Mayor of London Transport Strategy - Consultation Process - How many aware within LB Harrow?

Roedd y cais yn llwyddiannus.

Dear Harrow Borough Council,

It has become apparent that many organisations and members of the public in LB Harrow were not aware of the recent consultation into the Draft Mayor of London Transport Strategy.

Please explain the steps that Harrow 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 Harrow by TfL and by LB Harrow?

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

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

(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?

(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?

(6) What consultation discussions took place between LB Harrow 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?

(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?

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

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

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

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

(11) 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 Harrow?
Has the council expressed concerns over this unfair and unbalanced aspect of the consultation process?

(12) 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?

(13) 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?

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

(15) 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?

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

Yours faithfully,

Ruthlyn Black

Information Information,

Dear Ruthlyn Black,

Thank you for your email.

Your enquiry has been forwarded to Isabella Uzodike, the Officer responsible for Freedom Of Information and Data Protection, who will respond to your request within the next 20 working days.

Kind regards

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

Dear Information Information,

I note that the 20 working day deadline has passed without any response being provided to my FOI Request.

This is very disappointing.

The Request was a straight forward one, and I see no reason why the council could not provider its response within the statutory limit of 20wd.

Please give an indication of a date by when the council expects to provide its reply - as otherwise a reference to the ICO will become necessary.

Yours sincerely,

Ruthlyn Black

Dennis Thompson,

Dear Ms Black

The following is in response to Freedom of Information request you have
made in relation to consultation on the Mayor of London’s Draft
Transport Strategy. Your questions are shown in bold for ease of
reference followed by the Council’s response.

It has become apparent that many organisations and members of the public
in LB Harrow were not aware of the recent consultation into the Draft
Mayor of London Transport Strategy.

Please explain the steps that Harrow 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 Harrow by TfL and by LB
Harrow?

Transport for London (TfL) were wholly responsible for organising and
carrying out London-wide consultation on behalf of the GLA and there was
no requirement for boroughs to carry out additional consultation.
Accordingly, LB Harrow and other London local authorities were purely
consultees. The GLA and TfL will be able to provide you with details of
their publicity campaign, but the following outline may be helpful.

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) was publicised alongside the London
Plan and Economic Development Strategy in a campaign called ‘ Help Shape
London’s Future’, which aimed to raise awareness of the 3
consultations and encourage people to have their say. The consultation was
promoted via a website: [1]www.london.gov.uk/shaping-london and for those
without web access, a summary leaflet was available on demand from a call
centre or at one of 21 road-shows to promote the consultations held across
London. The consultation was advertised in a number of borough and local
titles, including the borough magazine Harrow People, and TfL will be able
to provide you with details.

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

TfL were wholly responsible for organising and carrying out London-wide
consultation on behalf of the GLA and will be able to provide you with
details.

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

TfL were wholly responsible for organising and carrying out London-wide
consultation on behalf of the GLA and will be able to provide you with
details.

(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?

TfL were wholly responsible for organising and carrying out London-wide
consultation on behalf of the GLA and will be able to provide you with
details of the process and any analysis.

(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?

TfL were wholly responsible for organising and carrying out London-wide
consultation on behalf of the GLA and will be able to provide you with
details.

6) What consultation discussions took place between LB Harrow 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 was consulted on the MTS itself. GLA/TfL did not consult the
individual boroughs about how the consultation process would operate.

(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 responded to the consultation on the MTS itself but did not
register any opinion on the consultation process.

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

TfL were wholly responsible for organising and carrying out London-wide
consultation on behalf of the GLA and will be able to provide you with
details.

(8) What programme of meetings was organised?

Did Harrow Council ask TfL to attend meetings of the council's
Neighbourhood Partnerships, and how many did receive reports on the
consultation from TfL?

LB Harrow did not hold any meetings in addition to those arranged by TfL.

(9) How many meetings took place within LB Harrow between TfL and the
council as part of the consultation process?

What about with local groups in LB Harrow?

The Council was consulted on the MTS itself and it was not necessary to
meet with TfL in order to formulate our response. There were no meetings
between the Council and representatives of TfL regarding the consultation
process.

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

TfL were wholly responsible for organising and carrying out London-wide
consultation on behalf of the GLA and will be able to provide you with
details.

(11) 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
Harrow?

Has the council expressed concerns over this unfair and unbalanced aspect
of the consultation process?

A copy of LB Harrow’s response to the consultation is attached. The
Council has not expressed any concerns about the consultation process.

(12) 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?

LB Harrow supports the MTS promotion of cycling and welcomes support to
encourage cycle training as referred to in the MTS. There has long been
recognition of the need to promote safety and security in relation to
cycling, e.g. the MTS identifies the conflict between HGVs and cyclists,
and these issues will be dealt with through training and in detailed
scheme design. The council works closely with cycle groups and has
regular meeting to discuss new cycle initiatives. Increased cycle usage is
a specific objective of the Mayor of London and can lead to reduced
congestion, improved air quality and reduced space requirements for
parking.

(13) 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?

The MTS is a high level strategic document and therefore there was no
expectation that it would include that level of detail.

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

See 13 above.

(15) 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?

The Council has expressed no concerns regarding the consultation on this
issue.

(16) 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 has responded to the consultation on the MTS itself and has no
representations to make regarding the consultation process.

I hope this information is helpful. However, if you are unhappy with the
service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to the
Head of Property & Infrastructure Services at, PO Box 39, Civic Centre,
Harrow, HA1 2XA.

If you are not content with the outcome your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner (IC) for a decision. Generally,
the IC cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the council. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Dennis Thompson
Senior Professional - Highway Network Policy & Strategy
Tel: 020 8424 1500

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

References

Visible links
1. http://www.london.gov.uk/shaping-london

Dear Dennis Thompson,

Thank you for your reply.

If the Harrow People carried details of the MTS consultation, then the council can and should provide details of this.

For example, the date and page, and the weblink to view it.

In answer to Q11, you say "A copy of LB Harrow's response to the consultation is attached", however it does not appear to be here.

Please provide a copy of this response.

Yours sincerely,

Ruthlyn Black

Dennis Thompson,

2 Atodiad

Dear Ms Black

I have attached a pdf of the relevant Harrow People edition. Apologies
for the omission of the council's response to the MTS consultation and a
copy is now attached.

Dennis Thompson
Senior Professional - Highway Network Policy & Strategy
Tel: 020 8424 1500

>>> Ruthlyn Black <[FOI #27063 email]> 15/02/2010
20:08 >>>
Dear Dennis Thompson,

Thank you for your reply.

If the Harrow People carried details of the MTS consultation, then
the council can and should provide details of this.

For example, the date and page, and the weblink to view it.

In answer to Q11, you say "A copy of LB Harrow's response to the
consultation is attached", however it does not appear to be here.

Please provide a copy of this response.

Yours sincerely,

Ruthlyn Black

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir