Warwickshire and Central Warwickshire. Travel to Learn emerged as an issue in the South and East Warwickshire reviews, and a forum was subsequently set up to consider the issue of Travel to Learn across Warwickshire.

Travel to Learn Paper - in addition to evidence of travel to learn issues emerging from the Area Reviews, the Travel to Learn Forum have carried out research on transport as a barrier to learning and, through interviews with providers and partners, have highlighted a number of key issues (summarised below).

14-19 Area Wide Inspection - an inspection of 14-19 education and training provision in Coventry and Warwickshire was carried out in 2004 by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI) of Schools, working with the Adult Learning Inspectorate. The inspection reported that ‘the effectiveness and efficiency of education and training across the area in meeting the needs of learners, employers and the community was good’. However the issue of some learners in rural communities having difficulty in accessing provision due to travel difficulties was raised, and the report recommended that the local LSC and LEAs, with key partners, should continue to develop measures to overcome barriers to learning presented by travel difficulties.

A summary of key issues arising from the reviews is provided below.

Availability of transport – for certain groups (e.g. adult learners), from certain areas (most notably the more rural parts of East and South Warwickshire) and to certain sites (e.g. the Rugby base of Warwickshire College);
Transport cost – not just the cost of transport but the cost of not addressing the issues;
Inflexibility in transport arrangements – e.g. times, use of bus passes;
Information – lack of knowledge of what transport exists;
Safety e.g. walking on dark nights re current 3-mile rule, concerns over the use of mopeds for young people;
Adequacy – specifically in relation to transport arrangements for learners with special needs;
Location of education & training provision – can result in lengthy journeys to access education and learning (e.g. adult learners in South Warwickshire);
Joining up resources – possible efficiency gains by co-ordinating education, health and social service transport; and
Collaboration – issues around access which will need to be addressed.

Partnership Working

Relevant partners have been engaged in the accessibility planning process through linking with the existing Coventry and Warwickshire Travel to Learn Partnership. The Partnership was established in October 2003 as part of the Learning and Skills Council South and East Warwickshire 14-19 Strategic Area Reviews, conducted in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, together with the 14-19 Area Wide Inspection that was conducted early in 2004. Travel to learn was identified as one of the key actions from the Reviews and the Inspection Self Assessment Report. As a result a series of recommendations and an associated action plan has been produced. The Partnership is the key mechanism to deliver the actions and discuss travel to learn issues and consists of key members that include the County Council, providers, Connexions Coventry and Warwickshire and the Learning and Skills Council.

A short life project group with members of the Travel to Learn Partnership was set up to assist with the Stage 1 strategic assessment. Results from this work have been fed back to the main partnership and have now been incorporated in their action plan.

Recommendations, Targets & Way Forward

A number of recommendations are proposed for further action based on the outcome of the strategic assessment. These are detailed in the table below.

Action		To be taken forward by
1	Investigate the transport implications (including costs) of increased specialisation of providers and how these can be met (already accepted by Forum as a recommendation from the Travel to Learn Paper)	Education Dept; Transport Dept; FE Colleges; secondary schools
2	Investigate the transport implications (including costs) of increased collaboration between providers and how these can be met (including through joint timetabling) (already accepted by Forum as a recommendation from the Travel to Learn Paper)	Education Dept; Transport Dept; FE Colleges; secondary schools
3	Review the existing Home to School transport arrangements and consider whether flexibility could be introduced to allow travel needs generated by before and after school activities to be met.	Warwickshire County Council, public transport operators
4	Take forward the actions arising from Warwickshire County Council’s Overview & Scrutiny committee looking at Home to College transport	Warwickshire County Council, College Transport Managers, public transport operators
5	Continue to investigate safety concerns for accompanied pupils who are not entitled to free school transport and maintain a register of ‘dangerous routes’	Warwickshire County Council (Education department; PT&ES)
6	Further investigation of how distance (and availability of transport) affects participation in adult learning (Forum have already accepted a recommendation to review transport needs of different learner groups, including Work Based Learning (WBL))	Adult learning providers
7	Investigate ways of improving awareness of initiatives which currently exist (already agreed by Forum as a recommendation from the Travel to Learn Paper and work underway to progress this action)	College Transport Managers, Warwickshire WBL Providers & WCC
8	Investigate ways of expanding/tailoring current initiatives to access learning (already agreed as a recommendation arising from the Travel to Learn work) e.g. Access to WBL through Wheels to Work Application of Warwickshire College Lift Share scheme across all areas Better use of internet by all providers to raise awareness of initiatives (possibility of Connexions expanding their website or through publications such as Connexions Fact File)	Connexions, College Transport Managers, Warwickshire WBL Providers and WCC

Taking Forward Actions

It is proposed that the Warwickshire Travel to Learn forum take the lead responsibility for progressing the above actions (some have already been agreed or accepted by the forum following the Travel to Learn review). In taking forward actions it is proposed that they are considered in parallel for a pilot area – possibly the South Warwickshire education area – rather than carrying out a countywide review. Lessons learnt from the pilot study area could then be applied more generally if appropriate.

Monitoring

A number of indicators are proposed to enable progress towards improving access to key education destinations to be monitored:

% of pupils of compulsory school age within 30 minutes of a school on foot or by public transport (primary and secondary); and
% of 16-19 year olds within 30 minutes of a further education establishment on foot or by public transport.

Access to Employment

Accessibility Planning and links to the Employment Agenda

Problems with poor accessibility can act as a barrier for jobseekers. The headline statistics from the Making the Connections report show that 40% of jobseekers say transport is a problem. This can result in jobseekers only applying for jobs within a narrow geographical area, finding it harder to gain employment and so remaining on benefits for longer.

Solutions to remove transport as a barrier to employment can therefore contribute towards the achievement of national and local objectives for developing and maintaining the economy and promoting employment for all.

Review of Employment Opportunities in Warwickshire

There has been significant structural change to Warwickshire’s economy, resulting in job losses, most recently in the manufacturing sector. Whilst we have seen job growth in new sectors such as distribution, business services, ICT, and social care, some areas, particularly in the north of Warwickshire, require particular support. The Camp Hill Regeneration programme is the most recent example, where partnership working is addressing structural failure and increasing job opportunities, improving access to and take up of services, improving educational attainment, and providing better housing.

Fairly positive headline figures in the labour market mask some specific and very challenging issues for the Warwickshire economy. Jobs per 1000 population, employment levels, and residence based average weekly earnings vary considerably within the County. Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire areas both suffer in comparison with national statistics on wage rates, skills and educational attainment.

Unemployment in Warwickshire is low. However 6.5% and 1.3% of the working age population respectively are claiming incapacity benefit and lone parents benefits. Many of these would take work if they were given the appropriate support.

Access to Employment for Warwickshire Residents

Results of Strategic Mapping Exercise - the analysis shows that 86% of the County’s population have access to major employment sites (includes individual sites employing a minimum of 500 employees, business parks, industrial estates and town centres) by bus or on foot within a 30 minute threshold. The majority of areas which have poor or no access by bus are rural areas of the County where there is a lower population density and dispersed deprivation. A number of specialist transport options operate in the areas denoted as having poor accessibility, suggesting that on the ground accessibility is better than indicated by the strategic mapping exercise. The options available for access to employment by specialist transport are outlined in the section below. Consideration of access to employment by specialist transport services will be undertaken as part of the Stage 2 local accessibility audits. The stage 2 assessment will also consider:

Access to employment sites offering shift work
Access to employment advice centres (e.g. JobcentrePlus)

Provision of Specialist Transport for Access to Employment

In addition to access to employment sites by mainstream public transport, a number of more specialist transport schemes operate throughout Warwickshire, all of which, to some extent help improve accessibility to key employment locations. These transport options are outlined below. Due to time constraints these ‘non-timetable’ services have not been included in the Stage 1 accessibility assessment. It is anticipated that the services will be reflected in the Stage 2 assessment.

Wheels to Work - Warwickshire’s ‘ Wheels to Work’ scheme was launched by the County Council in 1999 in response to concerns raised over young people missing out on jobs and training because of accessibility problems. A pilot was launched in the Stratford District area with ten mopeds. In May 2001 the scheme went countywide, operating a total of 52 mopeds. By March 2004 over 250 young people aged 16-25 had benefited from participation in the scheme with just 5 returning to unemployment.

Buster Werkenbak – this service was launched in the Kingsbury-Coleshill area following a successful bid for Rural Bus Challenge Funds and improves access to employment and training. The service is fully adapted to shift patterns to provide round the clock access.

Review of Secondary Evidence

Access to Employment in Nuneaton and Bedworth

Research for the Bridges to Success theme group for Coventry and Nuneaton Regeneration Zone highlighted transport as a barrier to people accessing employment. An urban transport project officer commenced employment in July 2004 to help identify and address this issue. Findings from the project were published in 2005 and can be summarized as follows:

Nuneaton and Bedworth residents have difficulty accessing some employment sites due to poor public transport links. This is particularly a problem for employment involving early or late shifts. We will carry out further investigation of access to these sites using the Accession software to determine the nature and extent of access problems. Sites which were identified through consultations and interviews as being difficult to access without a private car include:
- ProLogis Park, Coventry;
- Arena Park, Coventry;
- Bayton Road Industrial Park;
- Bermuda Industrial Estate / Park;
- George Eliot / EPIC park;
- Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate; and
- Magna Park, Lutterworth.

Whilst some employment agencies provide transport to employment for temporary workers, this arrangement ends if workers take up an offer of full employment. Workers without access to transport can therefore find it difficult to take up permanent employment.

Partnership Working

Relevant partners have been engaged in the accessibility planning process through linking with the existing Coventry and Warwickshire Jobs Strategy Group. The Jobs Strategy Group includes representatives from the County Council, Coventry City Council, the Chamber of Trade, Employment Link and JobCentrePlus.

The Partnership has agreed to consider access to employment issues for both Coventry and Warwickshire areas combined, reflecting the high demand for travel to work movements between the two areas. For example 2001 census information shows almost 30,000 workers a day commuting into Coventry from the surrounding districts, particularly from adjacent Nuneaton & Bedworth, Warwick / Leamington and Rugby, while the reverse movement is also strong with almost 18,000 people travelling daily from Coventry to Warwickshire.

In addition to the general access mapping carried out for employment sites as part of the strategic mapping exercise, the partnership has considered access to jobcentres and accessibility of shift work. A sub-group has been convened to oversee the production of additional maps and discuss the outcomes of any work. Results from this work will be fed back to the main partnership in due course and an action plan will be agreed.

Recommendations, Way Forward & Monitoring

A number of recommendations are proposed for further action based on the outcome of the strategic assessment. These are detailed in the table below.

Action		To be taken forward by
1	Overlay data on specialist transport to employment with Accession maps based on mainstream public transport to identify where ‘on the ground’ accessibility is poorest	WCC in conjunction with community transport operators
2	Carry out additional mapping work to help determine the nature and extent of access issues to particular sites and for particular time periods (e.g. access to shift work and access to employment advice centres)	Jobs Strategy Group
3	Investigate ways of improving awareness of initiatives which currently exist, including working with JobCentre Plus to provide tailored travel information for jobseekers	Jobs Strategy Group

Taking Forward Actions

The above actions will be taken forward by the County Council in conjunction with partners in the employment and training sectors. Where appropriate short life project groups will be established to take forward the actions, with progress being reported back to the Coventry and Warwickshire Jobs Strategy group.

Monitoring

To monitor progress towards improving access to employment destinations the following indicator is proposed:

% of people of working age (16-74) within 30 minutes of work by public transport.

It is anticipated that additional indicators will be developed to support the local level accessibility assessment work on access to employment sites offering shift work and access to employment advice centres.

Cross-cutting Accessibility Improvements

In addition to pursuing accessibility improvements in response to the needs of particular sectors (health, employment and work), the County Council has also explored the potential for cross-cutting accessibility improvements. A number of policies have been developed under the following headings to provide an overall framework for delivering cross-cutting accessibility improvements:

Travel to services;
Location of services; and
Service delivery.

Travel to Services

Policy

The County Council will, where appropriate (i.e. as identified by accessibility analysis), deliver accessibility improvements through Local Transport Plan programmes

Wider transport strategies and policies within the Local Transport Plan can have a significant influence in improving travel to services, for example by:

Improving the availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability of public transport;
Improving the attractiveness of walking and cycling for journeys to local destinations by improving routes and facilities, maintaining them in a more usable condition, improving Rights of Way in both urban and rural areas, and making routes safer, more secure, and more attractive;
Improving physical accessibility by addressing issues that affect disabled people and those with impaired mobility in the pedestrian environment and in and around public transport services and infrastructure, by working with operators and infrastructure owners;
Considering the role of parking provision, in particular the availability of parking for disabled users and the adequacy of short stay parking;
Reducing the severance effect of traffic through traffic calming or traffic management measures;
Improving travel choice to employment sites through travel planning techniques and improving the awareness of transport options to key destinations through provision of travel information to target groups or users; and
Promoting powered two wheelers as an affordable means of travel for employment, services and leisure activities, including integration with other modes.

The specific contribution of LTP strategies and policies to improving accessibility is detailed within the mode and delivery strategies. Figure 2.5 highlights the links between the LTP mode and delivery strategies and this Accessibility Strategy.

To ensure that the accessibility benefits of LTP strategies and programmes are maximised, the outcome of accessibility assessments will be used to inform scheme development through the LTP period. Similarly, the accessibility software will be used to assess the accessibility merits of significant schemes.

Figure 5 Links between LTP mode and topic strategies and the Accessibility Strategy

Open large scaleable image in Popup

Policy

The County Council will incorporate the outcome of the accessibility analysis in the criteria and performance monitoring of essential transport links and the use of revenue support grant and rural bus subsidy grant

The accessibility software will also be used to help measure the performance of existing services supported by Revenue Support Grant and Rural Bus Subsidy Grant. Currently the ‘Criteria for the Provision and Financial Support of Essential Transport Links’, as outlined in the Public Transport Strategy, is used to determine appropriate accessibility levels at a local level and to help prioritise where improvements are required. The criteria have recently been amended to reflect the transport needs of communities when determining appropriate service levels. The level of car availability has been used as a proxy for the effect of the various factors which give rise to transport need. It is anticipated that these criteria will be refined to take account of transport needs identified through the strategic and local accessibility assessments.

Policy

The County Council will consider whether appropriate integration between the County Council’s functions and forms of transport could lead to better accessibility and better use of resources

The County Council’s transport functions currently include:

Transportation for scholars to and from educational establishments. The current service is a mix of both statutory and discretionary functions;
Transportation for members of the public within urban and rural areas that are not considered financially viable by commercial operators but that are considered socially necessary by the authority;
A community transport function for those members of the community who do not have regular access to transport and consequently would otherwise be excluded from accessing services and facilities that they need; and
Transportation for specific sections of the community who are in receipt of a service or facility provided through the Social Services Department (e.g. access to a day care centre).

A Best Value Improvement Plan has been prepared following a review of Public, Home to School, Community and Social Services Transport in 2001/02. A number of outstanding actions from this plan are relevant to inform this policy area, namely:

To investigate the creation of an integrated business unit to operate the County Council fleet; and
To investigate the consolidation of the transport functions into an Integrated Transport Operation.

In addition, the social services department have recently carried out a Supported Travel Review to evaluate whether the current travel arrangements meet the needs of service users. A number of recommendations are currently being pursued which are relevant to this policy, including:

A need for greater flexibility in options available to people for travel to day care facilities. This includes the investigation of:
- Travel training to encourage independent travel by giving advice and support for developing independent travel skills;
- The use of community transport, including supporting the development of new community focused transport solutions that promote the independence and inclusion of learning disabled people and bridge the gap between social services transport and public transport;
- The capacity to operate community car pools;
- The involvement of service users in the development of car clubs to promote individual and community empowerment; and
- The appointment of neighbourhood travel planners to provide a tailored travel service that addresses the specific travel needs of learning disabled people.
The importance of developing satellite services that will enable people to develop travel skills and increase use of the accessible public transport options within their own locality.

The outcome of these investigations will be used to inform this policy area.

Policy

Working with our partners, the County Council will investigate a range of solutions to make travel more affordable, particularly for those most in need

Recognising that cost can be a significant barrier to personal mobility for some people, the County Council will support initiatives that help make travel to services more affordable. This will include working with partners (e.g. JobCentre Plus and 16-19 transport partnerships) and operators to look at the provision of discounted and integrated travel schemes as well as the possibility of widening eligibility for concessionary fares, as detailed by the following actions in the Bus Strategy:

In partnership with bus operators, the County Council will examine opportunities for revisions to fare structures and levels;
In partnership with District/Borough Councils, the County Council will develop an improved County-wide concessionary travel scheme, possibly through a free-issue County-wide pass for travel on bus and community transport services;
In partnership with bus operators, District/Borough Councils, Centro and other local authorities, the County Council will investigate opportunities to develop a concessionary travel scheme for cross-boundary bus, rail and community transport services; and
In partnership with train and bus operators, the County Council will examine opportunities provided for within the relevant transport legislation to implement through ticketing availability between rail, bus and community transport services.

The County Council will also consider affordable solutions for those with less conventional travel patterns, for example through the promotion of car sharing or Wheels to Work schemes. This type of intervention is particularly relevant for individuals who are isolated by a lack of transport but who live in areas of relative affluence, a characteristic often exhibited by rural transport exclusion.

Policy

Working with our partners, the County Council will address problems of crime and fear of crime in and around transport

The County Council, together with operators, the Police and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, will jointly address problems of crime and safety in and around transport through initiatives such as CCTV cameras, improved waiting and interchange facilities and enhanced staff presence.

The Bus Strategy identifies a number of actions to enhance the safety of bus travel both in reality and in the perceptions of customers. This includes the introduction of on-vehicle CCTV in future QBI schemes and encouraging bus operators to specify on-vehicle CCTV or other appropriate safety measures on new orders of vehicles.

Location of Services

Policy

Working with the five District/Borough Councils, the County Council will seek to ensure that accessibility considerations are integrated into planning policy

The location of new development can have a significant impact on accessibility and social inclusion and the County Council will work closely with planners at the District/Borough level to identify ways to improve accessibility across the County. Current planning policy supports improvements to accessibility by:

Shaping the pattern of development and influencing the location, scale, density, design and mix of land uses in ways which help to reduce the need to travel;
Locating key generators of travel demand in locations accessible by public transport; and
Ensuring that the layout of developments facilitates access by public transport, cyclists and pedestrians.

At a local level, local development frameworks will play a key role in highlighting where there are gaps in local service provision, identifying sites that are highly accessible by public transport and directing development to these areas. We will therefore work with land use planners to consider how the outcome of accessibility analysis can be reflected in land use planning policies and decision making.

Policy

The County Council will require accessibility assessments to be carried out for major new development proposals

As part of its highway control function, the County Council will consider the impact of major new development proposals by requiring an accessibility assessment. Where improvements to transport infrastructure and services are required, funding will be sought from developers towards the costs, consistent with the Land Use and Transportation Strategy.

Policy

The County Council will work with service providers to ensure that accessibility considerations are factored into the decision making process of service providers when locating new facilities

Service providers have an influential role in accessibility through their decisions on the location of new facilities. Through the accessibility planning process the County Council will engage with service providers to promote accessibility as a key consideration when making decisions on the location of new facilities. This could involve the use of the accessibility software to demonstrate the relative merits of different locations in accessibility terms.

Delivery of Services

Policy

The County Council will work with service providers to promote the delivery of services in ways which contribute towards improved accessibility

In some areas, provision of services directly to people, through mobile delivery and other mechanisms, might be more appropriate than the provision of transport to carry people to those services. Flexibility in how services are delivered also offers the potential to bring about accessibility benefits without the need for additional transport provision. For example, flexibility for patients in booking appointments (as offered by the Advanced Access System) can help improve access by allowing appointments to be scheduled to take advantage of available public transport services.

In developing accessibility solutions the County Council will therefore work with service providers to consider how service delivery can contribute to accessibility.

The contribution of the above policies and measures to removing or reducing the barriers to accessibility are outlined in the following table.

Policy	Barriers
Policy	Availability & Accessibility	Cost of transport	Services located in inaccessible places	Safety & Security	Travel horizons
Travel to Services
AS1 - Delivering accessibility improvements through Local Transport Plan programmes	x			x	x
AS2 – Incorporate outcome of accessibility analysis in the provision of essential transport links	x		x
AS3 – Integration of County’s functions & forms of transport	x		x
AS4 – Investigate a range of solutions to make travel more affordable, particularly for those most in need		x
AS5 – Crime and Fear of Crime around transport				x
Location of Services
AS6 – Accessibility and Local Development Frameworks	x		x
AS7 – Accessibility assessments for major new development proposals			x
AS8 – Integration of accessibility considerations into the decision making process of service providers when locating new facilities	x		x
Delivery of Services
AS9 – Promote the delivery of services in ways which contribute towards improved accessibility	x		x

Action Plan, Priorities & Targets

Action Plan

Summary of Action		Timescale
Theme specific actions
1	Take forward actions and recommendations identified from accessibility assessments of: Access to Health and Healthy Food; Access to Education; and Access to Employment.	Short term
Cross-cutting actions
2	Agree a framework to ensure that the accessibility implications of significant LTP schemes and measures (outlined in the mode and topic strategies contained within this LTP) are assessed	Short term
3	Use Accession to assist in the allocation of local bus funding in support of the accessibility strategy	Short term
4	Investigate whether appropriate integration between the County Council’s functions and forms of transport could lead to better accessibility and better use of resources	Short term
5	Agree a framework with District Councils to ensure that accessibility considerations are integrated into planning policy	Short-medium term
6	Agree a framework for accessibility assessments to be carried out for major new development proposals	Short-medium term

Priorities

In addition to taking forward the cross-cutting actions identified above, priorities have been identified for each theme, as highlighted below:

Access to Health and Healthy Food:

Explore options to deliver health services more locally; and
Assist with accessibility mapping work for health service reviews, including the current review of acute services in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Access to Education:

Pilot study to investigate the implications of increased collaboration and specialisation for access to education in South Warwickshire (with the aim of rolling out lessons learnt from the pilot study area more generally if appropriate).

Access to Employment:

Carry out additional mapping work to investigate access to employment sites offering shift work
Carry out additional mapping work to investigate access to employment advice centres (e.g. JobcentrePlus)

Targets

In the Provisional LTP we stated that targets would be set for each of the indicators measuring access to health, employment and education destinations, as expressed by journey times and monitored annually using Accession software.

We have subsequently carried out more detailed work as part of our accessibility assessments and have found a number of limitations which have deterred us from setting targets for destination types, as detailed below:

Access to Education – the dataset excludes School and College Transport services and does not therefore adequately reflect the current situation regarding access to education. In these circumstances it was not considered appropriate to set a target.

Access to Health – the dataset excludes transport for specific health purposes e.g. voluntary car schemes and is not deemed to adequately reflect the current situation regarding access to healthcare. In these circumstances it was not considered appropriate to set a target.

For both these areas work is underway to expand the dataset so that it more closely reflects the situation on the ground. Targets may therefore be set in future years. In the interim we will continue to report progress against these indicators in the absence of targets.

Access to Employment - the issue of access to employment sites offering shift work and access to employment advice centres has emerged from the strategic audit stage. These issues are being investigated as part of the stage 2 local accessibility assessment. It is anticipated that a local target for access to employment will be developed to reflect the outcome of this work.

Access to Main Centres - a general accessibility target has been set to monitor Access to Main Centres, reflecting the role of main centres in providing opportunities to access a range of services and facilities, including shopping and health facilities (e.g. GP surgeries, dentists and pharmacies). Mapping work has been carried out to establish the accessibility of main centres for Warwickshire residents, focusing on access by the mainstream bus network or community transport that offers a similar standard of service. This includes ‘life-line’ services that offer a basic level of service provision (minimum of a return journey to a main centre once a week) for some smaller rural settlements. The destination set includes the main centres in Warwickshire (Stratford, Warwick/Leamington, Rugby and Nuneaton) and out of County centres such as Birmingham, Coventry, Banbury, Evesham, Solihull, Hinckley, Tamworth, Sutton Coldfield, Redditch and Daventry which, for some communities, may be easier to reach than centres within Warwickshire.

As access to employment in main centres is being considered separately as part of the Access to Employment theme, the analysis has focused on off-peak periods. The time threshold has also been extended to reflect the maximum journey time, ensuring that all possible journeys are included in the calculation. However the majority of the population fall within a journey time of an hour or less (with around 65% of the population within 30 minutes or less). This is considered reasonable given the longer distance nature of some journeys from more remote rural areas.

The results are highlighted in Figure S below, showing good coverage across the County. Over 95% of Warwickshire residents have access to main centres by bus within a 90 minute threshold.

The target for 2010 is to improve this by 2% by 2010/11.

Access to Main Centres	Base (2005)	Target (2010)
% residents who can access main centres by the mainstream bus network (or community transport that can offer a similar standard of service) within 90 minutes	95.8%	98%

measured by the shortest walking route from home to the appropriate school
the nearest appropriate school is the one whose priority area you are living in or the school closest to home by the nearest available walking route
Eligible for free school meals or in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit

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