Louth Centre 2024 Survey and Scheme - Find a freedom of information request

Louth Centre 2024 Survey and Scheme

Please disclose:

1 The legal basis for this new survey and scheme. Active Travel Statutory Guidance was withdrawn in October 2023.

2 The policy behind the survey and scheme. The emphasis has shifted from walking and cycling to 'dwell time' with implications for businesses and parking.

3 The business case. Eg evidence that more people lingering longer with little or no close parking will spend enough money to make the current mix of businesses viable; and evidence that stopping/restricting parking in the centres of rural towns reflects changes in society in all age groups and abilities rather than forcing change by limiting option

4 Whether any of the sponsoring councillors and relevant officers support lobby groups seeking to influence policy eg shifting pro-cycling, walking to become 'anti-car' [including electric car] lobbying. eg UK100, Sustrans, Living Streets, TAN etc.

5. How the middle Survey Question on the Cornmarket and Market Square option will be treated. 3 options Parking; Some parking; no parking. [NB this is a snippet from the newspaper from Bath in Somerset regarding the LTN consultation there . ''Both Ms Wilkins and Ms Jaggon-Barret raised issues with how the consultation had been done. Ms Wilkins said: "You had three choices: against, pro, and in partial support of this. And the people who were in the middle - partially supported - were counted as for it.

6. Will the decision be determined by a vote of the whole Louth Transport Board [LTB] LTB? If not, how?

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1. There is no legal basis or requirement for the engagement

2. There is no policy that applies. We are using the current engagement as a fact-finding opportunity to gather the opinions of Louth residents and people who travel in and out of Louth so we can better understand if the current set-up meets their needs.

3. LCC don’t currently hold this evidence. However, are using the current engagement as a fact-finding opportunity to gather the opinions of Louth residents and people who travel in and out of Louth so can better understand if the current set-up meets their needs.

4. This is not currently known, but this information would be disclosed as a Declaration of Interest if any potential changes were being considered to be taken forward.

5. All responses will be shared with and considered by the transport board.

6. The engagement feedback will be considered by the Local Transport Board as a discussion forum. If there is a consensus to make any changes from the "do nothing" status quo, then these changes would require modification to the Traffic Regulation Orders behind them and democratic decisions would ultimately rest with LCC.

Any changes would be subject to a full statutory and public consultation, the results of which would then be voted on by the County Council’s Planning and Regulation committee. This would include EIAs on any reports to that committee.