Agenda item

To consider report of the Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services.

Consideration was given to report of the Head of Regeneration & Development.

The Head of Regeneration & Development presented the report which provided an overview on progress of the Bus Emergency Scheme (BES) Phase 2 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to enter into longer term arrangements to make the bus services more sustainable across Wales.

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, LA’s, Transport for Wales, Welsh Government and Operators have worked together to ensure bus services are continued, despite the fact that many are not being utilised.  The BES2 agreement would develop longer term arrangements with Operators, and WG would like this in place, and signed off by each LA by the end of January 2021.  As well as responding to Covid, the BES2 would provide a building block for future improvements to our public transport, and also formalise WG commitment to support Operators in recovering from the Covid pandemic in terms of loss of fare box revenue and additional costs incurred as a result of Covid.  Under the agreement Operators would be required to provide bus services to meet local needs.  The end date for BES2 was 31^st July, 2022 and this should be enough time for revenue to recover. 

The BES2 agreement would provide a legal basis for funding the costs associated with the impact of Covid, including the loss of fare box, duplication of buses to take account of social distancing or providing alternative services where operators give them up and the services are still needed. This would apply to services that were commercial pre-Covid and to tendered services.

The Officer went through the report and highlighted points contained therein.

A Member asked what plans were in place for the provision of a bus route to the new Grange Hospital.

In response the Officer confirmed that discussions were ongoing with the local Health Board, in terms of how the transport could be adopted to enable people to access the Hospital, not just from Blaenau Gwent but also a number of other LA’s.  The BES2 report was about funding and regional agreement to work on further improvements to the bus system.

Another Member also agreed that a bus route was needed for the Grange Hospital, but also redesigning bus routes to ensure quick and easy access to industrial estates for people to get to work.

The Officer confirmed that this was part of a separate project being currently being considered, working with the third sector and DWP on initiatives to get people to work.  The BES2 arrangements would also include collaborative development of regional Reference Networks by LA’s, Operators, WG and TFW and these would reflect local, regional and national priorities and help guide investment in bus services for the future, and under the BES2 LA’s would have influence over development of the Reference Network.

The Committee AGREED to recommend that the report be accepted and Blaenau Gwent endorse the content of the report and support the BES2 arrangements as part of a regional and Wales approach (Option 1).