LTP Breakfast Briefing

Transport partners help thousands into work

Thousands of people have been helped to get jobs through innovative transport projects, the Merseyside Transport Partnership's quarterly breakfast briefing has been told.

Helping people into work, to education, training and to other services was the theme of the event, held at the Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool on 9 July.

Merseyside Transport Partnership and Halton Council won Beacon status from the Government earlier this year for their groundbreaking access work.

The Merseyside Transport Partnership consists of Merseytravel and the five district councils of Merseyside - Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral.

The briefing was told how council neighbourhood travel teams have helped more than 3,600 people into work through schemes such as free public transport passes, loans of bicycles and scooters and "how to get to" guides. Four fifths of the people helped into work in this way stayed in their jobs after the scheme had finished.

Speakers showed how these and many other projects are helping to provide access for all to employment, education, health and other services.

Richard Perry, from Government Office for the North West, explained how the Government is working in partnership with the Merseyside councils to help meet the aims of the Local Transport Plan. Work includes:

• agreeing targets for tackling worklessness, improving health and promoting enterprise
• encouraging a range of agencies through the Local Strategic Partnerships to support transport goals.

John Smith, Merseyside Transport Partnership's Access Plan Coordinator, and Paula Coppell, Partnership Officer with Merseytravel, told the audience about the partnership's work to improve access. This includes:

• helping people who do not have access to a car to reach jobs, healthcare, education, shops and friends
• targeting the localities where public transport does not link with businesses and services
• working in partnership with businesses, training providers, health organisations and housing groups to develop access plans.

Neil Scales, Chair of the Merseyside Transport Partnership and Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, also gave the audience an interim update on the annual progress report that will be submitted to Government in November. Highlights include:

• improvements in the numbers of road casualties and in air quality
• major works completed in St Helens, Southport, Liverpool city centre, Bootle, Kirkby and Blackbrook and Haydock
• working more closely through Local Strategic Partnerships to ensure all agencies consider transport and access as part of everything they do.

The full presentations can be read by following the link below.