Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Executive Director of Place

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board considered a briefing note of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), that would also be considered by the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee at their meeting on 12^th April 2017, that detailed the outcomes of the Board’s Public Transport Select Committee held on 15th February 2017.

In preparation for the Select Committee:

·  Members of the Board visited the House of Commons on 19^th July 2016 sat in on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport to observe Members questioning witnesses, they also met with Clive Betts MP the Chair of Communities and Local Government and questioned him on the process of a Select Committee in the Houses of Parliament.

·  An Advisory Panel of the Board, comprising Councillors Brown, Lancaster, Mayer, and McNicholas (chair), was established to clarify and finalise key lines of enquiry and scope for the meeting.

·  Members attended a number of briefings and were provided with background documentation on: Effective Questioning for Scrutiny; Connecting Coventry – Strategic Transport Investment Programme; Coventry Station Masterplan; and Coventry Rail Story.

·  Members agreed the key lines of enquiry and the witnesses to be invited to provide evidence and also invited representatives from Coventry Older Voices and Transport Focus (the independent transport user watchdog) to participate in the meeting. Twitter and Facebook would also to be used to encourage public participation.

The Select Committee was set out in 3 sessions at which Members received presentations and information from witnesses and raised questions in response:

·  Session 1 - How can train connectivity support economic development and business growth in the city?

·  Session 2 - How can we improve the bus service in the city?

·  Session 3 - What are the key accessibility issues for public transport in the city, and how can they be addressed?

Members agreed the lessons learned and ways to improve the process as follows:

i.  Specific briefings for Cabinet Members by Select Committee Chair and Officers should be held, especially if the themes of the committee span more than one portfolio.

ii.  Members on the select committee attend briefing sessions, avoid substitutions and fully familiarise themselves with background briefing papers.

iii.  Presentations from witnesses should be to introduce their role only and not provide additional or new information.

iv.  The number of witnesses should be kept to a maximum of three per session.

v.  Questions to witnesses should be given one at a time to allow multiple witnesses to respond, and should be limited to 60-90 seconds.

vi.  Questions to witnesses should be prepared prior to the meeting by members of the committee, based on background briefing information and themed or grouped together.

vii.  Careful consideration of payment to expert witness should be made where there are gaps in knowledge by Council officers.

viii.  Council officers who attend as witnesses should be senior officers with responsibility for implementing and managing policy decisions.

ix.  The select committee should be consist of a half-day to question witnesses with additional time for a plenary session, so recommendations can be identified on the day.

x.  Social media and other traditional communications are used well in advance of the meeting to enable questions from the public to be considered as part of the process.

Members discussed the outcomes of the Select Committee and the lessons learned, including ways to improve the process. They agreed that future Scrutiny Select Committees be encouraged with Cabinet Members being required to attend and that advanced publicity for Committees be maximised to encourage public participation.

The Board expressed their thanks to everyone who had been involved in the Select Committee.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3):

1)  Recommends that Transport for West Midlands(TfWM):

i.    Involve Elected Members and local residents in their planned car parking at Stations review.

ii.   Consider how to better involve local people in planning the delivery of services, beyond existing processes.

2)  Recommends that the Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration commission a bus-user and non-user survey, just for Coventry, to identify specific local issues and concerns in order to promote buses as a mode of transport and increase usage.

3)  Recommends that the Cabinet Member for Adult Services:

i.    Consider developing a travel training programme for older people to support independence and address social isolation

ii.  Support the Transport theme group of the Age-Friendly Coventry initiative.

4)  Recommend that the Cabinet Member for City Services undertake a review of Council vehicle usage, particularly during school hours, to see whether the vehicles could be used to support the transport requirements of vulnerable, ill and elderly people in the City.

5)  Acknowledge the positive relationship the Council has with TfWM and the benefits of this relationship to the City.

6)  Request the Chair writes to everyone involved with the Select Committee to thank them for their work.

7)  Add the following items to their work programme for the next municipal year:

i.  Multi-modal ticketing, for different modes of transport and for travel cross-boundary, especially with our Combined Authority partners beyond the TfWM area.

ii.  Ways to address the effect congestion and road works have on public transport.

iii.  Air quality, reducing emissions and greener fleets.

iv.  How to promote and incentivise bus as a mode of transport, including addressing safety concerns.

v.  Outcome of the bus lane review.

vi.  Developments in rapid transport and very light rail.

8)  Agrees to a Select Committee on Accessible Transport wider than public transport for the next Municipal Year.

9)  Agreed that relevant Cabinet Members be required to attend all future Scrutiny Select Committees.

10)  Agrees that advanced publicity for future Select Committees be maximised to encourage public participation.