Public Document Pack Growth and Regeneration Scrutiny Commission Supplementary Information Date: Wednesday, 6 January 2021 Time: 3.00 pm Venue: Virtual Meeting - Zoom Committee Meeting with Public Access via YouTube 4. Public Forum Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item. (Pages 3 - 21) I Issued by: Dan Berlin City Hall, Bristol, BS1 9NE Tel: 0117 90 36898 E-mail: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, 06 January 2021 Agenda Item 4 Growth & Regeneration Scrutiny Commission 2020 Public Forum 3 spe Growth & Regeneration Scrutiny Commission 6th January 2021 Public Forum Questions Ref Name Page No. David Redgewell, South West Transport Network and Railfuture Q 1 & 2 2 Severnside. Q3 Councillor Huw James, North Somerset Council 3 Q4 & 5 Councillor Clive Stevens 3-4 Q6, 7, & 8 Councillor Paula O’Rourke 4-5 Statements Ref Name Page No. David Redgewell, South West Transport Network and Railfuture S1 6 Severnside. S2 Lucy Travis, Somerset Catch the Bus Campaign 8 S3 Gordon Richardson, Chair, Bristol Disabled Equalities Forum 10 S4 Christina Biggs, Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways 11 S5 Councillor Jerome Thomas 14 S6 Martin Garrett, Transport for Greater Bristol 15 S7 Dick Daniel, Bath Area Trams Association 18 1 Page 2 Growth & Regeneration Scrutiny Commission 2020 Public Forum Questions Q1: David Redgewell What progress has been made in discussions with secretary of state for local government, Robert Jenrick MP and ministers for local government, Luke Hall MP on a second Devolution deal to allow North Somerset Council to join WECA mayoral combined authority?; so that the deal can cover improvements in public transport and fund investment in such schemes; Regeneration of Bristol Temple Meads station and Temple quay; the light railway scheme to North Bristol Cribbs Causeway, East Bristol via Lawrence Hill, Easton, Eastville, Fishponds, Downend, Warmley, Oldland Common Bitton, Kelson, Weston, Bath city centre transport interchange; Route to Kingswood area via M32 and UWE Bus station; South Bristol loop via Bristol city centre Bristol Temple Meads, Cumberland Road metro bus route through North Somerset south Bristol link to Bristol Airport and via Withywood Hartcliffe, Hengrove, Whitchurch, Brislington Callington Road link on the North Somerset Railway to Temple Meads interchange and Bristol Broadmead and city centre. Improvements to Passengers with reduced mobility on local railway stations such as Weston Super Mare Nailsea and Backwell, and Parson street, Bedminster, Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road; all these station need lifts which will require full Government support for the Department for Transport, Railway improvements and set up a Passengers Transport authority including setting up a Railway executive and full public transport functions including bus infrastructure such as bus station stops and interchanges as well as providing bus service. This would allow North Somerset Council to join the West of England region plan, investment requires a second Devolution deal. Answer We wanted a meeting but it was cancelled. Twice. We’ve written to Luke Hall and not had a reply. You’re right to point to the investment we need in the region in relation to transport. This is something all leaders had agreed should form the basis of any expansion deal with government, as can be seen by reading the prospectus we developed ahead of the meeting with government that never happened. Our priority is the mass transit scheme for the transformative effect it will have on our transport network, supporting inclusive economic growth and low carbon. Q2: David Redgewell In view of the local government reorganisation of the Somerset region including North Somerset and Bath North East Somerset, with Somerset County Council having requested a delay in the local elections until May 2022, what discussions have taken place with secretary of state to delay the West of England combined authority elections in May 2021 to 2022 to allow a Devolution deal and allow Parliament orders to be laid in the House of Commons and House of Lords, so North Somerset Council can join the combined authority? In the long term we need to bring Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Swindon in the Western Gateway Partnership; and should join WECA mayoral combined authority. 2 Page 3 Growth & Regeneration Scrutiny Commission 2020 Public Forum Answer Government wrote to Somerset councils to discuss unitary council – before he wrote to WECA leaders about expansion. I’m not aware of any conversations regarding delaying the metro mayor elections. I agree that in the longer term we should be looking to take a truly regional approach. Q3: Councillor Huw James, North Somerset Council Is delaying the May 2021 WECA Mayoral Elections, allowing relevant parties to come to an agreement on governance structures, a new financial deal, and a clear business case for North Somerset’s expansion into WECA, now the most realistic way to ensure that the region can prosper together before 2025? Answer There are a collection of assumptions in here that need testing/scrutiny. North Somerset does get funding – and the region can prosper – for example the Portishead line. WECA was able to contribute to this without North Somerset being a member, which I hope you agree will help the region prosper. I would stress that new Political organisations are not solutions themselves. It seems people are losing sight of the bigger picture. We joined WECA so we could get stuff done. Bristol economy is more important to the region’s success than the administrative discussion. More important to the regional economy is houses, mass transit, adult education and skills training. While we want more co-operation, not less, it cannot come at the expense of Bristol’s economy. Q4: Councillor Clive Stevens Dear Marvin - I hope you are well and had a good break. My questions are about your wish to improve governance at WECA. In your letter to Tim Bowles of 5th October (p29) you wrote, “our concerns have been growing, and over the past 18 months we have made several requests to review the governance arrangements to ensure that the views, expertise and resources of the constituent councils are leveraged.” And in your email to all WofE leaders on 5th November you listed governance as one of the four key issues that needed improvement before you would allow WECA expansion. 3 Page 4 Growth & Regeneration Scrutiny Commission 2020 Public Forum Tim Bowles replied on 10th November saying that a Governance Review had been agreed at the 19th July 2019 WECA meeting. What do you think is lacking from the WECA Governance process (19 July 2019, Agenda 10, Appendix 1 - attached) for governance to be fit for purpose in an enlarged WECA? Answer Criteria by which funding is allocated, for example in relation to the investment fund – it cannot be a simple division as we are so much larger as a population and economy. Recognition of Bristol’s economic driver - a successful Bristol economy leads to a successful regional economy. How we ensure that our progressive urban voice is not drowned by conservative rural voices. A governance review was required by government as part of the expansion process, yet was never done. Q5: Councillor Clive Stevens As a Councillor I feel WECA suffers a democratic deficit. For example if I submit questions I usually get very general replies and am not permitted to ask follow up questions. To me this is the absence of a basic requirement for democratic accountability, which the WECA mayor is able to avoid. What are your views on this? Answer “Democratic deficit” can be an overused term – what we use can miss the point. With any institution, there is a danger of creating a bureaucracy that it feeds itself, asking questions of itself that don’t mean anything. There are big questions “what is to be done?” And “is it being done?” For our part, we have been frustrated by the lateness, size and format of the papers for meetings. As you know, receiving large papers at a late stage undermines the ability to review and then advocate for Bristol Q6: Councillor Paula O’Rourke Can I have a précis on the background to the Somerset reorganisation that has been and is still (I believe) in progress? Particularly, a timeline of events, communications received, etc. Also, what bearing does this have on the expansion of WECA? Answer We wouldn’t hold that information. However some of the reported context is: 4 Page 5 Growth & Regeneration Scrutiny Commission 2020 Public Forum Originally, Somerset County Council put forward a “One Somerset” model, for one large unitary authority. However last summer there were further proposals, made by the district councils, for two new unitaries to be formed: Mendip and South Somerset merging, and Sedgemoor joining Somerset West and Taunton (which has only existed since 2019). Following this, in October, government wrote to the councils in Somerset (Somerset County Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council and district councils in the area: Mendip; Sedgemoor; Somerset West and Taunton; South Somerset) to invite them to submit proposals for unitary local government. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-invites-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and- somerset-to-submit-locally-led-proposals-for-unitary-local-government There was press coverage of the reaction by Dine Romero at her cabinet on 5th November: https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/bath-north-east-somerset-residents- 4691314 The letter from government inviting Banes and North Somerset to join unitaries in Somerset predated the letter from Luke Hall regarding WECA expansion. A time line of communications regarding expansion can be found in the documents shared alongside my blog published on 16th December on the topic. Q7: Councillor Paula O’Rourke Have Gloucester expressed and appetite to join WECA - again, information on the background to this would be useful.