Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Task Group – Public Transport Issues meeting held on 8 December 2014 (enclosed)

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Task Group – Public Transport Issues meeting held on 8 December 2014 be confirmed as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.

If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter.

There were no declarations of any interests.

Mrs Caroline Watson, Community Transport Officer at Cumbria County Council will be attending the meeting to answer questions of the group on their Community Wheel Scheme.

 A list of questions are enclosed for Members information.

The Chair welcomed Caroline Watson, Community Transport Officer who was attending from Cumbria County Council to talk to the Group about their Community Wheels Scheme. Using funding made available by Central Government, the County Council introduced a Rural Wheels scheme, with the aim of providing a service accessible to everyone in rural areas.

Initial funding from Central Government allowed for the implementation and development of the Rural Wheels scheme, which was initially trialled in one area of the County and developed county wide over the last 5/6 years and has been tailored to meet the needs of the residents across the County.

Additional funding allowed the County Council to purchase six mini-buses that they maintain and make available for use across the County. The scheme itself is run by volunteers and everyone who uses the scheme becomes a member. It is this membership that drives the scheme, deciding on routes and level of fares. The scheme is not open to visitors to the County and it must not become a bus service.

The scheme has been particularly successful in the more rural areas of the County and helped to address issues such as social isolation, especially for older people who don’t have access to other modes of transport. Such users of the scheme did lose out on not being able to use their concessionary bus passes so one of the main factors of the schemes success has had to be competitive fares.

Last year, Cumbria County Council took the unprecedented step to withdraw all its funding of subsidised routes across the County, a number of these routes were taken over by private operators and any gap in provision was met by the community wheels scheme. The County Council has worked with communities to establish their need and has tailored the service to suit accordingly.

The County Council also operates an addition village wheels scheme whereby they contract private hire companies/taxis/small minibuses to provide a more bespoke service that is proving to be more cost effective for small groups of people and is tailored around a specific need.

In response to Members questions, Caroline explained that the County Council have been able to negotiate reduced fares as they are used on a regular basis and usually at a time when they are quiet, usually between the hours of 10am to 2pm. The taxi firms have been happy to take these types of fares as it gives them additional work on a regular basis.

The County Council had been surprised at the number of services that private operators had taken on when the County Council had taken its decision to cancel its subsidised services. However, they were looking to do a review of its services as some of the routes initially taken over have recently been cancelled or reduced and further reductions were expected.

It was the feeling of this Group that there is an expectation from Lancashire County Council that any such scheme developed in this authority would be partially funded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.15

Report of Lancashire County Council setting out the proposed revised criteria for assessing subsidised bus services following recent consultation for information (enclosed)

The Group considered the revised criteria that Lancashire County Council had proposed in relation to subsidised bus services across Lancashire. Members were pleased that following the recent consultation some amendments had been made but still thought that additional weighting needed to be given to people who fell under the Disability Act, for example those people who suffered from epilepsy.

Members felt that this was a topic that could be discussed at the 3-Tier Forum and thought that this could be a recommendation of this Group.

The Director of Customer and Advice Services will update the group on progress.

The Group considered the content to be included in two letters. One to Network Rail and one to Northern Rail will be drafted by the Director of Customer and Advice Services on behalf of the Overview and Scrutiny Task Group members, encompassing all the issues that Members of the Group had raised relating to train travel issues across the Borough.

RESOLVED – That subject to a couple of amendments to include the following issues:

·         Investigating the opening of the bridge access at the bottom of Alker Lane.

·         Real time passenger information at Adlington and Euxton Balshaw Lane stations.

·         Lighting improvements at Adlington and signage at Euxton Balshaw Lane stations.

·         Provision of bicycle shelters at Chorley station.

the two letters be sent to Network Rail and Northern Rail.

The Group will prepare questions in advance of the next meeting, when representatives of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority will be present.

The Group suggested areas of discussion from which questions could be asked of representatives of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee of the Manchester Combined Authority that would be present at the next meeting including:

·         How funding is raised and allocated.

·         Public transport priorities and function

·         The benefits of a combined transport Authority for the Council and residents of the borough

·         Drawbacks

·         Performance of the bus and rail network and how it is managed.

·         Level of influence over bus operators

·         Ticketing systems

·         Passenger services, facilities and support (bus station, shelters, passenger information).

·         Any issues in relation to rural isolation/access by public transport.

19 March 2015 at 6pm.

Thursday 19 March at 6pm.