Bus service provision
Dear Stockton on Tees 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 How many and which supported routes are likely to be completely withdrawn in the fiscal year 2018/19?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 How many and which supported routes have been completely withdrawn in the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18, listed for each year?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
_
Dear Chris Todd
Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental Information Regulations
2004 – Ref: 2142/1718
Thank you for your correspondence received on 22 March 2018
Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (whichever is most
appropriate). You will receive the information requested within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days.
However, please note the Acts define a number of exemptions that may
prevent release of the requested information. There will therefore be an
assessment of your request to determine if any exemptions apply to the
information requested. If the information cannot be released, or only
released in part you will be informed of the reasons why, together with
any rights of appeal.
If the information requested refers to a third party, they may be
consulted before deciding whether it can be released.
Yours sincerely,
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LD
(01642) 527455
[1][email address]
[2]www.stockton.gov.uk
[3]CSE Logo small
This email was classified as : OFFICIAL
Dear Chris Todd
Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Ref: 2142/1718
Thank you for your correspondence received on 22 March 2018. In response
to your request I can now provide the following information.
Q1) What is the agreed total budget for supported bus services in the
fiscal year 2018/19
A1) £0.00
Q2) What was the total spend for supported bus services in the fiscal
year 2017/18?
A2) £0.00
Q3) 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.
A3) £0.00
Q4) 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)?
A4) None.
Q5) 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?
A5) None.
Q6) How many and which supported routes are likely to be completely
withdrawn in the fiscal year 2018/19?
A6) None.
Q7) How many and which supported routes have been completely withdrawn in
the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18, listed for each year?
A7) None.
Q8) How many and which of the previously supported routes have been taken
on commercially?
A8) None.
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.
If you have any queries or concerns please contact me in the first
instance.
However, if you are unhappy with the way your request for information has
been handled, you can submit a complaint to
[1][email address]
If, after your complaint has been determined, you remain dissatisfied with
the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to
the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: 0303 123 1113 Website:
[2]www.ico.org.uk
The ICO does not make a charge for an appeal.
Yours sincerely,
Lisa Williams
Information Governance Team
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LD
(01642) 527455
[3][email address]
[4]www.stockton.gov.uk
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