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Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Transport
29 March 2007

Statement of Decision

Bus Service Subsidies

Present:

Also in attendance: 

Documentation considered:

A copy is attached to the signed copy of this decision.

Summary of representations in person

Mr Exton-Smith spoke in support of the X15 Service as an important east-west link between Wallingford and Abingdon.

District Councillor Smith spoke in support of the X15 Service and referred to 133 representations received from local residents regarding the importance of the service between Standlake and Witney and for the Witney - Abingdon College.

Speaking to the Oxford-Watlington service Councillor Bradshaw called for a later return journey from Oxford. With regard to the X15 he referred to the importance of the service to the Witney - Abingdon College and to the consistent increase in passenger numbers.

Councillor Howell spoke in support of the X15 service as an important east west link between Wallingford - Berinsfield - Abingdon.

Speaking in support of the X15 Service Councillor Bryden referred to the implications of any withdrawal of service for the residents of the Dunsmore Estate and the Abingdon College campus.

Recognising the logic behind the officer recommendation for the X15 Service Councillor Matthew stressed that any loss of service from Standlake to Witney for both workers and shoppers would need to be addressed.

Councillor Belson had no more to add to the comments already made.

Speaking in support of the 108 Service Councillor Roz Smith asked for consideration be given for a dedicated future Headington Quarry service.

Councillor Purse expressed concern for the Forest Hill and Stanton St John communities as a result of the proposed changes to the 108 Service and also the effects of increased car usage on the Brookes campus site.

Councillor Turner expressed disappointment at the loss of the Milton Common service and supported calls to extend the X39 including a later return journey from Oxford.  He considered that more support should be given to services in rural areas.

Cabinet Member’s Comments

Councillor Robertson highlighted that 90% of the County Council’s subsidy budget was spent on rural services and also the need to prepare exit strategies in future initiatives in the light of the situation which had developed with regard to the X15 service.

Decision

Having regard to the arguments and options set out in the documentation before me, the representations made to me and the further considerations set out above, I confirm my decisions on this matter as follows:

(a)               to note the financial information contained in the introduction to the report CMDT7;

(b)               to note the comments of Parish and Town Councils and Parish Transport Representatives and others made in response to the consultation exercise as part of the review and detailed at Annex 1 to the report CMDT7 in respect of B10 and X15 as reported subsequently and by local members on the reccomendations;

(c)               to agree those subsidies for the services described in the report CMDT7 on the basis of the tender prices (and the periods of time) as set out in the Recommended Action column in Exempt Annex 2 to the report CMDT7 subject to in the case of:

(i)                 Item K (PT/S20) to continue the late night journey Friday/Saturday but

ask officers to investigate the possibility of retiming the last journey to run later but at no extra cost;

(ii)               Item P (PT/S21) to authorise the Head of Transport in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport to consider introduction at a lower cost of a possible community based replacement service;

(iii)             Item R (W20) to authorize the Head of Transport in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport to consider introduction of lower cost replacement services between Witney and Standlake and between Abingdon and Wallingford

(d)               record that in the opinion of the Cabinet Member for Transport decisions made in (c) above were urgent in that any delay likely to be caused by the call in process would result in service discontinuity and in accordance with the requirements of Scrutiny Procedure Rule 17(b) those decisions should not be subject to the call in process;

(e)               in respect of Annex 3 to the report CMDT7:

(i)                 to welcome the proposal by BCTA and Cherwell District Council to convert the Cherwell Villager and Kidlington Lynx services to dial-a-ride;

(ii)               that no replacement scheduled bus services had been identified as being required for any parish or group of parishes consequent upon the conversion to dial-a-ride;

(f)                 in respect of Annex 4 to the report CMDT7 to instruct officers not to:

(i)         further progress any move towards simplified and “unified” fares structure on County Council supported bus services until such time as a much simplified fares structure had been introduced widely on commercial bus services in the County;

(ii)               accept any of the ‘shadow’ tenders offered on the basis of the simplified “unified “ fares structure in the current tender round but to continue the present policies in relation to bus fares on supported services.

Signed ......................................................................

            Cabinet Member for Transport

Date ………………………2007

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