Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 21
21
The NAO report sets out what it would expect to see in place to achieve...
Conclusion
The NAO report sets out what it would expect to see in place to achieve benefits. It reported that the Department and TfL did not have a clear overarching benefits management strategy or plan for the Elizabeth line, but had started work on one since its fieldwork.56 Local economic growth and regeneration requires sustained effort and vision over a long period, as well as buy in from local stakeholders.57 The Department told us that TfL was developing a full strategy which would be published in the summer, setting out the actions to help realise those benefits.58 Crossrail Ltd told us that the Elizabeth line has a 120 year design life and so there is “plenty of time and opportunity for people to come back to the Elizabeth line”.59 Learning lessons
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
4.2 Benefits management is important to ensure that the benefits are defined, measured, and optimised. Industry approach and best practice to benefits management has developed and matured significantly throughout the lifetime of the Crossrail project. 4.3 The department and TfL have worked to manage the benefits through a comprehensive evaluation study and continued assessment of the value for money and revenue forecasting. Work is nearly complete to bring these components together in a benefits management strategy, jointly developed by TfL and the department, that will clearly define the realised and expected benefits of the project and show alignment to the project outcomes/deliverables. This includes a plan of activities to realise the greatest value and 15 manage risks to realising the benefits. These activities will have clear owners and will be set around a fully defined monitoring programme with associated governance arrangements. 4.4 The benefits management strategy will be owned by TfL and enable them to better manage the direct benefits principally, transport benefits, but also engage with the wider stakeholder community (including the Greater London Authority, local authorities and business community) to ensure that the wider benefits that TfL is not directly responsible for, but which the department has an interest in, are managed and maximised including benefits outside of London and wider benefits such as regeneration. 4.5 TfL plan to publish a detailed benefits strategy before the central section opens in the first half of 2022.