1 Background

1.1. Wirral is situated in North West England. It is the third largest Metropolitan District in the North West Region and the ninth largest in the country. Geographically, Wirral is bordered by the River Mersey on the eastern side of the borough and the River Dee on the West. Enabling access to the sub regional travel to work area is extremely important to the economy of Wirral and its future development. The borough has a high proportion of economically inactive residents, whilst the wider travel to work area has labour supply issues that can only be resolved by working in partnership across the sub region to resolve long standing accessibility issues. This is a response on behalf of Wirral Council which compliments the wider MDA response which articulates the wider sub regional issues in more detail.

1.2. As part of the development of the Merseyside Local Transport Plan, Wirral Council have produced an Accessibility Strategy which recognises that Wirral residents do not wish to limit themselves to opportunities and facilities solely in the Borough itself but that transport barriers must be removed to ensure that residents can access the travel to work area consisting of Merseyside, Cheshire as well as the north east Wales authorities of Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire.

1.3. Wirral is geographically located in Greater Merseyside and is part of the Liverpool City Region. Wirral is also a member of the Mersey Dee Alliance (MDA) which includes Cheshire, Chester, Denbighshire, Ellesmere Port & Neston, Flintshire, Wirral, Wrexham, and the Welsh Assembly Government and Merseytravel. The MDA recognises that the area represents a single economic sub-region with a population of approximately 930,000 which is divided by a national boundary. Partners agree to work together on common strategic interests to sustain the economic future of the travel-to-work area which incorporate the administrative boundaries of England and Wales, and facilitate a coherent approach to social, economic and environmental issues.

2 Summary of the Issues / Evidence

2.1. Wirral's labour market is not restricted to local authority boundaries, and many job opportunities are available in the Liverpool City Region, Cheshire and North Wales. The IMD 2007 ranked Wirral 8^thin respect of the Employment domain. With in excess of 33,000 economically inactive residents, (most of whom live in the Eastern areas of the borough), and a job density of 0.61, it provides the Local Authority and its partners a significant challenge to deliver on sub regional and local Employment strategy.

2.2. Wirral has a tight labour market at present with 40,000 residents travelling out of the Borough each day. Even with the planned re-development of Birkenhead Docklands into 'Wirral Waters', which is one of the UK's largest regeneration projects that is expected to create in excess of 27,000 new jobs over the next thirty years, Wirral's Investment Strategy recognises the importance of the wider travel to work area to ensure that its residents have access to quality and sustainable employment opportunities.

2.3. The developments at Northern Gateway in Deeside and other employment projects across North Wales provide opportunities for the residents of Wirral to access employment opportunities but travel from the North Eastern conurbations is difficult and provides a significant barrier to individuals looking to return to the labour market. Several solutions have been put in place but with journey times from Birkenhead (Wirral) to Deeside Industrial Estate (Flintshire) that are in excess of 60 minutes each way, access to employment opportunities in NE Wales has been extremely difficult and take up of the jobs has been low.

2.4. Wirral has been working with partners in Flintshire and Wrexham as well as with Network Rail and Merseytravel with regard to developing a feasibility study to electrify the Wrexham to Bidston (Borderlands) rail line. The delivery of this scheme is seen as a high priority for the Council and would be particularly beneficial in improving linkages between the Deeside Development Zone with areas of the Wirral with relatively high levels of unemployment.

2.5. In advance of electrification Wirral are keen to see an increase in the frequency on the Borderlands line (between Wrexham and Bidston) to provide a half hourly diesel service.

2.6. There is lots of evidence outlining the areas of need within Wirral's economy concerning Worklessness and access to employment. Wirral's Full Employment Strategy and the City Employment Strategy recognise the need to provide access to employment for Wirral residents outside of the borough whilst increasing the investment and employment creation within Wirral. This can be provided on request.

2.7. Car ownership on Merseyside is low compared to national figures with 38% having no access to a car. Despite increasing prosperity on Wirral there is significant variation across wards with some wards having nearly 57% of residents without access to a car. Ensuring accessibility is essential for an inclusive society.

2.8. Detailed accessibility mapping was undertaken as part of the Merseyside Local Transport Plan and accessibility to destinations in Deeside using public transport were mapped using DfT provided Accession software and it showed that travel times from the majority of the Wirral to Deeside are in excess of 60 minutes. This situation seriously worsens however when looking at earlier journey times which would be required to access job opportunities e.g. a 7am start which is common for many shift patterns, the majority of the Wirral would be looking at journey times in excess of 110 minutes. It is clear that for the majority of people these travel times would not be acceptable.

2.9. Removing transport barriers and improving transport links are essential and Wirral believes the electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston line would provide a major economic boost for the MDA sub region, enabling economic opportunities to be realised by significantly cutting journey times and access not only to North East Wales from Wirral but also access for NE Wales residents to the Liverpool City Centre, the retail centre at Birkenhead and other key destinations.

2.10. A study was also undertaken to identify how many economically inactive residents lived with a one mile access radius to stations along the Wrexham to Bidston line. This study could be updated with recent data on request.

2.11. Specialised transport services have been operating across the border for several years. Job Link and Dial a Link DRT are bus services which have recognised the gap in traditional bus services operating from Wirral to Deeside at times to enable people to access employment. More details of these services can be provided if required and have bee subject to a detailed study by Elan Consultancy to ascertain the potential for these to be operated across the MDA area.

2.12. Other innovative transport schemes have been operating in the area, again to allow journeys to be undertaken to enable access to employment or training which could not be undertaken using traditional bus or train services. WorkWise Scooter Commuter scheme which was launched the MDA in 2005 allows the client the 6 month loan of a 50 cc scooter and provides all the training and equipment required. The scheme has been extremely successful.

2.13. Park and Ride using rail is a popular way of travel into Liverpool for many residents of North Wales. Park and Ride sites on the Wirral line include the major site at Hooton (Ellesmere Port and Neston) and also numerous smaller station park and ride sites within Wirral.

2.14. Differences in ticketing arrangements and funding arrangements across authorities and across Countries need to be improved to allow seamless journeys and remove confusion for travellers.

2.15. Port facilities at Twelve Quays in Birkenhead and in Liverpool need to be recognised as important destinations for travellers and freight across the Border.

2.16. Liverpool John Lennon air port is increasingly becoming a popular choice for travellers from North Wales.

3 The impact of development proposals

3.1. A number of development proposals will act to influence cross-border travel patterns in the years to come. These include development proposals and aspirations in Wirral such as Wirral Waters, Woodside, Hoylake Golf Resort, Birkenhead Docklands and Enterprise Zone and Wirral International Business Park in Bromborough. The impact of housing also needs to be considered and Wirral has significant differences east / west in housing stock and prices as well as the potential of a housing growth point.

3.2. Better integration of transport systems are required to facilitate these new developments, particularly rail and bus networks. Accessibility by public transport must be a key criterion for choosing future development sites, and increased emphasis should be placed on developing new and improved public transport links, rather than just relying on existing network links.

4 Accessibility

4.1 As part of the Merseyside Local Transport Plan Partnership, Wirral have identified improving Accessibility to Employment as a key aim of the LTP. Overcoming accessibility barriers is key to tackling the high levels of worklessness experienced in many communities and opening up services and opportunities to people suffering from social exclusion.

4.2 Through the Merseyside Local Transport Plan Partnership and the associated Wirral Accessibility Strategy, there is the recognition that partners across all the neighbouring authorities need to work together to address significant cross boundary accessibility issues and develop a strategy to improve cross boundary transport provision.

4.3 Merseyside partners are currently developing an Supplementary Planning Document for Transport "Ensuring Travel Choice" which scores developments on their level of accessibility by all transport modes. Improved accessibility will be secured through Section 106 Agreements for developments not meeting the minimum requirements. The aim is eventually for this to be adopted by all Merseyside partners but a similar process could also be used for developments across the Mersey Dee Alliance area.

5. Recommendations

5.1 That the Welsh Affairs Committee:

� Notes the challenges and opportunities for transport from Wirral as part of Merseyside and North East Wales.

� Recognises the shared economic and community interests and objectives of the MDA across the North East Wales, West Cheshire and Wirral area;

� Recognises and endorses Wirral's priority for the prompt electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston railway line.

� Considers what opportunities there are to improve mechanisms that will enhance future cross boundary land-use and transport planning and the co-ordinated delivery of schemes for the benefit of communities on both sides of the border.

References/List of supplementary materials

� Wirral Full Employment Strategy/ City Region Employment Strategy

� Merseyside Local Transport Plan / Accessibility Strategy

28 March 2008