Bus service provision

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Dear Cheshire East 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 How many and which supported routes are likely to be completely withdrawn in the fiscal year 2018/19?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 How many and which supported routes have been completely withdrawn in the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18, listed for each year?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

CCR FOI Investigation Team, Cheshire East Council

Date: 22 March 2018
Our Reference: 2564435
 
Dear Mr Todd
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your request regarding Bus service provision.
 
Your request has been identified as falling within the scope of Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and It will be treated as a request for information
within the meaning of the Freedom of Information Act: this means that we
will send you a full response within 20 working days, either supplying you
with the information which you want, or explaining to you why we cannot
supply it. 

The due date is 20 April 2018.
 
If we need any further clarification or there is a problem, we will be in
touch. 

In the meantime if you wish to discuss this further please contact me. It
would be helpful if you could quote the reference number quoted above.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Kate Tomlinson
Compliance and Customer Relations Assistant
Cheshire East Council
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

CCR FOI Investigation Team, Cheshire East Council

2 Attachments

Date: 10 April 2018
Our Reference: 2564435
 
Dear Mr Todd
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 21 March 2018.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Gill Clowes
Customer Relations and Compliance Assistant
Cheshire East Council
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Dear Gill,
Please could you check that the figures you have provided me with do not include BSOG and other sources of funding and are only for supported bus services (not school transport or dial a ride, etc). It's just that in 2016/17 we were told the budget was £1,700,000, yet you have told me that the 2016/17 spend was £2,859,117.96 which is significantly different.

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Todd

CCR FOI Investigation Team, Cheshire East Council

Mr Todd -
 
The service has confirmed that the figures provided do not include BSOG. 
In regard to the figures for 2016/2017 during the course of that year
there was a major collapse of an operator leading to a significant
increase in costs providing replacement services. Hence the difference in
costs.

Kind regards.

Compliance and Customer Relations Team. 

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Dear Gill,
Please could you check that the figures you have provided me with do not
include BSOG and other sources of funding and are only for supported bus
services (not school transport or dial a ride, etc). It's just that in
2016/17 we were told the budget was £1,700,000, yet you have told me that
the 2016/17 spend was £2,859,117.96 which is significantly different.

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Todd

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