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HITRANS is one of seven new Statutory Regional Transport Partnerships (RTP) created by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 . The Partnerships will work with local councils and the Scottish Executive developing Scotland 's transport infrastructure, promoting economic growth, social inclusion and sustainable development, via a safe, integrated, and efficient network of roads, rail, sea and air.
HITRANS will operate at a strategic level and will not have day to day responsibility for transport services or infrastructure. Its core task will be the development of a statutory Regional Transport Strategy, which requires to be completed by March 2007 for approval by Scottish Ministers. HITRANS has been granted capital funding by the Scottish Executive for allocation to a regional programme of transport improvements, and is responsible for monitoring delivery of these projects. HITRANS' current functions do not include directly providing any services for members of the public, or making any charges to members of the public.
HITRANS is a partnership of five local councils: Argyll & Bute Council (except Helensburgh and Lomond), Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highland Council, Moray Council and Orkney Islands Council. Its governing body comprises 5 Councillor Members appointed by the partner councils and up to 3 Other Members appointed initially by the Minister for Transport. The Partnership meets in public and the dates and venues of meetings are published at the constituent councils' premises and on HITRANS' website.
The day-to-day work of HITRANS is taken forward by the Partnership Co-ordinator, supported by a group of permanent advisers from the constituent councils.
3. Formulating this Scheme
The Regional Transport Partnerships are included in the list of public authorities covered by the Act. HITRANS is therefore subject to Section 23 of the Act, which requires it to prepare, adopt and maintain a scheme which sets out information that it makes available to the public, and in what format the information can be obtained. This scheme, known as a Publication Scheme, has to be approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner.
When formulating its scheme HITRANS considered the public interest in providing information about:
• How we are organised
• How decisions are made
• Our income and expenditure
• The development of our regional transport strategy
• Our work in developing and implementing projects and initiatives
HITRANS is a new statutory body, but was previously a voluntary partnership. As a voluntary body, HITRANS did not have a publication scheme of its own, and information held by its member councils was subject to each member's own publication scheme.
4: Responsibility for this Scheme
5: Exemptions
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