Public consultation starts today over future of Liverpool City Region transport network

A 10 week public consultation was launched yesterday, detailing Mayor Steve Rotheram's blueprint for the future of the Liverpool City Region's transport network

The new Local Transport Plan (LTP) will shape the City Region's transport developments until 2040 and is a roadmap to delivering the Mayor's vision for a London-style integrated transport system that's fast, clean safe, sustainable and accessible to all.

The consultation begins as the Combined Authority prepares to take back control of the City Region's bus network and just days after £26m funding for a further 50 all-electric buses was announced, bringing the total to more than 100. Within the last year, the City Region has also completed the rollout of a £500m fleet of new trains, opened a brand new £80m Station at Headbolt Lane, Kirkby, and announced a £96m investment in a new Station in the Liverpool Baltic Quarter.

The new Local Transport Plan is the 1st to cover all 6 local authority areas and supports the Mayor's ambition for the Liverpool City Region to be net-zero carbon by 2035.

It proposes big, bold changes designed to help drive future investments on the network until 2040.

Key features include:-

• Boosting public transport through bus franchising and an enhanced rail network to help people get to School, work, training and to travel for leisure and pleasure.
  

• Improving health and wellbeing of residents by reducing road traffic accidents and pollution and encouraging more people to walk, cycle or wheel.
  

• Ensuring the transport system is climate change resilient and using technology and innovation to drive improvements.

Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee, said:- "The Local Transport Plan is used to steer future investments into our network with clear aims to support communities and improving transport for everyone while aligning to wider Combined Authority ambitions, for example, achieving net zero emissions by 2035. Whether a regular public transport user or not, all residents within the City Region are encouraged to take part in the consultation and have their say. Its purpose is to build a fully integrated London-style transport system, along with better connections to and from the Region that helps people get to School, work, training and travel for leisure and pleasure. Improving the health and quality of life for people and communities as well as ensuring the network and assets are well maintained are key to its success."

To access the consultation, or to find out more about the Local Transport Plan for the Liverpool City Region is now online. To request a paper survey or a survey in another language please Call:- 01513324339

For anyone keen to take part, the Plan will be open for public consultation between:- 3 October 2024 until 15 December 2024.

Required under law, the 1st Local Transport Plan was produced in 2000 with the latest version being the City Region's fourth.

The latest plan's vision and goals were welcomed during an initial public consultation in 2022.

Home care company launches in Southport

ONYEKA Offor has set up SureCare Southport which is able to offer a full range of regulated and non-regulated care services to local people. The company recently secured its registration with the Care Quality Commission. Before deciding to set up a home care business, Onyeka worked in the NHS for several years and as a fire engineer. He was keen to establish his own business and chose the home care sector because he wanted to make a real difference to people's lives.

Onyeka said:- "I am passionate about providing people in the Southport community with the best possible home care services. While I have experience working in the NHS, I didn't have a background in the home care sector or running my own business. I did a lot of research into setting up a business in this sector and SureCare stood out as the ideal partner. I liked the fact that they are a family business and have been going for 30 years this year. Becoming a SureCare franchisee meant that I had an established brand behind me and all the support that I needed to get going including:- with the process of gaining our Care Quality Commission registration. Now that we have the registration, we can provide people locally with a full range of home care services. I'm also looking to recruit the right people to work as care workers, people who are as passionate as I am about the need to deliver compassionate, high quality person-centred care. I want to make a real difference to the lives of people living in the Southport community."

Onyeka is supported by SureCare Southport's Registered Manager Darren Ritson. Darren has worked in the care sector for 35 years. Gary Farrer, Managing Director of SureCare, said:- "We're delighted to welcome Onyeka on board as our franchisee for Southport. We were impressed with his passion to deliver home care services of the highest quality to people in his area."

SureCare is 1 of the UK's fastest growing care companies with branches and franchises around the UK. The company is fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and has 3 decades of experience in the personal care sector, with franchises across the UK delivering quality care and support for all stages of life's journey.