South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

WITH TRANSPORT issues high on the national agenda the South East is taking a step towards tackling some of its transport issues with a unique tripartite conference in Reading on Wednesday 1 November, attended by 200 representatives from local authorities, transport providers, the business community, plus social and environmental partners.

The South East England Regional Assembly, the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) are hosting the conference, entitled 'Transport: the Ten Year Plan - Moving the South East Forward' as part of their development of the regional transport agenda.

he conference, at Reading Town Hall aims to:
1. Provide regional stakeholders with an opportunity to raise transport issues that they consider should be addressed as the Regional Assembly leads the development of the Regional Transport Strategy for the South East
2. Explain to regional stakeholders the implications of national transport policy (in particular the Ten Year Transport Plan), on the development of transport policy in the South East
3. Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Assembly, GOSE and SEEDA in developing and implementing the regional transport agenda.

Specific transport issues facing the South East region in the next few months include:

• The replacement of passenger rail franchises on Thameslink, South West Trains and South Central services
  
• The first multi-modal study (Access to Hastings) which is scheduled to report next month
  
• Publication of the Mayor's Transport Strategy for London for consultation early in 2001, and
  
• The delivery of the multi-million pound Local Transport Plan settlement.

  Councillor David Shakespeare, Chair of the Regional Assembly, said; "Today's conference is an important one for the South East and for the Regional Assembly in particular. The Regional Assembly is responsible for delivering the Regional Transport Strategy in partnership with stakeholders, including GOSE and SEEDA, across the region. This conference provides an important opportunity for those involved to engage in constructive dialogue as the Assembly's work moves forward."

  Minister for Transport, Lord Macdonald, will deliver the keynote speech at the conference at 10.40am. Delegates will then have the opportunity to participate in facilitated table discussions.
  During the afternoon the three host organisations will make presentations explaining their roles in the region. Finally, delegates will be asked to contribute their views to key questions on the development of regional transport policy.

  David Saunders, Regional Director of GOSE, which represents central Government in the South East, said; "This is the first time anywhere that the three Regional Partners have come together to hold such a conference. It is an excellent example of what we can expect for the future as the three of us work together to move the regional transport agenda forward and to help to deliver a quality transport system for the South East".

  Allan Willett, Chairman of SEEDA, commented; " In developing the Regional Economic Strategy, for the first time partners from across all sectors in the region have been able to reach a consensus on the priorities for the South East's Transport agenda." He continued "We are working with local partners involved in transport, and act as a bridge between them and businesses in order to ensure that the transport infrastructure provided in the South East is in line with what is best for economic growth in the region"