Report to:	Lead Member for Transport & Environment
Date of meeting:	25 October 2021
By:	Director of Communities, Economy and Transport
Title:	Community Match Schemes 2021/22
Purpose:	To seek approval for the proposed allocation of match funding to a number of community-led local transport improvement schemes

RECOMMENDATIONS: The Lead Member is recommended to:

1) Agree that £25,000 of match funding is allocated towards the Burwash Community Match traffic calming scheme for detailed design in 2021/22 and construction in 2022/23;

2) Agree that £12,500 of match funding is allocated towards the Rotherfield Community Match speed limit scheme for detailed design and construction in 2021/22;

3) Agree that £17,500 of match funding is allocated towards the Spatham Lane Community Match speed limit scheme for detailed design and construction in 2021/22; and

4) Delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy & Transport to approve the 50% match funding contribution for the schemes in recommendations 1, 2 and 3, up to a maximum contribution of £50,000 once the design and construction costs are known.

1 Background Information

1.1 The Community Match initiative was launched by the County Council in 2014. The initiative offered the opportunity for local communities in East Sussex (typically a parish/town council or community group) to take forward schemes identified as a local priority, but not assessed to be of sufficient priority to be delivered using County Council funding alone through the Council’s capital programme of local transport improvements.

1.2 The Community Match process begins with a feasibility study to assist Parishes and communities in identifying possible solutions to locally identified traffic or transport issues and determining cost estimates. The feasibility study is undertaken by East Sussex Highways and is funded by the parish/town council or residents’ group promoting the scheme. Many potential schemes do not progress beyond the feasibility stage as it becomes clear that the scheme is not feasible or too expensive to deliver using parish funding, or there is not agreement among local residents and businesses about the scheme proposals.

1.3 If a parish/town council or community group support the measures suggested in the feasibility appraisal, they can apply to the County Council for Community Match funds to take the scheme forward to detailed design and construction. The maximum financial input from the County Council is £50,000 per scheme, which needs to be matched by the parish council or community group. The feasibility appraisals are only able to give approximate scheme costs and more detailed scheme costs can be provided to applicants as more design work is undertaken. As part of the Community Match funding applications, the relevant County Councillors are asked whether they are supportive of the proposed community match schemes in their ward.

2 Supporting Information

Community Match schemes for 2021/22

2.1 A sum of £250,000 has been allocated from the County Council’s 2021/22 Capital Programme for Local Transport Improvements to match-fund improvement schemes of local importance through the Community Match Fund.

2.2 Although there have been many Community Match feasibility studies requested, only three subsequent applications have been received to take schemes forward. It is important that projects have strong support from the local community and that they comply with relevant County Council policies.

2.3 A summary of the schemes, together with estimated total costs, community contribution and Community Match Fund contributions, is shown below. The community contribution will be 50% of the detailed design and construction costs for all three schemes. The final costs will likely vary from the current estimate once the detailed design has been undertaken and the scheme fully costed. Therefore, the level of Community Match Fund contribution allocated to each project, with a maximum contribution of £50,000 per project, and in parallel the level of community contribution may change depending on the final cost. Since there is sufficient funding available to deliver all the applications, and each Community Match Fund contribution is well below the maximum £50,000 threshold, it is recommended that all three projects should be taken forward. The County Councillor for each of the schemes has indicated their support.

Scheme	Total cost	Community contribution	ESCC Community Match Fund contribution
Burwash Parish Council - Scheme to provide a safer environment for Burwash residents, school children & visitors. Introduction of traffic calming measures including 20mph speed limit and new village gateways. calming	circa £50,000	£25,000	£25,000
Rotherfield Parish Council - red patching, roundels and sign improvements on three roads at the entry to the 30mph speed limits coming into Rotherfield village. This package would aim to bring about better driver awareness of the 30mph speed limit within Rotherfield	circa £25,000	£12,500	£12,500
Beacon Parishes Traffic Group representing Parishes of Westmeston and Ditchling - Spatham Lane: To replace current national speed limit of 60mph with 40mph	circa £35,000	£17,500	£17,500

Risks

2.4 Communities will be recharged their share of the detailed design and construction work. In addition, for Community Match schemes there is a notable risk around delivering schemes that include speed limit or parking changes which require a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), and the increase in costs that comes with delivering these types of schemes due to the additional resource and administration required. If formal objections to TROs are received and cannot be resolved by discussion with the objector, they must be determined by Planning Committee. This process adds both time and cost to the scheme.

3 Conclusion and Reasons for Recommendations

3.1 Lead Member is recommended to allocate £25,000 of community match funding to the scheme in Burwash, £12,500 to the scheme in Rotherfield and £17,500 to the Spatham Lane scheme in Ditchling and Westmeston.

3.2 Lead Member is recommended to delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy & Transport to approve the 50% match contribution from the Community Match Fund, up to a maximum of £50,000 once the design and construction costs are known.

RUPERT CLUBB

Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Contact Officer: Andrew Keer                                    Nicholas Mitchell
Tel. No. 01273 482212                                   07809 401749
Email: Andrew.Keer@eastsussex.gov.uk      Nicholas.Mitchell@eastsussex.gov.uk

LOCAL MEMBERS

Councillors Kirby-Green, Osborne, Standley

Background Documents

None