CD ROM containing:
• Copies of all speaker presentations
• Audio of all speakers presentations and question and discussion sessions
• Speaker biographies and any additional papers they have supplied

Engaging local communities and other stakeholders is becoming an ever more important factor in changing travel behaviour, encouraging a real shift towards more environmentally healthy forms of transport and gaining public acceptance of new schemes.

Of the provisional Local Transport Plans (LTPs) classified ‘very promising’ in the Department for Transport’s recent assessment, most showed evidence of strong consultation and partnership working.

While final LTP2s must be submitted at the end of March 2006, the consultation process does not end there. The DfT’s guidance encourages local authorities to work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders and show evidence of ongoing community engagement in strategy development and implementation. Meanwhile, PTEG has just published its ‘Over To You’ good practice guide on involving the public in decision making on passenger transport.

Conference speakers from the DfT, Transport for London, Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs), local authorities and community planning advisors will share their knowledge of what is required from the consultation effort to engage local communities in transport schemes, create and maintain a strong LTP, their experience of the risks and challenges in creating a consultation strategy, as well as some invaluable advice on the techniques that work best in the electronic age.

Chairs:
Kris Beuret, Director, Social Research Associates

Jill Tufnell, Head of Research, Cambridgeshire County Council and Vice Chair, Local Authorities Research & Intelligence Association (LARIA)

Speakers:
Duncan Price, Head of Branch, Local Transport Policy and Plans, Department for Transport

Louisa Moore, Policy Officer, pteg Support Unit

Nick Wates, Community Planning Advisor and Author, The Community Planning Handbook

Mike Bartram, Head of Consultation Unit,Transport for London

Barbara Frost, Senior Consultation Officer, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE)

Stephen Hilton, Corporate Consultation Manager, Bristol City Council

Paulette Lappin, Consultation Manager, Merseytravel

Alan Lewis, Senior Associate, Transport & Travel Research

George Burnett, Head of Local Transport Plan Group, Surrey County Council

Ben King, Local Transport Plan Co-ordinator, Nottinghm City Council

Kris Beuret, Director, Social Research Associates