{"id":38031,"date":"2014-01-22T10:46:52","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T10:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=76274c0fad412f8d02782a9867a20640"},"modified":"2014-01-22T10:46:52","modified_gmt":"2014-01-22T10:46:52","slug":"speech-wheels-2-work-annual-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=38031","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Wheels 2 Work annual conference"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I was delighted to be invited to speak this morning (22 January 2014) and I would like to thank Steve Kenward for his kind introduction.<\/p>\n

The Motorcycle Industry Association is an important and influential voice of the sector and we really value your support for Wheels 2 Work.<\/p>\n

I would also like to thank Nicky Bassett Powell National Coordinator, Wheels 2 Work Association<\/a>, for all her hard work organising today\u2019s (22 January 2014) event.<\/p>\n

I was particularly pleased to be invited because I\u2019ve spent most of my life in North Yorkshire. <\/p>\n

My family have been farming there since 1850 and I count myself lucky to know just how wonderful our green and pleasant land can be. <\/p>\n

But I\u2019m also aware that isolation can be a real problem for some people who live in rural areas. <\/p>\n

We once took a young lad on through the YTS<\/abbr>. <\/p>\n

But we discovered he couldn\u2019t get to work by bus. <\/p>\n

So I bought him a motorbike and he paid me back through his wages.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s good is everyone wins. <\/p>\n

He had a job he wanted and we had the enthusiastic employee we needed.<\/p>\n

So I was in some respects a Wheels 2 Work pioneer.<\/p>\n

So today (22 January 2014) I want to talk briefly about why I think Wheels 2 Work schemes are important. <\/p>\n

Why we are supporting these schemes through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund<\/a>. <\/p>\n

And why, if Wheels 2 Works schemes can seize the commercial opportunities available, I think there is a real opportunity to leverage funding, and help even more people in the future.<\/p>\n

Around 10 million people live in the English countryside.<\/p>\n

And the rural economy is a significant contributor to our national wealth. <\/p>\n

There are 505,000 businesses in total – around a third of all businesses in the country. <\/p>\n

And rural areas in England contributed \u00a3211 billion to the UK economy in 2010. <\/p>\n

So if Britain\u2019s economy is to continue growing, we also need the rural economy to thrive. <\/p>\n

We need young people to be able to reach jobs, attend training courses, or stay on in education. <\/p>\n

And we need countryside businesses, many of which are located in hard to reach areas, to be able to attract and retain the employees they need.<\/p>\n

But I know that access to regular and reliable public transport in rural areas can be a problem. <\/p>\n

Because the population is relatively sparse and widely spread out it can make the operation of commercial bus services unprofitable. <\/p>\n

And it is hard to rely on public transport if you need to arrive at work early in the morning or travel home late at night.<\/p>\n

For example, in my own constituency the last bus from Whitby to Sleights leaves just before 5pm in the evening.<\/p>\n

For longer distances, the alternative to public transport is a car or motorbike. But for many people that can be too expensive. <\/p>\n

People who live in rural areas need to travel further to reach their work, the shops and the public services they need. <\/p>\n

On average, someone living in the countryside travels clocks up around 50% more miles travelling in a year than those who live in towns and cities.<\/p>\n

As a result, the average weekly transport costs for those in rural villages are \u00a314 higher than the national average. <\/p>\n

For many these 2 factors combine to create the classic chicken and egg problem. <\/p>\n

People can\u2019t get to work to earn money because they don\u2019t have access to transport. <\/p>\n

But because they can\u2019t travel to where the jobs are, they can\u2019t afford to run a car or motorbike.<\/p>\n

This is equally true for young people who need to get to school or college.<\/p>\n

So we also need more flexible, innovative and cost effective ways to meet people\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Wheels 2 Work is one solution to that problem.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we have supported schemes through the \u00a3600 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund and the establishment of the Wheels 2 Work Association.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ve seen a 35% increase schemes since 2012.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleased to hear that these are already making a big difference to people\u2019s lives. <\/p>\n

Take just one example. <\/p>\n

East Riding Council has used the Local Sustainable Transport funding to purchase 15 new scooters. <\/p>\n

Helping people like Andrew Sonley \u2013 as I read in the local press. <\/p>\n

The scooter has made it practical for him to commute from his home in Beverley to work in Holme-on-Spalding Moor. <\/p>\n

A half hour commute that simply wouldn\u2019t have been possible by public transport.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just one example of how schemes are helping people find work, stay on in education, or even helping them increase their hours and earn more. <\/p>\n

I am sure you will have many more examples of Wheels 2 Work schemes that are making a difference to people\u2019s lives to discuss this morning.<\/p>\n

So what are the next steps?<\/p>\n

We want to encourage more innovative travel projects for communities \u2013 which is why we have recently announced a further round of Local Sustainable Transport funding. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s \u00a378.5 million available for 2015 to 2016. And up to 100 million capital through the Local Growth Fund.<\/p>\n

This money will be available for all areas, not only those that have already received funding in previous rounds. <\/p>\n

We want bids that are ambitious, engage local businesses, and that are focussed on improving the quality of life for the local community.<\/p>\n

Local authorities and local enterprise partnerships that are putting in bids together must demonstrate that the funding will deliver good value for money. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I welcome the launch of the Wheels 2 Work handbook (PDF, 162KB)<\/a> today (22 January 2014). <\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear, concise and includes everything you need to set up a new scheme or improve the running of an existing initiative.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also why this morning\u2019s focus on securing long-term financial sustainability is essential. <\/p>\n

Local authorities and local businesses know that schemes are great at getting people into work and training. <\/p>\n

But in a world where funding is tight, councils will always be nervous about entering into an open ended grant funding commitment. <\/p>\n

I want local authorities thinking about bidding for Local Sustainable Transport funding to know that Wheels 2 Work schemes can be different. <\/p>\n

Well run schemes can be like any other business that generates a return, but a return that is invested back into helping more people.<\/p>\n

Devon has shown how this model can work. <\/p>\n

By generating a commercial income, charging sustainable loan fees and growing the business they are helping more people while reducing ongoing reliance on grant funding.<\/p>\n

If you look at it this way, it\u2019s not a grant you are asking for from your local council. <\/p>\n

It is an investment.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, I want to see lots of bids from local authorities and local enterprise partnerships for Local Sustainable Transport Funding that helps people get into and get on in work. <\/p>\n

The next round of bidding closes on 31 March 2014 and the guidance<\/a> is available on our website.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s over to you to show them Wheels 2 Work schemes are good investment.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robert Goodwill welcomes the Wheels 2 Work handbook and encourages councils to consider Wheels 2 Work schemes when bidding for funding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38031"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38031\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}