Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Transport

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/151

Contact: Neil Timberlake, Assistant Public Transport Officer Tel: (01865) 815585

Report by Deputy Director for Environment & Economy – Highways & Transport (CA7).

(The information contained in Annexe 4 is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

3    –    information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

It is considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, as a result of discussions between Oxfordshire County Council and/or other local authorities and organisations.)

Please note that members of the public will re-admitted to the meeting in order to hear the decision.

This report and its associated Annexes invites the Cabinet to consider recommendations for the creation of, and future funding for, a unified demand responsive transport service, replacing the existing Octabus and Cherwell dial a ride services currently funded by the County Council and district councils (excluding South Oxfordshire). Oxfordshire County Council has historically supported a number of dial a ride services which provide pre-booked door to door transport using fully accessible vehicles for people with mobility impairments who could not easily use conventional public transport. Current County Council funding arrangements come to an end on 31 March 2012.

Tenders have been invited and the results will be reported in a separate confidential annex. The new service is intended to be funded jointly by the County Council and one or more of the district councils, all of which will be making their own decisions on future funding at about the same time as the County Council. Any known decisions of the district councils will be reported verbally at the meeting.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED

(a)              to adopt Baseline Option 5 (one bus per district 5 days per week), with such top-up option as necessary to provide for a 9am to 5pm day, as the appropriate level of service to be provided by the County Council;

(b)              to agree to fund Baseline level 5, at 9am to 5pm, across the county by using County Council resources, and £106,067.84 of additional funding from the “Supporting Community Transport Fund” grant;

(c)               to award a one year contract to Tender A from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013;

(d)              to agree that any district council should be expected to pay the entire contract costs of any further ‘top-up’ service provision which that Authority requires in its area.

This report invites the Cabinet to consider recommendations for the creation of, and future funding for, a unified Oxfordshire pre-booked transport service for disabled and mobility-impaired residents replacing the existing separate “Octabus” and “Cherwell” dial-a-ride services.

Councillor Zoe Patrick, Opposition Leader spoke to support the Cabinet in providing a Countywide Dial-a-Ride Service in Oxfordshire. She commented that Dial-a-Ride is a much valued and necessary service enabling mobility impaired and frail people to get out and about to do such things as shopping and visiting friends, etc.  and the fact that their carer is able travel free of charge with them makes the service so much easier to use and be enjoyed.

She noted that the  previous system required the District Councils to make a contribution and this was not so with the current proposed system.  However the District Councils could enhance the basic service being offered and it is for them to prioritise their expenditure and decide on the enhanced level of service.

She added that Councillor David Turner, Shadow Cabinet Member for Transport wished to thank the Cabinet for providing the basic level of service in all District Council areas at no cost to them which means that the residents of South Oxfordshire will now have a Dial-a-Ride service. 

Responding to questions Councillor Patrick confirmed the Liberal Democrat Group support for the basic level of service for all Oxfordshire residents. The Leader referred to an email received from Gwynneth Pedler, Deputy Chair Oxfordshire Unlimited which was supportive of the proposals. He noted that the proposals were for one year only.

The Cabinet Member for Transport in introducing the contents of the report highlighted that the proposals were good news, giving uniform provision across the County. The provision was for one year to ensure that it picked up all those that needed it. Huw Jones, Director for Environment & Economy explained the context of the recommendations set within a time period when partnership funding was cast into doubt. He referred to the innovative procurement process that allowed pricing against options and detailed the option being recommended for approval.

Cabinet welcomed the report and proposals commenting that it was about thinking strategically across the whole County and targeting those most in need. They noted that it was a non-statutory service that the County did not have to provide.

RESOLVED:                        to:

(a)               adopt Baseline Option 5 (one bus per district 5 days per week), with such top-up option as necessary to provide for a 9am to 5pm day, as the appropriate level of service to be provided by the County Council;

(b)              agree to fund Baseline level 5, at 9am to 5pm, across the county by using County Council resources, and £106,067.84 of additional funding from the “Supporting Community Transport Fund” grant;

(c)               award a one year contract to Tender A from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013;

(d)              agree that any district council should be expected to pay the entire contract costs of any further ‘top-up’ service provision which that Authority requires in its area.