Funding for supported bus services

The request was successful.

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 How many and which supported routes are likely to be completely withdrawn in the fiscal year 2018/19?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 How many and which supported routes have been completely withdrawn in the fiscal years 2016/17 and 2017/18, listed for each year?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

Dear C Todd,

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000

 

Thank you for your recent request for information. Your request is being
dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 a public authority has 20
working days to respond to a request.  Accordingly you will receive our
full response in due course.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Governance Team

Risk and Assurance Services

Bath & North East Somerset Council

Telephone: 01225 396658

[1]www.bathnes.gov.uk

 

Bath & North East Somerset – The place to live, work and visit 

 

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

 

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Information Governance, Bath and North East Somerset Council

1 Attachment

Dear C Todd,

 

Thank you for your recent request for information. Please find enclosed
the information you are entitled to receive under the (legislation).

 

I trust that we have answered your queries, however if you have any
further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

If you are unhappy with the response to your request, you may ask for an
internal review within 40 working days of receipt of this request. Please
contact the Divisional Director – Risk and Assurance Services, Mr Jeff
Wring at the Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
[1]mailto:[email address].

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to appeal directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF [2]www.ico.org.uk

 

Please refer to the disclaimer regarding reuse which can be found on the
Council website at:

[3]http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/your-...

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Information Governance Team

Risk and Assurance Services

Bath & North East Somerset Council

Telephone: 01225 396658

[4]www.bathnes.gov.uk

 

Bath & North East Somerset – The place to live, work and visit

 

Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

 

From:    Chris Todd <[FOI #472334 email]>

Sent:     20 March 2018 15:44

To:          Information Governance

Subject:               Freedom of Information request - Funding for
supported bus services

 

 

Dear Bath and North East Somerset 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

References

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