Agenda item

Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Summary

To consider the overview and scrutiny Task & Finish Group report on Concessionary Fares.

Cllr Clarke, Chairman of the Task & Finish Group, will attend the meeting to present the report.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended to:

1)         Note the work of the Task and Finish Group scrutiny review into Concessionary Fares as detailed in Appendix 1;

2)         Agree the Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommendations regarding concessionary regarding concessionary travel as detailed below:

Recommendation 1: Smart Card Reader Scheme

That Cherwell District Council should not pursue the introduction of a Smart Card Reader scheme at this time due to the significant financial investment required and reservations about the current technical capacity of such schemes to meet the Council’s needs. 

Recommendation 2: Mis-ticketing

That the Portfolio Holder should publicise the importance of checking bus tickets and encourage bus pass holders to submit examples of mis-ticketing.  The Portfolio Holder should follow-up examples of mis-ticketing with the bus companies; monitor the scale and value of the problem for the remainder of the financial year; and report on the results and proposed actions to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the spring of 2010.

Recommendation 3: Management Information

That the Portfolio Holder should encourage the concessionary fare service providers to move to a monthly rather than quarterly claim and settlement cycle.

Recommendation 4: National Travel Tokens

That the current arrangements for the issue of national travel tokens should continue for 2009/10 and that the Portfolio Holder should monitor the take up and use of the national travel token scheme.  The Council’s continued participation in the national travel token scheme should be reviewed against the findings of the independent research into the provision of community transport schemes in the district (see recommendation 5).  

Recommendation 5: Community Transport

That Cherwell District Council should continue to support and promote the provision of community transport schemes across the District.  In support of this corporate priority the Portfolio Holder should commission research into the feasibility of introducing alternative community transport schemes in those parts of the district where residents do not benefit from the concessionary bus pass, national travel tokens or the Dial-A-Ride service.

Recommendation 6: Consortium approach

That the Portfolio Holder should open discussions with colleagues at the County Council and the District/City councils with a view to promoting a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of the national concessionary travel scheme, subject to the outcome of the government’s consultation on the administration of concessionary fares schemes.

Recommendation 7: Government Consultation

That the Portfolio Holder should be invited to use the work of this Task & Finish Group and the conclusions and recommendations in this report to inform the Council’s response to the government’s consultation on the administration of concessionary fares schemes.

Recommendation 8: Concessionary Travel Scheme

That the start time for the concessionary travel scheme in Cherwell should not be reviewed again and should remain at 09.30 am, in line with the statutory scheme, until April 2011 when the new arrangements for the administration of the concessionary travel scheme will come into force.

Agreed, with the amendment that following further discussion between Oxfordshire local authorities that the response from this authority to the Government should state that the concessionary travel scheme be operated nationally by the Government (who would deal with the cost of the scheme and reimbursements), but administered locally by District Councils (who would deal with local residents).

Additionally portfolio holder requested to investigate adverts on buses raising the issue of mi-ticketing and the cost per use of the dial-a-ride service.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee submitted a report to consider the overview and scrutiny Task & Finish Group report on Concessionary Fares. Cllr Clarke, Chairman of the Task & Finish Group presented the key findings.

Resolved

1)         That the work of the Task and Finish Group scrutiny review into Concessionary Fares as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report be noted;

2)         That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommendations regarding concessionary travel as detailed below be approved:

Recommendation 1: Smart Card Reader Scheme

That Cherwell District Council should not pursue the introduction of a Smart Card Reader scheme at this time due to the significant financial investment required and reservations about the current technical capacity of such schemes to meet the Council’s needs. 

Recommendation 2: Mis-ticketing

That the Portfolio Holder should publicise the importance of checking bus tickets and encourage bus pass holders to submit examples of mis-ticketing.  The Portfolio Holder should follow-up examples of mis-ticketing with the bus companies; monitor the scale and value of the problem for the remainder of the financial year; and report on the results and proposed actions to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the spring of 2010.

Recommendation 3: Management Information

That the Portfolio Holder should encourage the concessionary fare service providers to move to a monthly rather than quarterly claim and settlement cycle.

Recommendation 4: National Travel Tokens

That the current arrangements for the issue of national travel tokens should continue for 2009/10 and that the Portfolio Holder should monitor the take up and use of the national travel token scheme.  The Council’s continued participation in the national travel token scheme should be reviewed against the findings of the independent research into the provision of community transport schemes in the district (see recommendation 5).  

Recommendation 5: Community Transport

That Cherwell District Council should continue to support and promote the provision of community transport schemes across the District.  In support of this corporate priority the Portfolio Holder should commission research into the feasibility of introducing alternative community transport schemes in those parts of the district where residents do not benefit from the concessionary bus pass, national travel tokens or the Dial-A-Ride service.

Recommendation 6: Consortium approach

That the Portfolio Holder should open discussions with colleagues at the County Council and the District/City councils with a view to promoting a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of the national concessionary travel scheme, subject to the outcome of the government’s consultation on the administration of concessionary fares schemes.

Recommendation 7: Government Consultation

That the Portfolio Holder should be invited to use the work of this Task & Finish Group and the conclusions and recommendations in this report to inform the Council’s response to the government’s consultation on the administration of concessionary fares schemes.

Recommendation 8: Concessionary Travel Scheme

That the start time for the concessionary travel scheme in Cherwell should not be reviewed again and should remain at 09.30 am, in line with the statutory scheme, until April 2011 when the new arrangements for the administration of the concessionary travel scheme will come into force.

3)         That following further discussion between Oxfordshire local authorities that the response from this authority to the Government should state that the concessionary travel scheme be operated nationally by the Government (who would deal with the cost of the scheme and reimbursements), but administered locally by District Councils (who would deal with local residents).

4)         That the Portfolio Holder be requested to investigate placing adverts on buses raising the issue of mis-ticketing and the cost per use of the dial-a-ride service.

Reasons - The Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the conclusions of a Task & Finish Group review into concessionary travel at its meeting on 9 June 2009.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolved to refer the report and its recommendations to the Executive. The report covers the second phase of a scrutiny review into concessionary travel.  The initial scrutiny work conducted in 2008 concentrated on the financial implications to the Council of changing the start time of the concessionary travel scheme within the district.  That work was completed in November 2008 but it identified a number of wider issues relating to concessionary travel that the Task & Finish Group agreed to look at in 2009.

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