Agenda item

10.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, and formally seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, that this Council:-

(a)       notes that the Sheffield Bus Partnership is a voluntary agreement between South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), Sheffield City Council and the bus operators First South Yorkshire, Stagecoach Sheffield, TM Travel and Sheffield Community Transport;

(b)       notes it aims to provide a better coordinated network of buses and trams in Sheffield, making it easier to travel around the city;

(c)        notes that in the presentation to the Economic and Environmental Wellbeing Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee in October 2018, SYPTE’s future steps do not include a commitment to increase passenger numbers;

(d)       notes the Partnership has failed in its central purpose to grow bus passenger numbers;

(e)       believes that the extent of cuts to concessionary travel and service support have proved to be un-necessary;

(f)        notes the recent Sheffield Bus Partnership report that stated that passenger numbers were down due to changes in employment patterns, reduced need to travel and an increase in online shopping;

(g)       believes that this is not the case and that passenger numbers are down due to:-

(i)         service cuts and the lack of services available to the general public;

(ii)        recent extortionate fare increases, which are forcing people to use their cars over public transport as a cheaper and more accessible option; and

(iii)       a lack of public confidence in the reliability of the bus service, which is also contributing to decreasing passenger numbers; noting that punctuality of bus services has reduced, down to 84% from 87% over the past three years;

(h)       is concerned that increased car use will add to air pollution in the city centre if fewer people are using more energy efficient bus services;

(i)         is also concerned that cuts to bus services are preventing people from getting to work, school, run errands and attend medical appointments;

(j)         is dismayed that elderly residents in Wincobank are being forced to climb up and down one of Sheffield’s steepest streets to get to their nearest bus stop after their usual accessible service was cut;

(k)        notes that under the Bus Services Act 2017, automatic access to bus franchising powers is given to the Sheffield City Region Mayor, as a directly elected mayor of a combined authority, and could be used to improve bus services; and

(l)         resolves to:-

(i)         support the introduction of a statutory bus quality contract in Sheffield;

(ii)        at the earliest practicable time, give notice to terminate Sheffield City Council’s membership of the Sheffield Bus Partnership; and

(iii)       send copies of this motion to all the other parties to the Bus Partnership Agreement.

10.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor George Lindars-Hammond, and formally seconded by Councillor Jackie Satur, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the addition of the following words:-

(a)       agrees with comments from former Liberal Democrat Minister for Transport, the Rt. Hon. Norman Baker, that the Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement was, at the time, “good news for the City”; and that the partnership directly led to the exclusive Better Bus Area grant of £18.3 million to further improve Sheffield’s bus offer just a year later;

(b)       notes that the recent Bus in Crises report found that, nationally, bus services are under sustained pressure, with council funding almost halved since 2010;

(c)        further notes that budgets to subsidise routes were reduced by another £20m last year and 188 services were cut, according to the Campaign for Better Transport, and that local authorities across England and Wales had taken £182m away from supported bus services over the decade, affecting more than 3,000 bus routes;

(d)       believes that councils had been put in an impossible position due to actions from successive governments since 2010 and the resulting funding squeeze;

(e)       notes that South Yorkshire transport activity is principally resourced through a Levy contributed by the four districts and that, as partners’ budgets have come under increasing pressure, the Levy has been reduced, noting that since April 2010, the Levy across South Yorkshire has fallen by £38.9m (41% down) from £94.7m to £55.8m for the financial year 2018/19, and further notes that Sheffield Liberal Democrat councillors supported these reductions;

(f)        recalls the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010 and the onslaught of cuts that Sheffield has suffered from, which were wholly unopposed by the local Liberal Democrat Group, despite all the evidence that showed the damage they were doing to Sheffield;

(g)       notes that despite these unprecedented cuts, which this Council believes were politically motivated, the Partnership has helped to ensure that city bus day and weekly tickets are still lower today in 2018 than they were in 2015, and that operators have invested heavily in modern technology, such as contactless ticket technology on almost every bus, free wifi, and USB ports in the new vehicles and the introduction of 117 greener and low emission buses;

(h)       recognises that control of the bus service is one of the powers available to the Sheffield City Region Mayor, and recalls that the opportunity to re-regulate bus services in the city was one of the reasons why this Council agreed to support the devolution deal; and

(i)         therefore calls on the Sheffield City Region Mayor to bring forward re regulation of the bus service.

10.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

10.4

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:- 

(a)       agrees with comments from former Liberal Democrat Minister for Transport, the Rt. Hon. Norman Baker, that the Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement was, at the time, “good news for the City”; and that the partnership directly led to the exclusive Better Bus Area grant of £18.3 million to further improve Sheffield’s bus offer just a year later;

(b)       notes that the recent Bus in Crises report found that, nationally, bus services are under sustained pressure, with council funding almost halved since 2010;

(c)        further notes that budgets to subsidise routes were reduced by another £20m last year and 188 services were cut, according to the Campaign for Better Transport, and that local authorities across England and Wales had taken £182m away from supported bus services over the decade, affecting more than 3,000 bus routes;

(d)       believes that councils had been put in an impossible position due to actions from successive governments since 2010 and the resulting funding squeeze;

(e)       notes that South Yorkshire transport activity is principally resourced through a Levy contributed by the four districts and that, as partners’ budgets have come under increasing pressure, the Levy has been reduced, noting that since April 2010, the Levy across South Yorkshire has fallen by £38.9m (41% down) from £94.7m to £55.8m for the financial year 2018/19, and further notes that Sheffield Liberal Democrat councillors supported these reductions;

(f)        recalls the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010 and the onslaught of cuts that Sheffield has suffered from, which were wholly unopposed by the local Liberal Democrat Group, despite all the evidence that showed the damage they were doing to Sheffield;

(g)       notes that despite these unprecedented cuts, which this Council believes were politically motivated, the Partnership has helped to ensure that city bus day and weekly tickets are still lower today in 2018 than they were in 2015, and that operators have invested heavily in modern technology, such as contactless ticket technology on almost every bus, free wifi, and USB ports in the new vehicles and the introduction of 117 greener and low emission buses;

(h)       recognises that control of the bus service is one of the powers available to the Sheffield City Region Mayor, and recalls that the opportunity to re-regulate bus services in the city was one of the reasons why this Council agreed to support the devolution deal; and

(i)         therefore calls on the Sheffield City Region Mayor to bring forward re regulation of the bus service.

10.4.1

The votes on the Substantive Motion were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-