Agenda item - National Bus Strategy

To note the challenges faced by the bus industry due to Covid-19, to form an Enhanced Partnership, and to delegate authority to prepare an Enhanced Partnership and Bus Service Improvement Plan.

a) That the challenges faced by the bus industry due to COVID-19 and the funding that is being provided by the Government and Council to support bus services during the disruption to normal travel patterns as a result of Covid-19, as set out in Section 5 of the report, be noted;

b) That the publication of Bus Back Better, the National Bus Strategy for England, as summarised in Section 6 of the report, be noted;

c) That commitment be given to the formation of an Enhanced Partnership under the Bus Service Act 2017, for the reasons set out in Section 7 of the report;

d) That the £100,000 capacity funding received from Government, as outlined in Section 8 of the report, be noted; and

e) That authority be delegated to prepare, for approval by the Executive, an Enhanced Partnership and Bus Service Improvement Plan, to the Executive Director for Place and Economy, in consultation with the Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets.

Reasons for Decisions:

To improve bus services for North Northamptonshire communities and minimise the risk of any communities losing their bus service;

To facilitate climate and environmental benefits through increasing bus use and the operation of more low emission buses;

To contribute to the implementation of the Northamptonshire Transportation Plan (the Local Transport Plan); and

To enable the Council to access the funding being made available by Government to support the National Bus Strategy.

Councillor Graham Lawman, Executive Member for Highways, Travel & Assets, introduced a report of the Executive Director for Place and Economy which informed the Executive on the current situation with regard to funding of bus services in North Northamptonshire and the Government’s National Bus

Strategy for England: Bus Back Better. The report also sought a commitment to the formation of an Enhanced Partnership scheme in order to facilitate the improvement of local bus services for North Northamptonshire's residents by being able to access Government funding which would be made available to support implementation of the National Bus Strategy.

A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, was provided as part of the agenda document pack provided to members prior to the meeting.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Jim Hakewill to the meeting who wished to speak in favour of the principals within the report. Cllr Hakewill noted the work undertaken by the prior County Council and four District and Borough Councils and hoped that such work would not be lost and be built upon in developing new strategies for North Northamptonshire Council.

Cllr Hakewill also hoped that work would continue in respect of provision of bus subsidies to rural communities where there were measures of deprivation, such as that of assistance to voluntary groups.

The Chair thanked Cllr Hakewill for his comments.

Both Cllr Lawman and Cllr David Howes, Executive Member for Rural Communities & Localism welcomed Cllr Hakewill’s comments.

The Executive looked forward to engaging with local communities and groups to progress the bus strategy and seek to open up travel to rural areas.

RESOLVED: