news: Helping to unlock Rural Mobility Funding
Thursday 14th January 2021
At ITP, we understand the pressures placed on local authorities to secure funding for new infrastructure and transport services. Often the competition is fierce, and it requires a coordinated effort to develop a strong bid that stands out.
Our team has supported a number of local authorities through the entire process; from developing initial ideas and concepts, to preparing and submitting the bid document. We have a deep understanding of techniques for appraising all types of transport investments, including major public transport schemes, active travel, and behaviour change programmes.
Over recent years we have assisted in the development of major bids for several local authorities - spanning Local Sustainable Transport Fund, Active Travel Fund, Transforming Cities Fund, and Future Transport Zones - all of which were successful. We are proud to have helped local authorities win a combined total of over £295million to date, and it has been gratifying to see these schemes come to fruition as they are delivered ‘on the ground’.
Most recently, we assisted a number of local authorities with expressions of interest for Rural Mobility Funding. This fund aims to trial demand-responsive transport solutions to understand whether they can work better for residents of rural and suburban areas than traditional timetabled bus services. We heard this week that, out of 56 proposals submitted to the DfT, 17 applications were selected to progress to the next phase, three of which ITP either wrote or had supported Council Officers to prepare.
The next phase is to develop a business case for the schemes to demonstrate they meet the assessment criteria, and deliver value for money. We are helping several authorities with this process.
Assuming all schemes meet the necessary criteria, almost £20million of funding will released for the 2021/22 financial year.
Given our track record of business case development and securing funding for local authorities, we are well placed to provide assistance in this next phase. Find out more about our rural mobility experience on ITP’s website, and please get in touch ASAP if you think we could help prepare your Rural Mobility Fund bid in time for the February 2021 deadline.