Agenda item

Mr D Brazier, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport; and Mr S Jones, Corporate Director for Growth, Environment and Transport were in attendance and Mr P Lightowler, Interim Director for Transport was in virtual attendance for this item.

1.    The Chairman introduced the item and invited the proposer of the call-in, Ms Dawkins, to provide an overview of the reasons for her call-in. Mr Hood as the seconder was also invited to speak.

2.    Ms Dawkins set out the reasons for her call-in. She stated that the decision was not made in line with the Council’s policy framework, as the increase in the price of the Kent Travel Saver pass was likely to increase car usage, which went against the climate commitments made within the Kent and Medway Low Emissions Strategy and Outcome 4 of Local Transport Plan 4: Delivering Growth without Gridlock 2016–2031, ‘to deliver schemes to reduce the environmental footprint of transport.’ Mr Hood shared his concern that no environmental impact assessment had been carried out and asserted that the decision would impact air quality and congestion around schools.

3.    The Chairman invited Mr Brazier to provide an overview of the decision.

4.    Mr Brazier gave an overview of the decision, to increase the cost of the Kent Travel Saver pass from £370 to £450. He informed Members that the Pass was a discretionary scheme and stressed that savings could only be made from non-statutory services. He recognised the difficulty of setting a balanced budget and the resulting financial impact that the change would have on residents purchasing the pass. He stated that the prospect of abandoning the scheme and subsidy would have had a greater negative impact on residents than the decision to increase the price of the Pass. He confirmed that increasing the cost allowed KCC to maintain the scheme in the 2022/23 financial year. He accepted that whilst there was a possibility that car use would increase, there was no evidence to indicate that the decision would have an adverse environmental impact.

5.    Mr Lightowler explained that approximately 4,000 passes were provided free of charge annually, including to children within the Council’s care. He confirmed that the decision did not impact the low-income or sibling pass concessions. He reminded Members that the Kent Travel Saver could be paid for in monthly instalments and noted that the scheme was unique amongst county councils. He verified that the decision did not impact the Public Transport provision within the Reconnect Programme.

6.    A Member asked that an equality questionnaire be included as a section within the pass application, in order to inform future decisions and understand the impact of changes on pass users.

7.    A Member asked what other options were considered before the decision was taken. Mr Brazier confirmed that a 5% price increase was rejected as a viable option as it would not reduce the net cost of the scheme to an extent that mitigated budget saving pressures.

8.    A Member noted that, given current high fuel prices, the pass provided good value for money, which would be enhanced with further fuel price increases.

9.    Mr Jeffrey moved and Mr Love seconded recommendation (a) “that the Scrutiny Committee make no comments”.

10.Members voted on the motion. The motion was carried.

RESOVLED that the Scrutiny Committee make no comments.