Agenda item

In consultation with the Mayor, an urgent cross-party Notice of Motion will be accepted for consideration at the meeting (to follow).

Although a Notice of Motion would not normally be considered within a formal election period, it has been agreed exceptionally that, in order for the Borough Council to respond as a body, within the required timescales, to the current County Council consultation on Bus Services, a cross-party motion would be accepted.

The results of the consultation process will be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday 23^rd March, and the Notice of Motion will be agreed and made available shortly after that.

(Report attached)

An urgent Notice of Motion had been submitted by Councillor Carole Gandy too late to meet Standing Order deadlines but had been accepted by the Mayor for consideration at the meeting on the basis of its broad public interest  and in view of the time constraints pertaining to the review which was the subject of the Motion. The Motion was in respect of a Bus Service Consultation being undertaken by the County Council. This was seconded by both Councillors Malcolm Hall and Bill Hartnett.

The Council was advised that there were a number of issues which were particular to Redditch and which the County Council should be strongly encouraged to take into account when taking decisions on the future configuration of the bus service across the County. Amongst these was the design of the new town which had been developed very much with public transport in mind, a number of areas of significant deprivation in the town, lower than average rates of car ownership and much greater rates of bus use as a means of travelling to and from work. In addition, the needs of elderly and disabled travellers were raised as key issues, as was the need for the County Council to support measures that would enhance the creation of an environmentally sustainable transport system.

The Notice of Motion was the subject of the following named vote in accordance with Standing Order 16:

Members voting FOR the motion:

Councillors Peter Anderson, Kath Banks, Michael Braley, Andrew Brazier, Juliet Brunner, Michael Chalk, Greg Chance, Anita Clayton, Brandon Clayton, Jack Cookson, Andrew Fry, Carole Gandy, Adam Griffin, Malcolm Hall, Bill Hartnett, Nigel Hicks, Roger Hill, Gay Hopkins, Robin King, Wanda King, Jinny Pearce, Mark Shurmer, Debbie Taylor, Derek Taylor and Diane Thomas.

(25 votes)

Members voting AGAINST the motion:

None.

Members abstaining from voting:

None.

Accordingly, the Motion was approved in the following terms:

“We call on members to join with me and the Leader of the Labour Group and the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in calling on the County Council to acknowledge the needs of the residents of Redditch.  Redditch is a town that was designed very specifically around the transportation needs of its communities and the vision that public transport would play a pivotal role in the day to day lives of its residents.  We have dedicated bus-only routes serving our communities which were all designed on the basis that this would remain a dedicated and exclusive bus infrastructure that services district centres within the Borough and provide a lifeline to those persons who reside there.

The removal of the bus services that operate within these areas would significantly undermine both the purpose of this vision and the independence of the residents who live there, particularly those with disabilities.

Both the residents and elected members of Redditch Borough acknowledge the challenge that all Councils are facing in these very difficult financial times – indeed we have been forced to examine difficult decisions ourselves – but I would ask for all Members to support us in calling on the County Council to consider, when making their decision on the bus services, the very special character and history of Redditch Borough and the disproportionate impact that these proposals will have on our residents.  We would also ask them to meet with representatives of this authority to discuss how these changes can be minimised and that they make the impact assessments that have been carried out on these reduced services available for public inspection.”