Public Meeting : Monday 15^th June 2026

“Education & Local Transport Plan”

Agenda

• Introduction & Updates
• Whitby School & Education
• Local Transport Plan
• Updates
• Any Other Business
• Next Meeting

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Open Consultations

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North Yorkshire Council:

see https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/consultations-and-engagement

• Parks & Open Space Satisfaction Survey – how do people use parks and open spaces and what could be improved? Note : only gives the option of “Pannett Park” in Whitby!!!

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Whitby School

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Update on Secondary Education in Whitby

following Public Meeting Tuesday 5^th May, 2026

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Responses from Governing Body (GB) and Local Authority (LA)

Slides 5 -7 by David Bradley (Education Lead WCN) 3^rd June, 2026.

Whitby School

Response From Governing Body (GB)

• GB concerned that the letter from the public meeting has had a deleterious impact on Governor and Senior Leadership recruitment as well as efforts to ‘drive improvement.’
• DfE Regional Director’s decision does not carry statutory right of appeal.
• Governors working closely with LA with shared focus on securing sustained improvement.
• Arrangements for leadership appointments are responsibility of GB in line with professional advice from HR consultancy and LA. Governors have ensured, “robust governance and due process.”
• GB publishes minutes on Whitby School website and is ‘committed to engaging openly and constructively as the school moves forward.’

Whitby School

Response From Local Authority

• Executive Lead for Education, Learning and Skills, has reviewed school’s communications about recent changes and understands that they have replied to David Bradley (DB).
• Executive Lead is not involved in operational matters, but officers and GB have assured her that the school is taking advice and accessing support, and she is satisfied that this is the case.
• DB advised to refer any further parental concerns directly to the school.

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Whitby School

David Bradley’s Response to Governing Body

• Completely reject the idea that WCN Sub-Committee has sought to undermine GB. We helped to select a partner trust, a permanent head and worked with Wonder Learning Partnership (WLP) for two years.
• School still not accepting help from WLP – why?
• WLP was making progress with the school even though the payment was poor.
• DB & Sub-Committee attended public meeting to avert a petition against the GB to prevent destabilising the school at the beginning of examinations .
• What has happened to our work with WLP on a one site solution?

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Whitby School

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School Transport Action Group (S.T.A.G) North Yorkshire:

• Meeting held with new Corporate Director of Children & Young People’s Services, El Mayhew & Rachel Joyce, NYC Senior Officer managing the Post Implementation Review, it felt like a very useful and constructive meeting
• Home-to-School Transport - debated in Parliament on Thursday 4 June 2026 , by Tom Gordon, MP Harrogate and Knaresborough)

Whitby School - Funding Available

• Experts at Hand service: £1.8 billion of government funding
• Every local area expanding access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist teachers and educational psychologists
• Mission Coastal pilot: a landmark government education initiative aimed at tackling entrenched educational inequality and closing the disadvantage gap in England’s most underserved seaside towns. Alongside Hastings, Scarborough (which includes the Whitby area) was selected as one of only two pilot locations in the country
• £450m Condition Improvement Fund (CIF): to address critical infrastructure needs in educational settings. Schools across Scarborough and Whitby to benefit from investment to improve classrooms, facilities and learning environments

Y&NY Mayoral “Local Transport Plan” (draft)

An initial overview

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Andy Jefferson

Whitby Community Network CIC

Local Transport Plan (draft)

• Establishment of York & North Yorkshire under a Mayor provides devolved powers over transport planning.
• Provides decision making over a (current) £100m/yr Mayoral Transport Fund, as well as £18m/yr Mayoral Investment Fund.
• Responsible for the development of a single Local Transport Plan to cover City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council areas.
• Plan sets out the vision to 2050 for the direction of transport as well as specific policies to deliver the strategy.
• DRAFT version published by Y&NY Combined Authority Jun 2026

Local Transport Plan : Purpose

‘…not simply to describe the network we have, but to set the direction for the network we need: one that supports growth with purpose, reduces inequality, improves health, accelerates decarbonisation and strengthens the long-term resilience and competitiveness of the region’.

Local Transport Plan : Potential

• impacts on 840000 residents in the region, as well as 32m visitors to North Yorkshire and 9.4m visitors to York.
• opportunity to integrate the different modes of transport (bus, train, walking, cycling, vehicle, etc) across the region, particularly public transport and walking / wheeling / cycling.
• improve access to opportunities whilst cutting emissions and supporting healthier lives.
• reduce emissions : 32% of emissions from transport, and this provides opportunity to change how we travel.
• provide sustainable connectivity for the 60000 new homes in the region over the next 10 years.

Local Transport Plan : Mayor’s Priorities

• Sustainable growth – new developments should embed sustainable travel behaviours
• Connecting all parts of diverse region – including more comprehensive walking, wheeling and cycling networks.
• Resilient and future-proofed transport networks.
• Cleaner and greener transport.
• Nationwide connectivity – to neighbouring areas and wider UK destinations.

Local Transport Plan : Vision

Local Transport Plan : Vision (1)

“High-quality and well-connected urban, rural & coastal places.”

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Critical outcomes :

• A greater proportion of the region’s population having good connectivity to opportunities by walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
• New developments being located in places that are either currently well served or have plans to be well served by sustainable modes of transport.
• Achieving modal share targets of 40% of trips by walking, wheeling or cycling and 10% of trips by public transport by 2045.

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Local Transport Plan : Vision (2)

“Healthier, safer and more active communities.”

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Critical outcomes :

• More short trips made by walking, wheeling and cycling.
• People feeling safe from the very start to the very end of their journey.
• Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our network.
• Improving air quality in the region’s most polluted areas.

Local Transport Plan : Vision (3)

“Productive and growing economy, including sustainable tourism.”

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Critical outcomes :

• Increase in gross value added / hour across the region.
• Increase in the number of people accessing our tourist attractions by sustainable modes.
• Positive feedback from businesses that the transport network is meeting their needs.

Local Transport Plan : Vision (4)

“Transition to a decarbonised transport system which protects and enhances our natural environment.”

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Critical outcomes :

• A reduction in transport-related carbon emissions in line with our ambition to become carbon negative by 2040.
• A greater proportion of the region’s population having good access to the outdoors.
• More journeys to our national parks being undertaken by public transport.

Local Transport Plan : Connected Places

Local Transport Plan : Connected Places (1)

Liveable Neighbourhoods

• making streets safer.
• prioritising walking, wheeling and cycling over private vehicles.
• improving local access to bus stops and rail stations.
• access to local shops and schools by walking, wheeling cycling and public transport.
• creating greener and more attractive environments.

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Local Transport Plan : Connected Places (2)

Towns and Cities

• Develop coherent walking, wheeling and cycling networks in our towns and cities.
• Ensure that our town and cities are designed to be accessible for everyone, and particularly for disabled people.
• Improve public transport links between and into our towns and cities so people don’t have to rely on cars to access our urban centres.
• Reshape our town and city centre streets to prioritise people over traffic, creating places people want to spend time in.
• Support sustainable growth by making sure that walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport access is prioritised in new developments.
• Explore options for demand management to mitigate congestion in urban areas.

Local Transport Plan : Connected Places (3)

Rural Areas

• Reduce the need to travel long distances to access services by continuing to improve digital connectivity in rural areas.
• Improve access for our rural communities to essential services by more sustainable modes of transport.
• Improve bus and active travel access to rural visitor hotspots to provide sustainable alternatives to accessing visitor destinations.
• Focus on safety improvements on our rural road network, including in our villages.

Local Transport Plan : Connected Places (4)

Coastal Communities

• Work with businesses in our coastal places to better understand shift patterns and to identify improvements to public transport to support their needs.
• Work with key tourist attractions to understand forecast demand and transport priorities, including incentives for visitors to travel without a car.
• Work with local communities to understand what transport improvements would make the biggest impact on their day-to-day travel needs.
• Invest in better public transport and active travel connections which meet the needs of visitors, local residents and employers.

Local Transport Plan : Connected Places (5)

Destinations outside the region

• Work with partners to enhance the quality & resilience of our strategic road network while mitigating the localised negative effects of through traffic.
• Work with rail industry to identify capacity improvements which can both fulfil future long-distance connectivity needs and support local ambitions for improved regional connections.
• Work with partners to ensure that electric vehicle charging and alternative fuels for freight infrastructure is available in the right places to ensure that zero emission vehicles are a more viable option for long distance journeys.
• Continue to enhance digital connectivity to reduce the need for longer-distance journeys to be made.

Local Transport Plan : Network Principles

Local Transport Plan : Network Principles (1)

“Provide sustainable choices”

• improve local service provision and transport connectivity across our region to ensure that more people can access key services by walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
• ensure that transport issues are considered at the earliest planning stage for new housing and commercial developments, with a priority for sustainable and accessible connection to new developments

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“Fully integrated”

• work with bus and rail operators within York and North Yorkshire to implement an integrated multi-operator ticketing system.
• integrate public transport timetables and ticketing to provide a genuinely useful alternative to the car for rural residents.

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Local Transport Plan : Network Principles (2)

“Support active & healthy lives”

• Develop a Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Strategy for the region.
• Prioritise investment in walking, wheeling and cycling networks to key trip attractors to ensure that travelling by active modes is a genuine option for more people.
• Prioritise space for people in residential areas to enable more people to live healthy and active lives in their communities.
• Improve access to green / blue spaces by walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport, both in local communities and in our national parks and landscapes, improving health and wellbeing through access to nature.

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Local Transport Plan : Network Principles (3)

“Accessible, inclusive and safe for all”

• improve the accessibility of walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure for disabled people, including barrier removal and tactile paving etc.
• develop and agree an Accessible Travel Charter, in line with DfT’s forthcoming publication, to provide clarity and direction over how the transport system should function.
• identify and remove the barriers to disabled people undertaking day-to-day journeys by walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport to make the network more accessible.
• use new powers to enforce restrictions on illegal pavement parking to make it easier for everyone to use our footways.
• embrace new powers on tackling crime & anti-social behaviour to make our transport network safer for everyone.
• work towards Vision Zero of road deaths, reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.

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Local Transport Plan : Network Principles (4)

“Reliable and resilient”

• work to better manage travel demand and encourage more people to travel by sustainable modes or to car share.
• work with rail and bus operators and local highway authorities to develop a customer charter to set out the standards of service expected.
• identify transport infrastructure assets which are vulnerable to the effects of climate change and potential adaptation measures to improve the climate resilience of the network.

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Local Transport Plan : Network Principles (5)

“Clean and Green”

• work with partners to reduce air pollution in all our urban areas through developing targeted interventions.
• work with bus operators across the region to decarbonise 95% of York and North Yorkshire’s local bus fleet by 2038.
• work with suppliers to accelerate the deployment of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) in residential areas, local centres and key visitor and employment destinations, encouraging the shift away from petrol and diesel vehicles towards electric vehicles.
• identify opportunities to introduce green infrastructure in major street renewal projects.

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Local Transport Plan : Integrated Modes

Local Transport Plan : Integrated Modes (1)

“Walking, wheeling and cycling”

• prioritise walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure as the primary mode for short trips.
• identify and fill local gaps in walking, wheeling and cycling networks to enable people to undertake day-to-day activities more easily without the need for a car.
• adopt best practice inclusive design standards for our pavements and cycleways to enable everyone to be able to walk, wheel and cycle more safely.
• prioritise investment in accessible core networks for walking, wheeling and cycling in our region, drawing on previously developed LCWIP networks, ensuring that routes are accessible, safe, continuous, convenient and part of a coherent network.

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Local Transport Plan : Integrated Modes (2)

“Integrated Public Transport”

• expand and better integrate our core public transport network so that people are able to travel more easily and conveniently to key destinations.
• review and, where appropriate, enhance park and ride provision in our larger towns and cities and at major travel attractions to enable drivers to switch to public transport for the last part of their journey.
• establish a framework of minimum levels of bus service for settlements of different sizes across York and North Yorkshire, so that more residents are able to access local opportunities without the need to depend on a car.
• adopt newly devolved powers to deliver more integrated, accessible & reliable bus network across our region, and consider different ownership and operating models.
• work collaboratively with Great British Railways etc to maintain and enhance the local and regional rail connectivity between our destinations.

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Local Transport Plan : Integrated Modes (3)

“Freight & logistics”

• explore better ways to manage delivery vehicles and servicing in our towns, cities and local neighbourhoods to mitigate the effects on local communities.
• work in partnership with the freight industry and businesses to better understand current and future demand and explore strategic, low-carbon solutions.

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“Private vehicles”

• use the National Parking Platform to provide a more integrated offer to car drivers.

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Local Transport Plan : Integrated Modes (4)

“Roads and Streets”

• work with local highway authorities to ensure that highways maintenance programmes are delivered in the right places and at pace.
• ensure that all schemes are designed in line with the user hierarchy for streets, considering the needs of people walking and wheeling, followed by cycle users, public transport vehicles and then private motor traffic.
• Healthy Streets framework will be adopted (see next slide) – robust car parking management strategies to encourage healthy sustainable choices.

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Local Transport Plan : Integrated Modes (5)

Local Transport Plan : Measures for Success

Key Performance Indicators

• Access to everyday services by sustainable modes
• Public transport reliability
• Journeys by mode
• Transport-related carbon emissions
• “Killed or Seriously Injured” (KSI) highway metrics.
• Transport-related social exclusion (currently high in Whitby area)
• Active travel delivery (including AT Capability Rating)
• Road maintenance delivery

Local Transport Plan : Delivery

Requires SIGNIFICANT capital investment.

Develop a pipeline of schemes with key partners (CYC, NYC, NYMNP, YDNP, Great British Rail, etc).

Reports back to YNYCA monthly on delivery of schemes.

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This will be out for CONSULTATION for 12 weeks during summer 2026, aiming for adoption early 2027.

Updates

• Whitby Neighbourhood Plan: to submit to WTC June/July & NYC end of July
• Town of Culture: due to high numbers of applications, short list to be announced end of July
• NYC’s draft Harbour’s Strategy forwarded for approval this week

Updates : Voices for Nature

• ACTION
• All - Whether it’s walking along the coastline, exploring the moorlands, or spending time in local green spaces, we want to hear your stories, experiences and views. Complete our short 5 minute survey and help contribute to the future preservation of nature in the Whitby area.
• https://yorksj.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9yIvxeSqWRF2fNs?Q_CHL=qr

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• WCN - arrange a meeting

Updates : Whitby Beach Access Project

• Limited accessibility to beach: cliff lift, wheelchairs, pathways, matting or boardwalks onto/over the beach
• No access to beach platforms
• Barriers to participation in beach activities (relaxing by the sea, paddle boarding, kayaking, surfing with adaptive equipment and support)
• Inadequate accessible to facilities (e.g., changing spaces, toilets, parking)
• Limited information about which beaches are suitable for people with mobility challenges/which routes are accessible

Updates : Whitby Beach Access Project

• No standards unlike buildings/green spaces -support Beach Access Project https://beachaccessproject.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/A-Coast-for-All.pdf
• Substantial unmet demand for accessible beach environments across the UK
• Improving beach accessibility will strengthen coastal economies/support inclusive tourism.
• Should WCN progress this project?

Updates : Whitby Beach Access This Year

Melex 3-series Wheelchair Access Vehicle (Wav)

Quick Specs:

Seating  – x6 passengers

Seating with wheelchair – x4 passengers

Max Range – 37 miles

Max Speed – 16mph

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Used by National Trust

Hired from Enterprise

Could station at Beach Mangament Centre?

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Updates : Whitby Rail Service

• MP criticised Town’s rail links to Middlesbrough as “one of the worst in the country.”
• Passenger numbers 257,000 in 2025, up 6.3%, but only six trains a day
• Newquay similar in size to Whitby & end of a branch line
• 2023/24 - 146,000 passengers, down 2%, Newquay has 15 trains on weekdays, 14 on Saturdays, 8 on Sundays thanks to a £57m investment.
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary, DfT, Simon Lightwood MP, said “Connecting small towns is critical for the wider economy. Reliable commuter rail services can transform opportunities, making it easier for people to access jobs in nearby cities while continuing to live in the communities that they value.”

WCN - what action needed?

Updates : Whitby Town Investment Plan

• Maritime Sector focus: : a shared/ongoing endeavour with NYC Harbours Strategy & Beyond the Shoreline report, range of projects and opportunities as funding becomes available
• Affordable Housing: aim to increase local occupancy/affordability of rental and purchasing homes in line with NY Housing Strategy
• Renewable Energy: In line with the NYC Climate Change Strategy will explore potential for solar, tidal and wave energy generation
• Future Skills and Digital Capability Programme: focussing on practical, future-facing capability, such as digital application, data literacy, AI-enabled productivity and remote working, rather than duplicating existing provision

Updates : Whitby Town Investment Plan

• West Cliff Activity Hub: project to develop West Cliff into an Activity Hub for everyone, could include family areas, food/beverage offers & explore other activities such as climbing or fitness opportunities
• Baxtergate Regeneration: likely to be delivered through a recently formed group of local businesses
• Start-Ups and Units: function as a stepping stone for young companies to establish and grow e.g. using serviced offices, co-working spaces, light industrial units and use of vacant spaces
• Improve Health Services: attract more public/private health care services to Whitby, in partnership with Public Health, the NHS etc & better use existing facilities

Updates : Whitby Town Investment Plan

• Town Centre Regeneration: In line with the Economic Growth Strategy & Healthy High Streets report,project includes upgrading public realm, reviewing how spaces are used across the town and reducing vacancy rates across Whitby
• Green and Blue Spaces (inc. habitat and saltmarsh creation): Project aims to develop existing or create new natural/semi-natural areas across Whitby that improve biodiversity, climate resilience, and access to nature
• Transport and Connectivity : Whitby has a wide range of potential improvements to its transport, parking and connectivity (including active travel, P&R, buses), to find a balance of sustainable tourism with a functioning community

Updates - Empty Homes

• 700+ EMPTY HOMES ACROSS SCARBOROUGH AREA
• NYC developing Empty Homes Strategy to tackle long‑term vacant properties/reuse more homes
• Around 1% of homes empty for 1year+
• SBC area: 723 homes, roughly 1.2% of all properties.
• Long‑term empty homes can affect Neighbourhoods, NYC working on a fresh, unified approach.

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Action By:

• Survey reason for empty homes
• Review data including Council Tax exemption information
• Set up Member‑led Task & Finish Group,( confirm on10 June)
• Group look at pros & cons of different enforcement tools

WCN to ask for % in Whitby & District via Parish?

Updates - Motorhomes

Motorhomes - Redcar & Cleveland BC: any comments?

• From 6 July, new parking rules for motorhomes come into force on Marine Parade, Saltburn.
• Motorhomes can park in the marked bays on the north side of Marine Parade, for up to four hours (Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm)
• Motorhomes will be prohibited at all times from the unmarked sections of the road
• No new parking charges are being introduced
• Residents on Marine Parade between Garnet Street and Saltburn Road will be entitle to apply for a parking permit

Measures introduced as an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), council will monitor the impact and consider feedback before deciding on the long-term future of the scheme

Any Other Business

• Stakesby Vale – NYC commissioned the design phase for a new path through this green corridor, first step towards the active travel plan for the town.

Next WCN Public Meeting

Monday 20th July 2026

Topic: to be confirmed

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Whitby Community Network CIC�“Campaigning on the problems facing Whitby & District”

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