Agenda and draft minutes

Decision: The minutes were approved as a correct record.

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.

The Task Group welcomed Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

“Councillor Kim Snape (Chair) - In your opinion how could things change for the better in Chorley in development of more sustainable public transport?”

Sir Lindsay explained that the biggest issue was who controlled and oversaw public transport in the area. Compared to Greater Manchester, Chorley was poor in relation to travel. Greater Manchester was cheaper with a wider variety of routes. It was desired for Chorley to have a circular route and better provision, but it was not currently possible. The way forward would be for more delegated powers to enable local issues to be addressed in the local area, or for a system of devolved powers to form a North West Travel Areas. The train service needed to be expanded, Chorley was lucky that there were mainlines through and near, but there were not the active stations to provide the advantage to residents.

Councillor Mark Clifford - What specific actions are you taking as the MP for Chorley to ensue Chorley has more sustainable public transport?

Sir Lindsay Hoyle believed that a good starting point would be for Chorley Council to reflect upon this question and think what they are doing to ensure Chorley has more sustainable public transport. He believed that a good starting point would be for Chorley Council to seek a greater voice and push for greater control at the local level.

Bus and taxi operators should be incentivised to convert to electric and cleaner fuels, and stressed that it was important for the council to cooperate and work closely to ensure good delivery, and felt that a ‘lead by example’ approach could work with the implementation of electric charging taxi ranks.

Councillor Molyneaux added that when hearing from Northern Trains, they explained that they consulted with the County Council. She asked if he could persuade Northern Trains to talk to Chorley and the Parish Councils as well. Sir Lindsay Hoyle agreed and felt that the County Council should be having regular meetings with the District, Town and Parish Councils to ensure all are better informed and that there was a free flow of dialogue and exchange of information.

He recounted the decrease in service in Chorley, and reminisced it was once possible to get the train to Scotland, and to Yorkshire but the County Council allowed the dominance of Wigan and the routes were resultingly lost and never replaced. He felt that it was important for the Council to push back if they believed their area was not being serviced as it should.

It was summarised that with all the improvements made, and money spent Chorley had not gained the benefits that other areas did.

Councillor Kim Snape (Chair) -Do you think Chorley would be better served for public transport by being included in the greater Manchester transport network? 

The MP agreed and explained that fares were more expensive in Chorley and the connection was weaker. 50% of Chorley’s population worked out of town and more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.OS3

Thursday 4 February 2021, 18:00

4 February 2021, 18:00.