Agenda item

To receive a report by the Cabinet Member for Environment & Transportation and the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport on the proposed decision to approve consultation on a range of measures (bus service changes) required to reduce KCC expenditure on supported bus services.

1.            The Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Mr Balfour, introduced a report that sought the Cabinet Committees endorsement for a consultation to take place on a range of measures required to reduce KCC expenditure on supported bus services as set out in Appendix A of the report.  A further report would be submitted to this Cabinet Committee detailing the responses of the consultation and any necessary proposals to a future meeting.

2.            Mr Balfour praised the work of the Head of Public Transport, Mr Lightowler and his Team to achieve the savings and reduce the impact on those that use the bus services.

3.            Mr Balfour and Mr Lightowler noted comments and responded to questions by Members as follows:

a)    A comment was that the consultation did not allow for the consultee to be against the issue in their answers.

b)    Mr Baldock advised that there had been a noticeable impact on the residents in his electoral area.  Mr Lightowler said that there had been minimal impact on users of the bus services.  If there were a lot of complaints the Corporate Director would have seen them.

c)    Mr Chittenden commented that when services were cut there must be an effect on people who use the service and he hoped that the bus routes least used were those affected.  He praised the timely bus services in this electoral area and considered that there was still a need to reduce the number of cars on the road.

d)    A comment was made that the figures within the report and appendix did not tally and needed to be revised. Mr Lightowler agreed to address the figures in the report and appendix.  He explained that the Operators Grant portion of full duty was 25 pence per litre.  The Department for Transport (DfT) paid a fixed sum.  The officers recalculated the figures and found that this generated a surplus of £250,000.  Members noted that there was an agreement that as long as the surplus could be reinvested into public transport this would be signed off by the DfT. 

e)    Mr Balfour advised that most other Local Authorities had ceased to provide supported bus services.  KCC’s aim was to ensure the revisions to the existing service allowed it to operate commercially.

f)     Mr Lightowler advised that he had worked hard on the EQIA  whether deprivation was considered would have depended on the data that came back on the usage and deprivation may not have been as high .  He referred to Stage Coach in Folkestone having a strong commercial network.

g)     Agreement was given to a request for a report on “Supported bus services” being submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet Committee outside of the consultation.

4.            RESOLVED that:-

(a)  the comments and questions by Members be noted; and

(b)  the Cabinet Committee endorsed the decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport on the proposed decision to approve consultation on a range of measures (bus service changes) required to reduce KCC expenditure on supported bus services as set out in Appendix A of the report.