Draft Feasibility Study Brief for Tees Valley September 2014
To identify the role community transport service providers and voluntary and
community groups can play to support the travel needs of residents in the Borough
of Stockton-on-Tees and the wider Tees Valley in the light of the cuts made by
commercial transport operators and the loss of previously subsidised routes.
Introduction
This Feasibility Study will be commissioned to examine the role community transport
providers and voluntary and community groups can play in meeting the changing
travel needs of residents of all ages in the Borough of Stockton and across the wider
Tees Valley area. It will aim to contribute to developing varied transport service
coverage following the existing and imminent cuts to local authority subsidised
routes, particularly in rural areas, and to build the capacity of the CT sector and
others including Wheels to Work for those seeking employment to meet these
challenges.
It will identify potential service users and, through gap analysis, the need for new
ideas and replacement and alternative services. It will also include a capacity and
operational review of community transport organisations on the ground locally and
what capacity and indeed willingness they have to contribute towards solutions.
It will review the current Community Transport Brokerage currently operated by Tees
Valley Rural Community Council in Redcar and Cleveland and Darlington and
comment on the current capacity, services, organisation and potential for
enhancement and a wider range of services.
This research process will lead to the identification and evaluation of a number of
appropriate solutions, within the financial framework currently available with an eye
to future sustainability.
Background
TVRCC currently manages the Tees Valley Transport Brokerage which has base
offices in Skinningrove (EC) and Darlington. The initial project in EC was set up
following a similar study carried out by Halcrow in 2009. Need and capacity were
researched and the then transport officer (JG) having already run a successful
brokerage project in NYorks felt a similar operation would benefit EC residents
where group travel in particular was difficult. It has to date provided over 6000
passenger journeys. The current project is funded by the Big Lottery (£225k) until
2016 and it’s brief is to continue and expand in EC, set up a similar brokerage in
Darlington and establish car volunteer schemes in both Boroughs and to look at the
possibility for future Wheels to Work type schemes . In year 3 the project is set to
help with similar work in Stockton Borough to give Tees Valley wide coverage.
Understanding that the current economic climate has overtaken CT ability to respond
quickly enough and that cuts are either already upon us or imminent, solutions to
transport shortfall in the rural areas and in Stockton in particular are needed sooner
rather than later.
Throughout the Tees Valley rural routes and timetables have been decimated. The
capacity within CT locally is almost entirely taken up with to school transport and the
moving of elderly and infirm residents to and from various day care facilities. There is
not the capacity there to make any significant inroads into everyday transport
provision or to replace services which have been cut or removed.
TVRCC Brokerage serving East Cleveland offers, for the main, group travel for
varying groups within the communities and has some experience of operating a
scheduled service from the village of Skinningrove however; this was for a limited
period and stretched capacity, particularly volunteer drivers to the limit. Providing
travel for shopping, social outings, sports training, evening classes etc. all help
combat social and rural isolation, especially for the elderly but are not a solution to
public transport shortages. These gaps can only successfully be bridged by all
parties participating to provide services.
Everywhere surveyed bemoans a lack of evening and weekend services and again
these are not easily facilitated using unpaid drivers even if vehicles were available.
The research information will need to point to achieving the best ongoing transport
solutions within a very tight and finite budget and should inform residents how any
available future funding can best fill the gaps in provision to maximum public benefit.
TVRCC is also finding that whilst rural areas bear the brunt of cuts there is also a
problem with travel in the opposite direction with rural businesses finding difficulty
recruiting due to no outgoing transport for prospective employees without a car
perhaps pointing to necessitate a Wheels to Work scheme for those seeking
employment without adequate transport.
The Brief
The feasibility study should build on recent research undertaken by the local
authority, TVRCC ,Tees Valley Unlimited and others, with the aim of identifying the
most appropriate transport measures required to take forward the development of
community based transport services to meet as many resident’s travel needs as
possible within the restraints posed by finance and available capacity (some of which
could be enhanced or increased using some of the fund available) .
It is imperative that the preferred consultant works closely with all the local stake
holders to support their current work in this field.
The Feasibility Study Content
A
RESEARCH
Stage 1: Identify potential service users and their needs
Potential service users should be identified together with a brief synopsis of their
individual needs. Potential service users should include:
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Elderly
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Children & Young People
Rural residents
Mobility impaired
Residents seeking employment (W2W)
Focus groups should be undertaken in order to assess the level of patronage
expected, the type of services required etc. Consultants in their response should
demonstrate how they propose to obtain a robust assessment of need.
The output of Stage 1 should be a robust evidence base detailing the needs and
issues affecting residents and potential service users. For children and young
persons, whilst there is clearly a need for transport to school, this should be taken as
a given and not as a service to be run solely by LA’s buying in the service from
community transport as this depletes CT to where there is no capacity left to run
community transport, in effect CT organisations have become school bus companies
with little or no capacity to do anything else.
Residents with mobility difficulties whilst to some extent are able to access day care
facilities via some services, have little or no flexibility or choice. Accessible taxi
provision is extremely limited Tees Valley wide and despite funding being available
for a vehicle in Darlington Borough, no provider is prepared to operate a service as
required. Rural residents, though limited in number spread across several areas, are
vociferous in their demands particularly for evening and weekend services with older
rural dwellers unable to shop, attend appointments etc. A thorough needs
assessment would perhaps point to a “joining up” of several areas by a single
service. Again much of the capacity is taken up on regular contracts and currently
cannot facilitate much of what is required.
Stage 2: Gap Analysis
Identify gaps in commercial transport service provision, including routes
recently cut from the transport network by withdrawal of subsidised routes. A
mapping exercise should be undertaken to highlight gaps in provision across
the area with particular emphasis on access to work, education, medical and
other essential services. Gaps in evening and weekend services are a very
strong complaint for many residents restricting social interaction and leading
to isolation. The feasibility of a wheels to work scheme should be examined
to provide the possibility of providing transport to job opportunities
particularly for younger residents who find it impossible to get to work places
for shift work involving early or late start/finishing.
Stage 3: Assessment of current CT service provision the role of the transport
brokerage in the Tees Valley and the capacity needs of the sector
An assessment of CT service provision should be undertaken. CT provision should
be mapped and a full audit of capacity undertaken to include also unconventional
means such as wheels to work. This should include an audit of what is actually
available for community use rather than the actual vehicle count. There is CT
capacity across the area but it is as previously stated, mostly taken up with to school
and day care centre transport and is not available for community transport per se.
The mapping exercise should point to organisations in the area who own vehicles
which may have spare time capacity not currently being fully utilised. An assessment
of the willingness to make vehicles available and to contribute to solutions by CT
locally is essential as to date the sector is disparate and on the whole “not joined up”.
Stage 4: Stakeholder Consultation
Consultation should be undertaken with all stakeholders in order to identify
aspirations and concerns for developing transport services within the Tees Valley.
Consultation should be undertaken with local authorities, councillors, voluntary and
community sector groups, parish councils and village halls among others, to identify
need and potential for partnership working. Particular focus must be placed on the
proposed local authority process of making funding available to groups for local
community-led transport initiatives. In accessing funding, stakeholders should be
encouraged to look at sharing any resource gained (particularly vehicles). There are
numerous small organisations and groups who have a minibus funded and it is then
solely used by that organisation which only uses it occasionally leading to a wasted
resource which if more fully utilised, would increase available capacity for all.
Successful brokerage models can bring together available capacity to provide
services and the survey should identify where the local capacity is and bring all
stakeholders together (providers, vehicle owners, prospective service users, resident
focus groups to look for community led solutions.)
Stage 5: Funding and Communities
An assessment of available and potential funding opportunities should take place. An
assessment of TVRCC’s contribution through the Tees Valley Transport Brokerage
and further BIG Lottery potential funding should be included. TVU have also
expressed an interest in wheels to work schemes to assist with employment access.
Funding should be aimed squarely at service provision which will benefit the majority
and address the most pressing needs which are identified from the needs
assessment. The research should point to best possible options for utilising any
funding gained with a distinct lean towards a sharing of any available resources to
benefit as wide a cross section of the community as possible. The aim being to use
any future funding to improve community links and access to services and
opportunities, NOT to increase CT capacity to tender for contracts which then take
up all that capacity.
B
SOLUTIONS and WAY FORWARD
Stage 6: Identification and evaluation of solutions
Consultants should draw on their expertise to identify a range of solutions to address
the issues and challenges identified in Stages 1-5.
A full SWOT analysis should be undertaken per option, including identification of any
barriers to delivery and appropriate strategies to overcome them. Consultants will be
expected to take into consideration all forms of unconventional transport and draw
on examples of best practice from other areas which have suffered from withdrawal
of public transport services. A key element of potential solutions should be
sustainability. Sustainability will only be achieved by maximum utilisation of available
capacity and by a willingness by all parties to share resources and expertise.
Stage 7: Development of preferred solutions
A summary should be provided of the likely operational costs associated with all the
preferred options and appropriate local contracting and other funding opportunities. It
should draw on the needs assessment, the mapping of local capacity and best
possible use of resources to identify how any future funding can be allocated to have
maximum impact on improving transport options for the maximum number of
residents over the whole Tees Valley.
OUTPUTS
A written feasibility report covering Stages 1-7 should be presented to TVRCC and
partners on completion of the study.
TIMESCALE
The feasibility study should be completed within 3 months of the commencement of
the commission.
BUDGET
Consultants should be aware that the budget for this study is in the region of
£10,000.
To Apply
Interested consultants should provide:An expression of interest outlining their experience and expertise in the field
Information about other projects of this kind they have undertaken in the past.
An outline of how they will structure their approach to this work
A projected time table.
2 referees
Please apply by..contacts as follows
Email – smetcalf@teesvalleyrcc.org.uk
Post: S Metcalf Unit 2A, Cadcam Centre, High Force Rd, Riverside Park.
Middlesbrough TS21RH
Further information from Stephen Metcalf - 07949049822
Please provide applications by.Thursday 9th October 2014
Interviews/selection will be held by Friday 17th October 2014.