Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Transport

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/098

Contact: Andrew Fairweather, Project Manager, Customer Services Programme Team Tel: (01865) 323095

Report by Deputy Director (Highways & Transport) and Interim Deputy Director (Oxfordshire Customer Services) (CA8).

To consider options for operating and managing the scheme from April 2012.

The report considers how Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) should approach the application process for and issuing of Concessionary Travel passes for residents who qualify on age or disability grounds following the end of the current agency agreement with District and City Councils.

OCC will become solely responsible for the application and issuing process as from 1 April 2012 and decisions to allocate the appropriate funding and authority to proceed (including managing all associated processes) going forward to the Customer Service Centre are required.

The report discusses the current situation, possible options for service delivery including online and face to face options and how these may be delivered, the results of a public consultation on those options, the findings of research into best practice by other tiered authorities, and also highlights the strong links to other related Council services (e.g. Disabled Parking Permits, Accessible Travel Advice, and Independent Mobility Assessments) as well as the financial and staffing implications for OCC.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)       agree that the Oxfordshire Customer Services Centre should now undertake an appropriate procurement process to select the most suitable supplier(s), and engage with said supplier(s) to provide a system for managing Concessionary Travel Pass applications and the production and issuing of the travel passes;

(b)       delegate authority to the Deputy Director Customer Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport, to agree any detail in relation to the management of all aspects of the Concessionary Fares Scheme Application & Pass Issuing processes during 2012/13;

(c)       agree that a permanent budget of £0.422m be vired to the Customer Service Centre in 2012/13 to manage the scheme;

(d)       agree that efficiency savings made by the CSC in subsequent years to be attributed to the CSC overall programme savings set out in the medium term financial plan; and

(e)       agree that a number of selected libraries and Oxfordshire County Council building receptions are equipped to provide a face-to-face service for those residents who will find it difficult or impossible to use an online system.

Cabinet considered options for operating and managing the scheme from April 2012 including the approach to the application process for and issuing of Concessionary Travel passes for residents who qualify on age or disability grounds following the end of the current agency agreement with District and City Councils. Cabinet noted that the Deputy Leader was the responsible Cabinet Member and recommendation (b) was amended to reflect this.

Councillor David Turner, Shadow Cabinet Member for Transport commented that the meeting clashed with the Liberal Democrat Party Conference and that requests had previously been that Cabinet avoid a clash. With regard to the report Councillor Turner referred to duplication of provision in some areas of Oxfordshire and asked that Thame Library be considered as a location for the face to face service. He also sought some clarification of the religion and belief section of the full Social & Community Impact Assessment. He also queried the use of existing tokens.

Responding to a question from the Leader, Councillor David Turner indicated that he himself held no strong view on the wearing of the burkha for bus pass photographs but sought clarity on the policy.

Officers undertook to respond in writing to the queries raised.

Cabinet underlined the importance of communicating the changes to the public.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)       agree that the Oxfordshire Customer Services Centre should now undertake an appropriate procurement process to select the most suitable supplier(s), and engage with said supplier(s) to provide a system for managing Concessionary Travel Pass applications and the production and issuing of the travel passes;

(b)       delegate authority to the Deputy Director Customer Services, in consultation with the Deputy Leader, to agree any detail in relation to the management of all aspects of the Concessionary Fares Scheme Application & Pass Issuing processes during 2012/13;

(c)        agree that a permanent budget of £0.422m be vired to the Customer Service Centre in 2012/13 to manage the scheme;

(d)       agree that efficiency savings made by the CSC in subsequent years to be attributed to the CSC overall programme savings set out in the medium term financial plan; and

(e)       agree that a number of selected libraries and Oxfordshire County Council building receptions are equipped to provide a face-to-face service for those residents who will find it difficult or impossible to use an online system.