Agenda item

To consider the following motion, notice of which was given on 27 November 2018 by Dr O’Kelly.

‘In West Sussex, some 27 million passenger journeys are made each year, many of which are made on commercial services.  This Council recognises the value of buses to the residents of West Sussex, not only in terms of transport for economic, leisure and education reasons, but also the social value they provide to our communities.

This Council recognises that the promotion of bus services and the Council’s support for non-commercial services helps to improve the quality of life for many people and assists in delivering these priorities set out in the West Sussex Plan:

(a)      Independence for later life: services that support older people in later life to live independently.  Availability of bus services enables older people to travel more without reliance on a car, avoiding the risks of social isolation that may come from a lack of ability to travel.

(b)      Best start in life: Good bus service provision provides access to early education and education settings for children and allows for greater choice.  It also helps young people to access a wider choice of further education and employment.

(c)      Strong, safe and sustainable place: Environmental sustainability can be achieved through modal shift to more use of bus services, reducing the number of cars on the road, which improves road safety and air quality.

(d)      A prosperous place: Good bus service provision forms a key sustainable infrastructure to support the economy and encourage the visitor economy, particularly into rural areas.  A good bus network helps to realise the aim that opportunities should be available to all and to help businesses to thrive through more sustainable transport and a reduction in traffic congestion.

In view of these strategic priorities, this Council asks the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to make every effort to maintain existing service level provision (both in frequency and network coverage) for the current subsidised non-commercial services across the county.’

94.1  With the agreement of the Chairman, the following revised motion was moved by Dr O’Kelly and seconded by Ms Lord:

‘In West Sussex, some 27 million passenger journeys are made each year, many of which are made on commercial services.  This Council recognises the value of buses to the residents of West Sussex, not only in terms of transport for economic, leisure and education reasons, but also the social value they provide to our communities.

This Council recognises that the promotion of bus services and the Council’s support for non-commercial services helps to improve the quality of life for many people and assists in delivering these priorities set out in the West Sussex Plan:

(a)     Independence for later life: services that support older people in later life to live independently.  Availability of bus services enables older people to travel more without reliance on a car, avoiding the risks of social isolation that may come from a lack of ability to travel.

(b)     Best start in life: Good bus service provision provides access to early education and education settings for children and allows for greater choice.  It also helps young people to access a wider choice of further education and employment.

(c)     Strong, safe and sustainable place: Environmental sustainability can be achieved through modal shift to more use of bus services, reducing the number of cars on the road, which improves road safety and air quality.

(d)     A prosperous place: Good bus service provision forms a key sustainable infrastructure to support the economy and encourage the visitor economy, particularly into rural areas.  A good bus network helps to realise the aim that opportunities should be available to all and to help businesses to thrive through more sustainable transport and a reduction in traffic congestion.

         Finally this Council recognises the hard work of the officers and the Executive Task and Finish Group during the recent bus review.  It calls on the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to retain all the services under review to allow more time for the team to develop partnerships and to work with all tiers of local government in seeking additional funding.’

94.2  An amendment was moved by Mr Parikh and seconded by Mrs Dennis as set out below:

‘In West Sussex, some 27 million passenger journeys are made each year, many of which are made on commercial services.  This Council recognises the value of buses to the residents of West Sussex, not only in terms of transport for economic, leisure and education reasons, but also the social value they provide to our communities.

This Council recognises that the promotion of bus services and the Council’s support for non-commercial services helps to improve the quality of life for many people and assists in delivering these priorities set out in the West Sussex Plan:

(a)     Independence for later life: services that support older people in later life to live independently.  Availability of bus services enables older people to travel more without reliance on a car, avoiding the risks of social isolation that may come from a lack of ability to travel.

(b)     Best start in life: Good bus service provision provides access to early education and education settings for children and allows for greater choice.  It also helps young people to access a wider choice of further education and employment.

(c)     Strong, safe and sustainable place: Environmental sustainability can be achieved through modal shift to more use of bus services, reducing the number of cars on the road, which improves road safety and air quality.

(d)     A prosperous place: Good bus service provision forms a key sustainable infrastructure to support the economy and encourage the visitor economy, particularly into rural areas.  A good bus network helps to realise the aim that opportunities should be available to all and to help businesses to thrive through more sustainable transport and a reduction in traffic congestion.

Finally this Council recognises the hard work of the officers and the Executive Task and Finish Group during the recent bus review.  It calls on the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to make every effort to retain all current coverage of the services under review by engaging with local members, communities and local businesses working through an Executive Task and Finish Group to develop a ‘Community Transport’ option for the county for current and future sustainability. to allow more time for the team to develop partnerships and to work with all tiers of local government in seeking additional funding.’

94.3   The amendment was carried.

94.4   The amended motion, as set out below, was agreed.

          ‘In West Sussex, some 27 million passenger journeys are made each year, many of which are made on commercial services.  This Council recognises the value of buses to the residents of West Sussex, not only in terms of transport for economic, leisure and education reasons, but also the social value they provide to our communities.

This Council recognises that the promotion of bus services and the Council’s support for non-commercial services helps to improve the quality of life for many people and assists in delivering these priorities set out in the West Sussex Plan:

(a)     Independence for later life: services that support older people in later life to live independently.  Availability of bus services enables older people to travel more without reliance on a car, avoiding the risks of social isolation that may come from a lack of ability to travel.

(b)     Best start in life: Good bus service provision provides access to early education and education settings for children and allows for greater choice.  It also helps young people to access a wider choice of further education and employment.

(c)     Strong, safe and sustainable place: Environmental sustainability can be achieved through modal shift to more use of bus services, reducing the number of cars on the road, which improves road safety and air quality.

(d)     A prosperous place: Good bus service provision forms a key sustainable infrastructure to support the economy and encourage the visitor economy, particularly into rural areas.  A good bus network helps to realise the aim that opportunities should be available to all and to help businesses to thrive through more sustainable transport and a reduction in traffic congestion.

Finally this Council recognises the hard work of the officers and the Executive Task and Finish Group during the recent bus review.  It calls on the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to make every effort to retain all current coverage of the services under review by engaging with local members, communities and local businesses working through an Executive Task and Finish Group to develop a ‘Community Transport’ option for the county for current and future sustainability.’