Issue - meetings

Enhanced Partnership

Meeting: 24/06/2021 - Executive (Item 14)

14 Enhanced Partnership pdf icon PDF 450 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

That it be agreed that Wokingham Borough Council give notice to establishing an Enhanced Partnership under the Bus Services Act 2017.

Minutes:

The Executive considered a report relating to the proposed establishment of an Enhanced Partnership (EP) under the Bus Services Act 2017.

 

The Executive Member for Highways and Transport introduced the report and explained that the proposal was intended to improve the Council’s working relationships with the various local transport operators, including commercial, community and voluntary, in the Borough    Councillor Jorgensen clarified that the first stage of the process was merely to give notice of the Council’s intention to establish an Enhanced Partnership which was not legally binding.  The Enhanced Partnership agreement, which would be legally binding, would be brought back to the Executive once the working party had agreed the key requirements for the bus service improvement plan and the EP agreement and discussions had been held with the local transport operators.

 

Given that bus services had been significantly impacted by Covid and a shift towards public transport was necessary to meet climate aims Councillor Murray queried what would happen if the Council did not sign up to the Enhanced Partnership and what opportunities would be provided if it did sign up over and above those that were currently available?  Councillor Jorgensen stated that the Council would lose its Covid bus funding if it did not, at least, give notice of its intention to form an Enhanced Partnership.  Signing up would give the opportunity to have more influence on the bus providers and therefore the bus routes, both commercial and subsidised and also hopefully lead to a better relationship with the major bus companies in the area. It was hoped that this would also give the Council more negotiating power in the rural areas.

 

RESOLVED: That it be agreed that Wokingham Borough Council give notice to establishing an Enhanced Partnership under the Bus Services Act 2017.