Bus service provision

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 How many and which supported routes are likely to be completely withdrawn in the fiscal year 2018/19?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 How many and which supported routes have been completely withdrawn in the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18, listed for each year?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

 

Information request
Our reference: 1504933

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Dear Mr Todd
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your email which we received on 22 March 2018.
 
Kent County Council acknowledges your request for information under 
the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  Assuming KCC holds this information,
we will endeavour to supply the data to you as soon as possible but no
later than 23 April 2018 (20 working days from date of receipt).
 
We will advise you as soon as possible if we do not hold this information
or if there are exemptions to be considered and/or any costs for providing
the information.
 
Please quote our reference - 1504933 in any communication regarding this
particular request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Peter Wylie
Information Access Officer
Strategic and Corporate Services
+443000415563
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

1 Attachment

 

Information request
Our reference: 1504933

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Dear Mr Todd
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 22 March 2018.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Kirsty-Leigh Robertson
Information Access Officer
Strategic and Corporate Services
+443000418301
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.