Bus service provision

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Dear Wiltshire Council,

I am gathering information on bus and public transport provision as part of the Save our Buses campaign, which maps cuts to bus services across the country. We know that the Government has made deep cuts to local authority budgets, and that this is having an effect on the provision of local bus services. We would like to gather a national picture of bus cuts, so that we can explain to central Government exactly how their decisions are having an impact across the country.

My questions are as follows (in each case I am only after the information for your authority):

1. What is the agreed total budget for supported bus services in the fiscal year 2018/19

2. What was the total spend for supported bus services in the fiscal year 2017/18?

3. What was the total spend for supported bus services in the fiscal year 2016/17?

Note: This refers to the Department for Transport’s definition of a supported bus service as: “one where a local transport authority has invited tenders for the operation of a service (not e.g. seats on a bus or subsidised tickets etc), and a contract exists as a result of that tender”. Please, exclude extra sources of funding such as Section 106/developer funding, Community Infrastructure Levy, local authority staffing and publicity, RTPI expenditure and revenue, the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), Local Education Authority funding for home to school transport, NHS-funded non-emergency patient transport, social services transport, voluntary transport and other central and national government grants or income streams.

4. How many and which supported routes are likely to have cuts in services in the fiscal year 2018/19 (for example loss of weekend or evening services)?

5. How many and which supported routes have had cuts in services in the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18 (for example loss of weekend or evening services), listed for each year?

6. How many and which supported routes are likely to be completely withdrawn in the fiscal year 2018/19?

7. How many and which supported routes have been completely withdrawn in the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18, listed for each year?

8. How many and which of the previously supported routes have been taken on commercially?

Our campaign also seeks to promote examples of councils which have protected bus services, sometimes in innovative ways. Please do feel free to share any information you feel is relevant on how your council has protected bus services.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Todd

Campaign for Better Transport

FOI, Wiltshire Council

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Dear

Please see the attached acknowledgement of your request for information.

Yours sincerely

David

David Sausins
Information Governance Officer | Corporate Services & Digital | Wiltshire Council | Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8JN | Tel: 01249 709558 | Email: [email address] | Web: www.wiltshire.gov.uk

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FOI, Wiltshire Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Todd

Please see the attached response to your request for information.

Yours sincerely

David

David Sausins
Information Governance Officer | Corporate Services & Digital | Wiltshire Council | Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8JN | Tel: 01249 709558 | Email: [email address] | Web: www.wiltshire.gov.uk

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Dear David,
Thanks for the information. Under the 2018/19 figures you give a total of the BSOG for that year which I understand to be included in the public transport figures. Is this correct?
Could you also clarify whether the public transport figure you have provided for 2016/17 also includes the BSOG grant and if so how much is that element?
(We asked for Council spending on supported bus services minus elements such as BSOG, etc)
Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Todd

FOI, Wiltshire Council

Dear Mr Todd

I apologise for the delay in getting back to you. Please the below response to your additional queries

Under the 2018/19 figures you give a total of the BSOG for that year which I understand to be included in the public transport figures. Is this correct?

Yes

Could you also clarify whether the public transport figure you have provided for 2016/17 also includes the BSOG grant and if so how much is that element?
(We asked for Council spending on supported bus services minus elements such as BSOG, etc) Many thanks.

No, the figure does not include the BSOG grant

Yours sincerely

David

David Sausins
Information Governance Officer | Corporate Services & Digital | Wiltshire Council | Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8JN | Tel: 01249 709558 | Email: [email address] | Web: www.wiltshire.gov.uk

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Dear David,

Thanks for the clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Todd