Mayor of London Transport Strategy - Consultation Process - How many aware within LB Kensington and Chelsea?

Dear Ms Black

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF: 2010-049

I am writing to confirm that we received your information request on 15
January 2010. For your information and future communications your request
has been allocated the reference number FOI2010-049. Please quote this
reference in any future correspondence.

We will consider your request and respond in accordance with the
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Our duty is to
respond promptly or at least within 20 working days.

Yours sincerely

Robin Yu

Information Protection Assistant

FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit

Information Systems Division (ISD)

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX

Tel: 020 7938 8226

Web: [1]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk

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Dear Ms Black

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF: 2010-049

I am responding to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
which we received on 15 January 2010 for information held by the Council.
I apologise for the delay in responding. You requested the following
information:

Please explain the steps that Kensington and Chelsea Council took with TfL
to make the public aware of consultation into the Draft Mayor of London
Transport Strategy.

(1) What publicity was undertaken across LB Kensington and Chelsea by TfL
and by LB Kensington and Chelsea?

TfL put adverts in the local paper for a week or two. We put posters up in
the Town Hall and Holland Park, a couple of weeks before the road show
event. We wrote to every Residents Association chairman telling them about
the road show event. We did a press release before the road show event. We
put a link to the release on the front page of the website and we took the
main section at the top of the website and had that for the week leading
up the road show event. The December edition of the Royal Borough also had
a piece about the strategy. This goes to every home and business in the
borough (about 87,000) and all libraries in the Royal Borough and a number
of other Council outlets have copies as well.

(2) What was published that explained the Draft Strategy and the
consultation process and how were these made available?

As the consultation was run by the Mayor of London, our publicity made
reference to the Mayor of London's website which explained the Draft
Strategy and the consultation process.

(3) What steps were taken to try to ensure a balanced cross-section of the
public was made aware of the process?

See answer to Question 1 and 2

(4) Where were leaflets distributed, and how was this decided? What
analysis suggested this would lead to a fair and balanced distribution
across the community?

The Council placed TfL's leaflets in the customer service centre, in
libraries across the Royal Borough and the Council's offices at 37
Pembroke Road. These locations were requested by the Chairman of the
Public Realm Scrutiny Committee. We did not carry out any analysis as to
where leaflets should be distributed.

(5) What steps were taken to ensure that hard-to-reach sections of the
community, such as those who travel exclusively by private car, were made
aware of the consultation process and encouraged to participate in it?

The Royal Borough did not take any specific steps to ensure that
particular sections of the community were made aware of the consultation.
We tried to encourage participation by the cost effective means available
to us, i.e. distributing leaflets at the customer service centre,
libraries across the Council and the Council offices at 37 Pembroke Road.

(6) What consultation discussions took place between LB Kensington and
Chelsea and TfL over how this process would operate? To what extent was
the council consulted over the detail of the consultation, and what views
did it express?

The Council did not have any discussions with TfL regarding the detail of
the consultation. We notified TfL that we would be distributing leaflets.

(7) Is the council happy with the consultation process? Was the council
happy that the online questionnaire was so flagrantly biased? Was the
council happy that were responders allowed to pick as many as they chose
from an uncosted wish-list?

The Council has not expressed a position on this.

(8) What steps were taken to inform and involve organisations likely to
have an interest?

The consultation material was forwarded to members of the Council's
Mobility Forum. The forthcoming strategy was also discussed at the
Council's Transport reference group which is attended by representatives
of residents associations and other community groups.

(9) What programme of meetings was organised? Did Kensington and Chelsea
Council ask TfL to attend meetings of the council's Neighbourhood
Partnerships, and how many did receive reports on the consultation from
TfL?

TfL held a roadshow for members of the public on 6 November 2009. TfL also
held a seminar for council officers and councillors on 17 November 2009.
We do not have any Neighbourhood Partnerships.

(10) How many meetings took place within LB Kensington and Chelsea between
TfL and the council as part of the consultation process? What about with
local groups in LB Kensington and Chelsea?

See answer to Question 8 and Question 9.

(11) What pre-consultation took place with interested parties to ensure
that the process was fair and balanced?

We are unable to answer this question - it would be best to contact TfL to
ask about their pre-consultation process.

(12) Does the council support a MTS consultation on the Draft Mayor of
London Transport Strategy that offers so little for the driver - private
motorist or professional driver of taxi, minicab, van, lorry or bus? How
important are private drivers in the overall use of transport in
Kensington and Chelsea? Has the council expressed concerns over this
unfair and unbalanced aspect of the consultation process?

Our response to the draft Mayor's Transport Strategy can be found at:

[1]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/howwegovern/keyde...

(13) Does the council support a MTS in which the promotion of cycling
within the draft MTS does not also include warnings on the dangers of this
mode? Does the council support the proposition that a mass switch to
cycling would be beneficial justified, and on what evidence?

See answer to Question 12.

(14) Does the council support a MTS consultation in which costings of
various suggestions were not put forward, so that the public could see how
much tax each would entail?

See answer to Question 12.

(15) Does the council support a MTS consultation in which there was no
question on the level of subsidy that each mode should receive?

See answer to Question 12.

(16) Does the council support a MTS consultation in which no question is
asked as to whether the users of a mode should bear all, most, some or
whatever proportion of the costs of providing that mode?

See answer to Question 12.

(17) What representations has or will the council make regarding the
consultation process into the Draft MTS as a result of this enquiry or
otherwise?

The Council submitted its final response which can be found at:

[2]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/howwegovern/keyde...

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Yours faithfully

Robin Yu

Information Protection Assistant

FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit

Information Systems Division (ISD)

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX

Tel: 020 7938 8226

Web: [5]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk

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