Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

Note: Councillor McNicholas, Chair of the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) has been invited to the meeting.

The Cabinet considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), which set out recommendations from the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3)’s Select Committee on Public Transport.

The Chair of the Scrutiny Board was invited to attend the meeting and spoke in support of the report and the recommendations arising from the Select Committee.

At their meeting on 15^th February 2017, the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) held a select committee style meeting to answer the following key lines of enquiry:-

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

·  How can we improve the bus service in the city?

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

Members heard evidence from Council Officers, representatives from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Coventry Older Voices, Transport Focus (a user voice organisation) as well as Stagecoach Midlands an NX Coventry.

The report set out the questions raised under each of the key lines of enquiries following presentations and the responses received, which resulted in the recommendations to Cabinet Members arising from the Select Committee.  The Cabinet noted that there had also been a number of recommendations identified for the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee to consider following an evaluation of the process and these were set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

The relevant Cabinet Members and Deputy Cabinet Members had been briefed on the recommendations and had provided comments in response to these, which were also included within the report submitted.

The Cabinet were recommended to:-

1)  Request that the nominated Council representative on the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) board recommend that 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, including older people.

  iii.  Consider how to ensure older people have access to information about public transport beyond social media and on-line information

2)  Acknowledge the positive relationship the Council has with TfWM and the benefits of this relationship to the city.

3)  Ensure that Members of the Council are actively involved in the transport theme group of the Age-Friendly Coventry initiative.

4)  Recommend that the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities Advisory Panel – Disability Equality considers the issue of accessibility to public transport, particularly in relation to reducing social isolation

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

6)  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.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:-

1.  Accept recommendation 1) i. and agree that the Council’s representatives on TfWM will express the importance of involving local residents in any parking review.

2.  Recognise that there is an important issue with engaging with older people and younger people, as set out in recommendation 1) ii. and the Council’s representative on TfWM will commit to push on this matter.

3.  Recognise that there is an important issue with engaging with older people and younger people, as set out in recommendation 1) iii. and the Council’s representative on TfWM will commit to push on this matter.

4.  Acknowledge the positive relationship with TfWM as detailed in recommendation 2.

5.  Indicates that it is happy to promote the work supporting the Age-Friendly Coventry Initiative as set out in recommendation 3, and notes that the Deputy Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration already Chairs this meeting.

6.  Accepts recommendation 4 and considers that the bus operators should be pushed further on this matter.

7.  Considers that, in respect of recommendation 5, the matter is a role for TfWM and that there should be a survey specifically for Coventry.

8.  Accept recommendation 6, whilst recognising that this will be dependent upon time and resources.