Recommendation 4

HM Government Accepted

17. The Department accepts that our strategic approach to consideration of accessibility can be improved. Accessibility must be a golden thread that runs through the design, implementation and operation of our transport system – this stands true for local and national planning, as well as urban and rural settings, and public and private sector transport operators. The Department agrees that for this to be true, ambition must be matched with practical and clearly mapped actions, milestones and accountability measures at all levels – these are the basic tenets of all good infrastructure and delivery programmes. As the Committee’s inquiry concluded, the absence of these overarching structures was one reason why the previous Government’s 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) – despite many interventions being delivered - has not achieved a step change in the perceived experience of disabled people. Delivering this change to address accessibility barriers, will require action and ownership from all relevant parties, and as the inquiry heard from witnesses ownership needs to be across all organisational levels – from frontline staff to senior executives. 18. That is why, as the Department brings forward the Integrated National Transport Strategy (INTS), it is our intention that accessibility should be incorporated as a key area of focus within our overall approach to creating a transport network that is designed and built in a way that provides for seamless, joined up journeys that are coordinated to meet the needs of people and enable prosperous communities, and promote growth. 19. The Committee has recommended a second standalone ITS, however, on balance, the Department concludes that the best way to ensure that accessibility is embedded as a golden thread at the heart of both our work and that of those delivering transport services and infrastructure is to incorporate it within our forthcoming INTS. An important consideration in coming to this conclusion has been that too often accessibility can be sidelined or approached as an add-on in transport planning, incorporation within the INTS will avoid this. 20. The strategy will have a clear focus on people in line with the Government’s mission of breaking down barriers, promoting social mobility and addressing inequality. Work focused on the delivery of accessibility outcomes will be based upon a clear action plan and milestones and informed by both the findings of this inquiry and independent evaluation of the 2018 ITS conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). 21. The development of this new strategy has already been informed by the advice of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), with further planned engagement through the summer. The Department intends to keep the Transport Select Committee informed on the progress of this work throughout its lifecycle.