Bus Services and Subsidies

The request was successful.

Jasmine Chahal

Dear Durham County Council,

I hereby submit this Freedom of Information request for the following facts and figures regarding bus and public transport provision in Durham County Council as of 2011.

We are gathering this information as part of the Save Our Buses campaign. We know that the Government has made very deep cuts to local authority budgets and that local authorities have been struggling to keep their bus networks intact while finding savings. What we want to gather is a national picture of bus cuts, so that we can explain to central Government exactly how their decisions are likely to impact the country. Without this big picture the Government is able to dismiss bus cuts as local decisions. We hope to lobby the Government to give greater financial support for the bus network because we understand that the smooth operation of a whole range of national and local government provision and work is dependent on people being able to catch the bus.

We know that some authorities have already made decisions regarding cuts, some are still in the process of making decisions around how many services will lose funding and some have made some cuts and are considering further cuts. We are trying to get a picture of the risk posed to the bus network, so where you have proposals being considered but decisions have not been made finally yet please let us know.

I am aware of the general figures and information currently on your website, but would be grateful for clarification on the following points:

1) The number of bus services which will be subject to a reduction or withdrawal of Council subsidy this financial year, in 2012/13 and in 2013/14.
2) The number of previously subsidised bus services that have already been entirely lost following the withdrawal of subsidy. If you have withdrawn subsidy and are waiting to find out how the bus operator is going to react please also let us know about these buses.
3) The number of previously subsidised bus services that have not been totally lost, but that have been reduced in terms of route or frequency following the withdrawal of subsidy. If you have withdrawn subsidy and are waiting to find out how the bus operator is going to react please also let us know about these buses.
4) If you can provide a list of the services in question and how they have been or will be affected please let us know.
5) Have you calculated the number of bus passenger journeys the changes in subsidy could impact once your cuts have been fully implemented? If yes please state the number. I would like to know how many are at risk even if there is a chance that the operator will in fact run the service commercially going forward.
6) Have you calculated the number of bus miles the changes in subsidy could impact once your cuts have been fully implemented? If yes please state the number. I would like to know how many are at risk even if there is a chance that the operator will in fact run the service commercially.
7) If you are still going through a process of consideration or consultation and have not yet made a decision on your budget for bus subsidies please let us know how many bus services, how many passengers and how many journey miles could be at risk in each proposal you are considering.

This information above may include, but not be limited to:

Minutes of Council budget-setting meetings and meetings with operators.
E-Mail conversations, specifically relating to the requested subject.
Route timings, and drafts of these timings.
Reasons for change and withdrawal of services, where this may occur.

Please let me know upon acknowledgement, if there are any queries relating to this request.

Yours faithfully,

Jasmine Chahal
---
Save Our Buses Campaign
Campaign for Better Transport
www.bettertransport.org.uk
020 7566 6489

Dear Durham County Council,

I am writing to follow up on this FOI request made on 6 July 2011, as I haven't yet had a response which should have come through some time ago.

Please could you advise me of the status of this request, and when I am likely to receive a response for the requested information. I would like this information as soon as possible, as I am hoping to use it to create a national picture of how public transport is being affected by the national Government spending review.

Yours faithfully,

Jasmine Chahal

Freedom of Information,

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Chahal,

 

As you'll see below, a response to your request received on the 6th July
was sent to you on the 2nd August.

 

The email you used to send the request and which the response was sent to
was: [1][email address]

 

Regards,

 

Neale Boswell

Information Management

Durham County Council

 

From: Freedom of Information
Sent: 02 August 2011 14:33
To: '[email address]'
Subject: FW: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT - RESPONSE TO REQUEST

 

Dear Ms Chahal

 

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT – RESPONSE TO REQUEST

 

I refer to your request for information relating to Cuts in Council
funding to home to school transport (response deadline 27/7/11) received
on 6 July 2011 which has now been considered.  Please see our response
attached.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Information Management

Durham County Council

Room 4/140

County Hall

Durham

DH1 5UF

Tel:  0191 3728371

 

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Freedom of Information,

2 Attachments

Ms Chahal,

 

This is the response we sent to you on the 18th August for your other
request received on the 6th July.

 

Regards,

 

Neale Boswell

Information Management

Durham County Council

 

From: Neale Boswell
Sent: 18 August 2011 14:00
To: '[email address]'
Subject: FOI request 6974361 - Bus Services and subsidies

 

Please find attached our response to your request for information ,
received 06-JUL-11.

 

Regards,

 

Neale Boswell

Information Management

Durham County Council

 

 

 

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Neale,

Thank you for your response. However, the attachments relate to two seperate FOI requests, and whilst they have the same heading 'Bus Services and Subsidies' I am still waiting for a response from my third FOI request which relates specifically to bus services, subsidy cuts and the effect on passenger journeys and miles.

For your reference, I have copy and pasted this request below, which was sent back in July. I would appreciate a promt response, as this information is being used to gather information on how local Councils are being affected by the national Government spending review.

Please find below the original request, dated 6 July:
Dear Durham County Council,

I hereby submit this Freedom of Information request for the following facts and figures regarding bus and public transport provision in Durham County Council as of 2011.

We are gathering this information as part of the Save Our Buses campaign. We know that the Government has made very deep cuts to local authority budgets and that local authorities have been
struggling to keep their bus networks intact while finding savings. What we want to gather is a national picture of bus cuts, so that we can explain to central Government exactly how their decisions are likely to impact the country. Without this big picture the Government is able to dismiss bus cuts as local decisions. We hope to lobby the Government to give greater financial support for the bus network because we understand that the smooth operation of a whole range of national and local government provision and work is dependent on people being able to catch the bus.

We know that some authorities have already made decisions regarding cuts, some are still in the process of making decisions around how many services will lose funding and some have made some cuts and are considering further cuts. We are trying to get a picture of the risk posed to the bus network, so where you have proposals being considered but decisions have not been made finally yet please let us know.

I am aware of the general figures and information currently on your website, but would be grateful for clarification on the following points:

1) The number of bus services which will be subject to a reduction or withdrawal of Council subsidy this financial year, in 2012/13 and in 2013/14.
2) The number of previously subsidised bus services that have already been entirely lost following the withdrawal of subsidy. If you have withdrawn subsidy and are waiting to find out how the bus
operator is going to react please also let us know about these buses.

3) The number of previously subsidised bus services that have not been totally lost, but that have been reduced in terms of route or frequency following the withdrawal of subsidy. If you have withdrawn subsidy and are waiting to find out how the bus operator is going to react please also let us know about these buses.
4) If you can provide a list of the services in question and how they have been or will be affected please let us know.
5) Have you calculated the number of bus passenger journeys the changes in subsidy could impact once your cuts have been fully implemented? If yes please state the number. I would like to know how many are at risk even if there is a chance that the operator will in fact run the service commercially going forward.
6) Have you calculated the number of bus miles the changes in subsidy could impact once your cuts have been fully implemented? If yes please state the number. I would like to know how many are at risk even if there is a chance that the operator will in fact run the service commercially.
7) If you are still going through a process of consideration or consultation and have not yet made a decision on your budget for bus subsidies please let us know how many bus services, how many passengers and how many journey miles could be at risk in each proposal you are considering.

This information above may include, but not be limited to:

Minutes of Council budget-setting meetings and meetings with
operators.
E-Mail conversations, specifically relating to the requested
subject.
Route timings, and drafts of these timings.
Reasons for change and withdrawal of services, where this may
occur.

Please let me know upon acknowledgement, if there are any queries
relating to this request.

Yours sincerely,

Jasmine Chahal

Neale Boswell,

Dear Ms Chahal,

Do you have a third reference number to give us as it looks like we never received your third request below. I've checked our records and we only have 2 requests received on the 6th July:

6974361 - Bus Services and subsidies

and

6999075 - Cuts in Council funding to home to school transport

If you don't have a third reference number to give us, we will have will to treat your request below as a new request and begin the process.

Regards,

Neale Boswell
Information Management Team
Durham County Council

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Dear Neale Boswell,

Thanks for your message. I've had a chance to check through this request, and I'm unable to find a third reference number to the original FOI request.

I see that it will now be treated as a new request, however as there has been a delay, perhaps owing to a technical failing, I would appreciate if you could show some discretion and provide the information as soon as you can.

Thank you for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Jasmine Chahal

Neale Boswell,

Dear Ms Chahal,

I'll certainly log and pass on your new request to the relevant service today but I can't promise a speedy response. This is up to the service handling your request and I can only say that we'll aim to get a response back to you within the 20 working days as set out by the Freedom of Information Act.

Regards,

Neale Boswell
Information Management
Durham County Council

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Neale Boswell,

1 Attachment

Neale Boswell,

2 Attachments

Please find attached our response to your request for information,
received 21-SEP-11.

 

Regards,

 

Neale Boswell

Information Management

Durham County Council

 

 

 

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