(Public Pack)Agenda Document for Economy, Environment And

Agenda Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Wednesday, 20 May 2015, 10.00 am County Hall, Worcester

All County Councillors are invited to attend and participate

This document can be made available in other formats (large print, audio tape, computer disk and Braille) on request from Democratic Services on telephone number 01905 728713 or by emailing [email protected]

DISCLOSING INTERESTS

There are now 2 types of interests: 'Disclosable pecuniary interests' and 'other disclosable interests'

WHAT IS A 'DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTEREST' (DPI)?

 Any employment, office, trade or vocation carried on for profit or gain  Sponsorship by a 3rd party of your member or election expenses  Any contract for goods, services or works between the Council and you, a firm where you are a partner/director, or company in which you hold shares  Interests in land in Worcestershire (including licence to occupy for a month or longer)  Shares etc (with either a total nominal value above £25,000 or 1% of the total issued share capital) in companies with a place of business or land in Worcestershire.

NB Your DPIs include the interests of your spouse/partner as well as you

WHAT MUST I DO WITH A DPI?  Register it within 28 days and  Declare it where you have a DPI in a matter at a particular meeting - you must not participate and you must withdraw. NB It is a criminal offence to participate in matters in which you have a DPI

WHAT ABOUT 'OTHER DISCLOSABLE INTERESTS'?  No need to register them but  You must declare them at a particular meeting where: You/your family/person or body with whom you are associated have a pecuniary interest in or close connection with the matter under discussion.

WHAT ABOUT MEMBERSHIP OF ANOTHER AUTHORITY OR PUBLIC BODY? You will not normally even need to declare this as an interest. The only exception is where the conflict of interest is so significant it is seen as likely to prejudice your judgement of the public interest.

DO I HAVE TO WITHDRAW IF I HAVE A DISCLOSABLE INTEREST WHICH ISN'T A DPI? Not normally. You must withdraw only if it:  affects your pecuniary interests OR relates to a planning or regulatory matter  AND it is seen as likely to prejudice your judgement of the public interest.

DON'T FORGET  If you have a disclosable interest at a meeting you must disclose both its existence and nature – 'as noted/recorded' is insufficient  Declarations must relate to specific business on the agenda - General scattergun declarations are not needed and achieve little  Breaches of most of the DPI provisions are now criminal offences which may be referred to the police which can on conviction by a court lead to fines up to £5,000 and disqualification up to 5 years  Formal dispensation in respect of interests can be sought in appropriate cases.

Simon Mallinson Head of Legal and Democratic Services July 2012 WCC/SPM summary/f

Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel Wednesday, 20 May 2015, 10.00 am, County Hall, Worcester

Membership Councillors: Dr K A Pollock (Chairman), Mr G J Vickery (Vice Chairman), Mr A A J Adams, Ms P Agar, Mr W P Gretton, Mr I Hopwood, Mr M E Jenkins, Mr J W R Thomas and Mr P A Tuthill

Agenda

Item No Subject Page No

1 Apologies and Welcome

2 Declarations of Interest and of any Party Whip

3 Public Participation Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Head of Legal and Democratic Services in writing or by email indicating the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 19 May 2015 ). Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/email address below.

4 Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous meeting (previously circulated)

5 Passenger Transport 1 - 12

6 Superfast Broadband 13 - 16

Agenda produced and published by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2NP. For general enquiries: 01905 763763 Worcestershire Hub: 01905 765765 Email: [email protected]

To obtain further information or hard copies of this agenda, please contact Stella Wood telephone: Worcester (01905) 76 6619, email: [email protected]

All the above reports and supporting information can be accessed via the Council’s website at http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20013/councillors_and_committees

Date of Issue: Tuesday, 12 May 2015 This page is intentionally left blank Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel 20 May 2015 Item No. 5 PASSENGER TRANSPORT

Summary 1. The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways, the Head of Community and Environment, and the Transport Planning and Review Officer, have been invited to provide an update on the effects of the revised bus network following subsidy reductions in September 2014.

Background 2. On 6 February 2014 Cabinet had considered the outcomes of the consultation on removing bus subsidies. As a result of the responses it was concluded that some key public transport services should be maintained to ensure access to schools, work opportunities, healthcare and shopping facilities.

3. On 9 June 2014 Cabinet considered and agreed the proposed revised network of services receiving subsidy. The Council's net bus expenditure (in 2013/14) was £3m per annum. The revised proposals would deliver savings of £1.6m (Minute 1590 refers).

4. This Panel also discussed the revised network on 6 June, and made the following comments to Cabinet:

The Panel acknowledged the consultation and proposals as a rigorous piece of work and it was clear that each route had been carefully considered over a period of time. It was welcomed that Cabinet had halved the amount of savings needed in response to the consultation. It was noted that the majority of responses to the consultation were from bus users, but there may be an impact on non-bus users. With regard to the Equality Impact Assessments, it was clear that some people would be worse off, but the Equality Impact had been fairly examined and the mitigations put in place were acceptable.

Update 5. The Panel felt that the impact of the changes to the bus network needed to be carefully monitored. It was agreed that the Panel would receive an update on how the revised network was working after 6 months of operation. As part of this, an update is attached at Appendix 1 which includes:

 The original proposals made to Cabinet in June 2014, by service  Additional notes to explain what was actually implemented in September 2014, and any subsequent changes to those services (including the reason)  Any notable issues experienced with the implementation of the service changes  Before and after figures for bus usage (where information is

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Page 1 available), and  Where information is not available for a direct before/after comparison, this is due to one of the following reasons:

 The service was previously subsidised and is now operated entirely commercially  The service was previously subsidised and elements are now operated commercially, and some parts still subsidised. It is therefore not possible to make a direct before/after comparison  The changes to the previous version of the service were so significant that it is not possible to make a direct comparison with the new service(s) operating post Sept 2014  Due to the introduction of new ticket machines, no return was received from the operator in October 2014. WCC receives operator returns in March and October each year, so the next return is due by the end of March 2015 and it is therefore not possible to include the data with this report.

6. The most significant change to the public transport network since the bus review was implemented in September 2014 was the cessation of operation by Whittles Coaches, who operated a number of commercial and contracted bus services in the Wyre Forest area. Whittles partly allege the decision to cease operations was due to the reduction in public funding and the effect on their contract base. The loss of Whittles as a major operator in the Wyre Forest area may impact upon the provision of services in the future and the competition for tendered services in that area of Worcestershire. Although WCC worked with a collection of other transport providers in the area to replace those services previously operated by Whittles, it did result in significant changes to the local bus network in the Wyre Forest, with some negative effects.

Community 7. There have been significant developments in service provision Transport in cooperation with the Community Transport Partnership in Worcestershire. A number of bus services proposed for withdrawal as part of the bus review were taken over (perhaps with some amendment) by Community Transport (CT) organisations.

8. CT schemes, as well as running voluntary car services throughout the county, are currently operating 9 Community Bus routes which provide passengers (who must book their journey in advance) from rural locations the opportunity to travel into a town to access the services they need. In addition, several CT operators also run registered local bus routes. All these can be found on WCC's bus timetables webpages. Worcestershire CT schemes have recently launched a collaborative website which gives details of all the various services available and the areas they cover. This can be found at www.communitytravel.org.uk

Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel – 20 May 2015

Page 2 Park & Ride 9. Some Panel Members were concerned about the impact of the removal of the Park and Ride, particularly on the environment and health of residents. On 27 November 2014 the Panel discussed this with Professor Graham Parkhurst, who advised that research had found that most park and rides reduced traffic levels by a small percentage in city centres but increased traffic in the surrounding hinterland. It was acknowledged that the benefits of 'last mile' park and rides were often not enough to justify the cost. The key to reducing carbon emissions from transport was to reduce inter-urban travel by getting passengers to interchange from car to public transport as early in their journey as possible.

10. In order to try and assess the impact of the closure of the Perdiswell Park & Ride site, a comparison of the traffic flows along the A449 Barbourne Road/The Tything can be made. The County Council maintains a permanent traffic counter on Barbourne Road, which monitors southbound (i.e. towards City Centre) traffic flows only. Appendix 2 shows the number of vehicles passing through the Barbourne Road counter, and the comparison shows only marginal differences in average daily and weekly traffic flows.

11. The comparison shows that there has been an average increase of 287 vehicles over a 24 hour period (Mon – Fri), and an average increase of 392 vehicles over a 24 hour period (Mon – Sun). The biggest average increase is actually on a Sunday (895 additional vehicles), suggesting that the weekly average is driven up by higher weekend traffic flows. As the Perdiswell Park & Ride Service did not operate on a Sunday, this increase cannot be attributed to the closure of the Park & Ride site.

12. It should be noted that the data in Appendix 2 is taken from a sample week before and after the closure of the Perdiswell Park & Ride Site, and this is just a sample. Many factors influence traffic flows, including seasonal peaks and troughs, road works schemes (of which there have been several during 2014/2015 on this section of highway), road works schemes elsewhere on the city centre network, climatic factors, and many more external influences.

Comments on 13. As requested by the Chairman, following the bus subsidy Impact reductions in September 2014, the Scrutiny Panel asked County Councillors whether any issues or concerns have been raised by residents about the impact of the changes. Residents, the Youth Cabinet, vulnerable groups and post 16 educational establishments in the County were also asked for their comments. In addition, Post 16 educational establishments were asked if they have noticed any reduction in student take up due to lack of passenger transport.

14. Responses are attached in full at Appendix 3, although the main points made are as follows:

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Page 3  Councillors/residents – Few concerns were raised overall, but only six responses were received, of these two advised that no residents had raised concerns.  Youth Cabinet – concerns remained that some students' choice of college courses would be limited and access to leisure activities (particularly in the evening) would be restricted.  Post 16 educational establishments – Few concerns were raised overall. Four responses were received. One college reported an increase in the uptake of courses and another noted no reduction. An issue was raised about lack of capacity on buses. Another college felt that transport frequency and cost created a barrier for rural college students.

15. South Worcestershire college introduced its own Malvern to Evesham bus route for its students due to the change in WCC's Home to School Transport Policy, implemented in September 2011, which means that Post 16 students only receive transport assistance from the County Council if they are attending the nearest college offering the level of study they wish to pursue, regardless of subject.

Purpose of the 16. Members are asked to: Meeting a) consider the effects of the revised bus network following subsidy reductions in September 2014 b) determine whether they wish to make any comments or recommendations for submission to Cabinet and if so agree those, and c) consider whether any further scrutiny work is needed.

17. During the discussion, Members may wish to explore the following areas:

 bus services between Redditch and Worcester hospitals  progress being made in encouraging community transport providers to take on routes and reduce their reliance on discretionary funding  the views of the bus companies now that the new network has bedded down

Supporting  Appendix 1 – Update on revised bus network Papers  Appendix 2 – Comparison of traffic flows on A449 Barbourne Road/Tything (pre and post closure of Perdiswell Park & Ride)  Appendix 3 – Comments on Impact

Contact Points County Council Contact Points: Worcestershire County Council (01905) 763763 Worcestershire Hub (01905) 765765 Email: [email protected]

Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel – 20 May 2015

Page 4 Specific Contact Points for this Report: Stella Wood, Overview and Scrutiny Officer, Commercial and Change Directorate Tel: 01905 82 2873 Email: [email protected]

Chris Holloway, Transport Planning & Review Officer, Business, Environment and Community Directorate Tel: 01905 82 2076 Email: [email protected]

Background In the opinion of the proper officer (in this case the Head of Legal Papers and Democratic Services) the following background papers relate to the subject matter of this report:

Agenda and Minutes of:  Cabinet on 9 June 2014  Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel on 6 June 2014 and 27 November 2014

All of which are available on the Council's website at http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/democratic- services/minutes-and-agendas.aspx

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Page 5 This page is intentionally left blank APPENDIX 1 Update on Bus Service Review for ECC O&S Panel - March 2015

Weekly Passenger Service Description Bus Review Proposals Additional Notes Numbers Number Oct-13 Oct-14 As per proposal. Route then amended in Jan 15 to incorporate part of Minimum of hourly service for all areas to be retained through most of the day. Timetables 4 / 4A / 5 Fairfield -> Kidderminster via Puxton Drive, Franche, Ferndale route affected by withdrawal of Whittles services. Some initial operating revised. Some new links provided. Comm Comm problems with new route in January. Simliar replacement service between Bromsgrove and Halesowen via Catshill and As per proposal. Service between Bromsgrove and Halesowen provided 007 The Oakalls - Bromsgrove - Halesowen via Catshill, Romsley Romsley. A service between Oakalls and Bromsgrove will be provided by rerouting commercailly and extended to Worcester. N/A N/A another service. As per proposal. Route then amended in Jan 15 to incorporate part of 7 Kidderminster - Fairfield via Greenhill, Sion Hill Similar level of service to be provided, with some retimings route affected withdrawal of Whittles services 728 719 Service not being replaced but close to other bus routes and Community Transport also 7A Kidderminster - Offmore Road Commercial replacement provided. provides an alternative. N/A N/A

As per propsal, then revised and extended to serve Lickhill and Burlish in Similar replacement service but incorporating additional Stourport Estates and include Jan 15 following withdrawal of Whittles services. From Dec 2014 15, S15 Kidderminster - Stourport - Bewdley via Wilden Tesco. reduced level of service to Bewdley following withdrawal of Whittles 507 683 services. Timing issues on new Service 15 have now been addressed.

As per proposal. Some operational issues with new operator - being 17 Droitwich - Cockshute Hill (Circular) Similar level of service to be provided. addressed by WCC Monitoring Officers 233 193 As per proposal. Some operational issues with new operator - being 18 Droitwich - New Chawson (Chalverton Court) Similar level of service to be provided. addressed by WCC Monitoring Officers 345 353 As per proposal. Some operational issues with new operator - being 19A / 19C Droitwich - Chawson - The Ridings - Meadows Estate - Droitwich Similar level of service to be provided. addressed by WCC Monitoring Officers 888 808 As per proposal. Some operational issues with new operator - being 20 Droitwich - Westlands (- Hampton Lovett) (Circular) Similar level of service to be provided. addressed by WCC Monitoring Officers 1372 1193

21 Worcester -> Winchester Avenue -> Worcester Similar level of revised service to be provided by combining services 21 and 22. As per proposal - no reported issues. 118 168 22 Worcester -> Broadway Grove -> Solitaire Avenue -> Worcester Similar level of revised service to be provided by combining services 21 and 22. As per proposal - no reported issues.

Service not being replaced but close to other bus routes and Community Transport also 23 Worcester -> Blanquettes Avenue -> Longfellow Road -> Worcester As per proposal - no reported issues. provides an alternative. N/A N/A 24 Worcester - Kilbury Drive (Circular) via Prestwich Avenue Similar replacement service to be provided as part of a package of services. As per proposal - no reported issues. 65 104

26 / 27 / S27 Worcester - Diglis - Battenhall - Worcester Similar replacement service to be provided but excluding Diglis Lane area to reduce costs. As per proposal, except Diglis Lane still included. 476 639 27 Stratford - Pebworth (Circular) via Welford, Long Marston Service retained. As per proposal - no reported issues. N/A N/A 30 Worcester - Dines Green (Circular): Friday and Saturday Evenings Enhanced service to be provided Monday to Saturday evenings. Commercial enhancement - As per proposal - no reported issues. Comm Comm

Service retained but reduced to hourly between City, Bilford Road and Warndon. Service As per proposal. Although the service is now operated commercially, in the evening retained between Henwick Park, University, Arena, City and Hospital only WCC has received complaints about the reduction in service in the 31A / 31C Worcester - Worcestershire Royal Hospital - Warndon - Worcester but other evening and Sunday journeys are withdrawn. No journeys to serve Sixways Bilford Road area, and also the loss of evening journeys particularly Comm Comm Park and Ride. concerning access to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Northwick (New Inn) - Worcester via Ombersley Road: Friday and 32 Evening journeys not being replaced. As per proposal. Saturday Evenings N/A N/A Worcester - Tolladine - Warndon - Lyppard Centre - Tunnel Hill - 33A / 34A Evening journeys not being replaced. As per proposal. Worcester: Friday and Saturday Evenings N/A N/A Worcester - Blackpole (Circular) via Brickfields, Warndon: Friday and 35 Service retained and extended to Monday to Saturday. Commercial enhancement - As per proposal - no reported issues. Saturday Evenings Comm Comm

As per proposal - no reported issues with new Service 42 (Malvern Town Service reduced to hourly between Upton and Malvern. Service). Upton-upon-Severn - Great Malvern via Welland, Hanley Swan, Malvern 41-43 Wells Comm Comm Separate Malvern Town Service to improve operational efficiency, reduced to two-hourly. Replacement buses between Upton and Malvern to be slightly re-timed from April 2015 to address reliabilty issues with school journeys.

Similar level of revised service to be provided by combining services 50 and 63, and 50 Redditch - Batchley (Salters Lane) via Cedar Road, Woodlands As per proposal. Now operates as service 53. No reported issues integrating with an Education contract. N/A N/A As per proposal. Most of route now incorporated in commercial Service 60 Redditch - Matchborough West via Abbeydale, Morrison's Slightly improved level of revised service to be provided by combining services 60 and 61. 62. Arthur Jobson House now served by Service 65. Comm Comm Sainsbury's - Abbey Stadium - Redditch - Matchborough East via North Similar level of revised service to be provided to most parts of route by combining services As per proposal. Some issues regarding siting of bus stops on 61 Moons Moat 60 and 61. replacement commercial Service 62. Comm Comm Similar level of revised service to be provided by combining services 50 and 63, and 63 Redditch - Plymouth Road (Circular) via Bentley Close As per proposal. Now operates as Service 53. No reported issues. integrating with an Education contract. N/A N/A As per proposal. Now incorporates Lakeside after withdrawal of section 64 Redditch – Woodrow North via Lodge Park, Greenlands Similar level of revised service to be provided by combining with School services of commercial Service 143. 663 777 As per proposal, except operating 4 days per week instead of the Retained on a minimum of 3 days with reduced number of journeys and combined with a 133 Kidderminster - Droitwich via Chaddesley Corbett, Cutnall Green proposed 3. The timetable was further revised from Feb 2015 to address Droitwich School service. 233 266 some minor reliability issues. Service improved to hourly and operates as through service to 141 Bromsgrove - Droitwich via Wychbold, The Stokes Service retained as now except for slight reduction in Saturday service Longbridge as 145. 2204 1963 145 Redditch - Bromsgrove - Longbridge via Barnt Green Service retained largely as now, except Rubery will be omitted. Service improved to hourly and operates as through service to Droitwich.

166 Worcester - Stratford via Evesham, Bidford-on-Avon: Sundays Sunday service not being replaced. As per proposal. N/A N/A

Blackwell - Redditch (St. Bedes) via Lickey, Finstall, Webheath, plus 181 School services to be provided. As per proposal. Education contract from South of Bromsgrove - St Bedes: School service Comm Comm

Bromsgrove - Redditch via Elm Grove, Lickey, Cofton Hackett, Barnt 182 / 183 Service to be provided on at least 3 days per week As per proposal, and operating 5 days per week. No reported issues Green, Alvechurch, Rowney Green 238 172

As per proposal. Howvewer service amended in Jan 15 as a result of Whittle's withdrawal. From Jan 15 Stourport - Kidderminster section Service to be provided largely as now with some improvement at the Stourport end of the 192 Stourport - Kidderminster - Halesowen via Burlish, Hagley withdrawn, partially replaced with extended service 15. Complaints route. To include one journey per day via Sculthorpe Road. 2396 2482 ongoing from residents of Lickhill and Burlish re loss of direct service and through service to Halesowen

Service not being replaced but close to other bus routes or Blakedown Station for Kidderminster or other destinations for some passengers; Sculthorpe Road estate in Blakedown Rail Station served by one return journey per day diversion of 197 Hagley - Kidderminster via Blakedown Blakedown will be served by a diversion of another route. Community Transport also 192. otherwise as proposal N/A N/A provides alternative.

213 Stourport - Astley Burf (Circular): Friday only Service retained. As per proposal - no reported issues. N/A N/A 291 Tenbury Wells - Kidderminster via Mamble, Bewdley Service to be retained to revised timetable and integration with school contract As per proposal - no reported issues. 683 576 As per proposal. Amended in Dec 14 to cover sections of route affected Kidderminster (Rail Stn) - Ludlow via Bewdley, Hales Park, Cleobury 292 Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. by withdrawal of Whittles services. Some complaints regarding reduced Mortimer N/A N/A frequency on Bewdley Hill. 294 / 295 Kidderminster - Worcester via Stourport, Holt Heath Service retained. As per proposal - no reported issues. 1560 1339 297 Kidderminster - Bridgnorth via Arley, Alveley Service retained as now. As per proposal - no reported issues. N/A N/A As per proposal. Complaints received about fare increases for non- Worcester – Clifton upon Teme via Rushwick, Broadheath, Grimley, 308-310 Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. entitled students attending The Chantry High School from out of Martley 1697 1513 catchment in Worcester. Bromsgrove Rail Stn - Stourbridge via Bromsgrove, Sidemoor, Catshill, 318 Service retained as now. As per proposal - no reported issues. Belbroughton, Hagley 1018 1058 Redditch - Worcester via Alexandra Hospital, Astwood Bank, Inkberrow, 350 Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. As per proposal - no reported issues. Upton Snodsbury, Worcestershire Royal Hospital 795 649 New replacement service between Upton and Tewkesbury; limited service for Naunton Commercial enhancement - As per proposal - link to Tewkesbury from 351 / 361 Upton upon Severn - Tewkesbury - Gloucester and not serving Ripple and Uckinghall. Community Transport provides an alternative for wider area has been complemented. Comm Comm villages with reduced or no bus service.

Holt Heath - Redditch via Ombersley, Droitwich, Hanbury, Feckenham: School service replaced but shoppers' service only replaced between Droitwich and As per proposal. The timetable was further revised from Feb 2015 to 354 Tuesday, Thursday and Schooldays Redditch. Holt Heath and Ombersley have bus services to alternative destinations. address some minor reliability issues. 120 71

As per proposal. Operational difficulties in getting bus through Claines 355 Droitwich - Worcester via Chawson, Fernhill Heath, Cornmeadows Similar level of revised service to be provided. Lane past the primary school due to parental parking. TRO scheme to 695 523 control parking was explored, but not pursued at this stage.

Similar level of revised service to be provided for journeys towards Worcester but service Worcester - Droitwich / Grafton Flyford via Crowle, Tibberton, Shernal As per proposal. Some complaints received about the increases in fares 356-8 to Droitwich to be discontinued and Oddingley / Shernal Green will not be served. Green on the revised 356 service. 320 96 Community Transport to be provide alternative. Commercial enhancement - As per proposal - link to Tewkesbury from 362, 364 Worcester - Upton-upon-Severn via St. Peter's, Kempsey, Kinnersley Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. wider area has been complemented. Comm Comm Commercial enhancement - As per proposal - link to Tewkesbury from 363 Worcester - Upton-upon-Severn via Callow End, Hanley Swan Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. wider area has been complemented. Comm Comm Malvern Link - Cheltenham via Great Malvern, Malvern Wells, Hanley 377 Expected to be replaced by an alternative Service. As per proposal - replaced by Community Transport - no reported issues. Castle, Welland, Pendock, Gloucester: Saturday only N/A N/A Worcester - Pershore via Norton, Littleworth, Defford, Eckington: Friday 382 Evening journeys not being replaced. As per proposal. and Saturday Evenings N/A N/A 417 Worcester - Ledbury via Bishops Frome, Cradley Service retained similar to present. As per proposal - no reported issues. N/A N/A Worcester -> Bransford -> Alfrick -> Suckley -> Alfrick -> Bransford -> 423 Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. As per proposal - no reported issues. Worcester 178 194 Page 7 APPENDIX 1 Update on Bus Service Review for ECC O&S Panel - March 2015

Weekly Passenger Service Description Bus Review Proposals Additional Notes Numbers Number Oct-13 Oct-14 178 194 425 Worcester - Bransford - Alfrick - Suckley - Great Malvern: Friday only Similar level of service to be provided, with some timetable changes. As per proposal - no reported issues.

Tenbury - Hereford via Leysters, Middleton, Kimbolton, Stoke Prior: 3rd 499 Service not being replaced but Community Transport provides an alternative. As per proposal - replaced by Community Transport - no reported issues. Wednesday only N/A N/A 500 Burford - Leominster via Tenbury, Kimbolton: Friday only Service not being replaced but Community Transport provides an alternative. As per proposal - replaced by Community Transport - no reported issues. N/A N/A

As per proposal. Additional demand on school journeys has generated the need for a small additional bus to Prince Henry's High School. The Replacement service between Evesham and Tewkesbury only. need for this additional bus will be reviewed over Summer 2015 once 540 Evesham - Cheltenham via Beckford, Bredon, Tewkesbury Alternative regular service exists between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham. new school numbers are known. 2757 2432 Some initial complaints also received about the increased fares, particularly for non-entitled students. Worcester - Evesham via Drakes Broughton, Pershore, Fladbury: Friday 551 Evening journeys not being replaced. As per proposal. and Saturday evenings N/A N/A As per proposal - no reported issues. Evesham - South Littleton - Pebworth - Honeybourne - Badsey – 552 / 553 Service retained. Service was further revised in Jan 2015 to reflect revised opening time of Evesham, East Vale Hopper 2369 2149 The De Montfort School, Evesham. As per proposal. The timetable is being reviewed with a view to re-timing Pershore - Inkberrow - Evesham - Elmley Castle – Pershore, Wychavon certain journeys from Summer 2015 due to reliability issues following 564 / 565 Reduced level of service to be provided with current school movements accommodated. Hopper school journeys. This will not affect the number of journeys being 1602 699 operated.

Upton Snodsbury / Peopleton - Pershore Estates via Pinvin, Pershore, Similar replacement service to be provided but excluding Upton Snodsbury and Peopleton, 566 As per proposal - no reported issues. Pershore PlumLine which have buses to alternative destinations or are served by Community Transport. 605 523

As per proposal. Minor changes in January and April 2015 following 580 Kidderminster - Kinver via Sion Hill, Fairfield Similar level of service to be provided, possible revised timetable withdrawal of Whittles services. 262 193 582 Evesham -> Hampton -> Fairfield -> Evesham: Saturday Saturdays: Reduced level of service may be provided. As per proposal - no reported issues. N/A N/A 675 Ledbury - Great Malvern via Wellington Heath, Colwall, West Malvern Service retained. As per proposal - no reported issues. N/A N/A

As per proposal. Further revision in October 2014 following request from Revised network of services to Wolverley High School will provide for current student 830 Caunsall - Wolverley School via Cookley school. Further slight amendment in Jan 2015 following withdrawal of movements. N/A N/A Whittles services. Some operating issues.

As per proposal. Further revision in Oct 2014 following request from Revised network of services to Wolverley High School will provide for current student 831 Kidderminster - Wolverley School via Wilton Avenue, Habberley school. Further slight amendment in Jan 2015 following withdrawal of movements. 252 272 Whittles services. Some operating issues.

As per proposal. Further revision in October 2014 following request from Revised network of services to Wolverley High School will provide for current student school. Further amendment in Jan 2015, including loss of service from 833 Chaddesley Corbett - Wolverley School via Kidderminster movements. Chaddesley Corbett, following withdrawal of Whittles services. Some 283 393 operating issues. King Charles now served by separate vehicle.

As per proposal. Further revision in Oct 2014 following request from Revised network of services to Wolverley High School will provide for current student 834 Sion Hill - Wolverley School school. Further slight amendment in Jan 2015 following withdrawal of movements. N/A N/A Whittles services. Some operating issues. As per proposal. Further revision in Oct 2014 following request from Revised network of services to Wolverley High School will provide for current student 835 Marlpool Lane - Wolverley School via Willowfield Drive school. Further slight amendment in Jan 2015 following withdrawal of movements. N/A N/A Whittles services. Some operating issues.

R4 Willersey - Broadway - Evesham: Early morning Early morning journeys may be withdrawn. Early morning journeys were NOT withdrawn. N/A N/A

As per proposal. Services to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School were S1 Droitwich - Blessed Edward Oldcorne School Service retained, with increased fares. further revised from Oct 2014 to address some minor timing / loading Comm Comm issues. No reported issues since. As per proposal. Services to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School were Droitwich / Primsland - Blessed Edward Oldcorne School via Fernhill S2 Service retained, with increased fares. further revised from Oct 2014 to address some minor timing / loading Heath Comm Comm issues. No reported issues since. Wythall - Hockley Heath via Whitlocks End, Tidbury Green, Dickens S3 Service retained as now As per proposal - no reported issues. Heath, Solihull, Knowle, Dorridge N/A N/A As per proposal. Services to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School were Blackpole - Blessed Edward Oldcorne School via Warndon, Warndon Revised network of services from Worcester estates to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School S3 further revised from Oct 2014 to address some minor timing / loading Villages will provide for current student movements. Increased fares. Comm Comm issues. No reported issues since. As per proposal. Services to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School were Revised network of services from Worcester estates to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School S4 Warndon Villages - Blessed Edward Oldcorne School further revised from Oct 2014 to address some minor timing / loading will provide for current student movements. Increased fares. Comm Comm issues. No reported issues since. As per proposal. Services to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School were Revised network of services from Worcester estates to Blessed Edward Oldcorne School S6 Warndon Villages - Blessed Edward Oldcorne School further revised from Oct 2014 to address some minor timing / loading will provide for current student movements. Increased fares. Comm Comm issues. No reported issues since. S57 Washford Mill - St. Augustine's RC High School via Redditch Service retained as now As per proposal - no reported issues. 274 524

S69 Foxlydiate Inn – Ridgeway Middle School via Webheath Service retained as now As per proposal - now provided commercially. No reported issues. Comm Comm

As per proposal - no reported issues. Service also provided a S70 New End - Kingsley College via Astwood Bank Service retained as now replacement for an additional education contract route. 146 326 S91 Webheath - Kingsley College Service retained as now As per proposal - no reported issues. 278 340 S94 Webheath - Kingsley College Service retained as now As per proposal - no reported issues. 296 420

Service withdrawn. Passengers from intermediate stops have frequent alternative bus W1 Worcester - Worcester North (Perdiswell) Park & Ride As per proposal. services whilst those travelling by car can drive to reach their destination. N/A N/A

WCC ended its subsidy support for the W3 service as per the proposal, Park and Ride service not replaced. Passengers travelling by car can drive to reach their however Worcestershire Royal Hospital has continued to operate the W3 Sixways Park and Ride - Worcestershire Royal Hospital destination. service for its staff, and expects to until at least the end of 2015 whilst it N/A N/A reviews other car park development options. 26656 24810

Page 8 APPENDIX 2 A449 Barbourne Road Average Traffic Counts (Southbound)

From 27/01/2014 To 10/02/2014 From 01/12/2014 To 15/12/2014

Perdiswell Park & Ride Service in operation No Park & Ride Service in operation

5-Day 7-Day 5-Day 7-Day Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Average Average Average Average 00:00 35 30 34 38 49 116 155 37 65 00:00 34 74 50 41 68 184 227 53 97 01:00 14 17 14 16 21 84 122 16 41 01:00 14 22 20 22 32 114 146 22 53

Page 9 Page 02:00 8 20 16 23 20 50 82 17 31 02:00 11 21 14 22 26 66 98 19 37 03:00 12 12 12 17 17 58 75 14 29 03:00 10 20 60 14 20 100 75 25 43 04:00 22 26 20 22 32 32 45 24 28 04:00 26 26 25 34 25 48 50 27 33 05:00 84 86 86 86 74 58 32 83 72 05:00 83 96 92 98 93 63 45 92 81 06:00 232 232 246 246 248 104 64 241 196 06:00 230 274 272 254 248 142 70 256 213 07:00 872 895 868 855 838 278 125 866 676 07:00 814 806 856 840 783 285 148 820 647 08:00 860 858 884 887 930 602 191 884 745 08:00 798 657 724 764 682 649 240 725 645 09:00 874 888 933 921 880 854 489 899 834 09:00 936 878 930 918 930 914 516 918 860 10:00 770 732 757 763 821 936 766 769 792 10:00 855 885 849 828 880 899 851 859 864 11:00 748 746 723 760 798 951 812 755 791 11:00 894 812 892 841 852 939 846 858 868 12:00 746 758 741 780 784 997 912 762 817 12:00 753 772 814 830 817 902 940 797 833 13:00 699 741 728 729 792 910 786 738 769 13:00 672 771 736 749 926 904 818 771 797 14:00 726 746 740 754 796 870 728 752 766 14:00 801 788 818 767 917 891 783 818 824 15:00 820 833 812 819 864 752 654 830 793 15:00 808 800 842 677 826 746 710 791 773 16:00 835 806 843 832 848 722 617 833 786 16:00 764 822 862 654 838 740 752 788 776 17:00 782 812 790 814 854 668 518 810 748 17:00 814 860 868 810 828 698 572 836 779 18:00 791 820 814 874 864 618 452 833 748 18:00 815 874 906 930 932 760 494 891 816 19:00 596 676 678 692 786 648 366 686 635 19:00 545 683 692 708 872 654 416 700 653 20:00 358 404 381 466 466 380 247 415 386 20:00 350 398 390 438 452 374 282 406 383 21:00 269 312 308 324 294 300 198 301 286 21:00 246 308 302 312 320 306 208 298 286 22:00 192 258 253 300 264 273 126 253 238 22:00 412 281 293 307 294 262 146 317 285 23:00 92 104 120 129 230 226 61 135 137 23:00 82 121 116 158 286 266 86 153 159

12H,7-19 9522 9635 9634 9786 10070 9159 7051 9729 9265 12H,7-19 9723 9725 10099 9610 10211 9327 7670 9873 9480 16H,6-22 10978 11258 11248 11514 11864 10591 7927 11372 10768 16H,6-22 11094 11387 11755 11323 12103 10802 8647 11532 11016 18H,6-24 11262 11620 11621 11943 12357 11090 8113 11760 11144 18H,6-24 11587 11789 12164 11789 12684 11329 8879 12002 11460 24H,0-24 11438 11810 11802 12145 12570 11489 8624 11953 11411 24H,0-24 11765 12048 12424 12019 12947 11903 9519 12240 11803 This page is intentionally left blank APPENDIX 3

COMMENTS ON IMPACT

Following the bus subsidy reductions in September 2014, the Scrutiny Panel asked County Councillors whether any issues or concerns have been raised by residents about the impact of the changes. Residents, the Youth Cabinet, vulnerable groups and post 16 educational establishments in the County were also asked for their comments. In addition, Post 16 educational establishments were asked if they have noticed any reduction in student take up due to lack of passenger transport.

Responses are as follows:

Cllr Issues/Concerns

Mary Rayner The bus service from Sion Hill to Wolverley High school must St Georges & St Oswald be kept in place. Pupils should not have to walk along that Wyre Forest road as it is too dangerous (there has been a recent fatal accident).

Also, a disabled resident in Tabbs Gardens is unhappy about a changed route as he now has to walk to the main road to catch the bus into town.

Bob Banks Cannot recall having received any complaints or observations Evesham South regarding any bus services in my Division following subsidy Wychavon reductions which took effect from September last year.

Matthew Jenkins The loss of the P&R and the reduction in the 31 service have St Stephens, had a big impact in my division. People who used to use these Worcester City now drive. There are reports of increased parking problems off the Barbourne Road/The Tything, with more drivers leaving their cars for the day on the narrow residential streets in the area.

Liz Eyre I have not had one letter on this point. I have had Broadway communication re planning applications S106 bus stop Wychavon financial contributions – when no busses or when PC has just replaced the bus stop – in an appropriate way for a rural community.

Rachel Jenkins Almost all services have been retained in my area apart from Clent Hills the 197 route. There is now a Community Transport Scheme Bromsgrove with one trip per week from Hagley to Kidderminster although there is an issue in getting information out about it to residents. I have used my Divisional Fund to support this scheme and another scheme (yet to start) from Clent.

One service, previously subsidised, has become commercial. Residents feel it is an improved service after being combined with another route which now runs from Worcester to Halesowen via Romsley.

Some concern had been expressed by residents travelling from Clent to Kidderminster as they had to change at Hagley and it was sometimes difficult to pick up the 192 to Kidderminster.

Page 11 Cllr Issues/Concerns

Jim Parish Residents would like the 15 service (a meandering route from Stourport-on-Severn Kidderminster to the new Tesco Store) redirected to provide a better service for the residents in Windermere Way and Burlish - not going via Kidderminster.

The removal of the 192 service is causing considerable hardship to a number of residents. Is it possible to have a new survey to better establish needs.

Post 16 educational Issues/concerns establishments

South Worcestershire It would be very difficult for us to pin point a precise issue due College to the changes. However,

 We have incurred additional costs of £20,000 for our new Malvern/Evesham Bus route  We have two other mini-bus routes  In rural areas transport remains one of the main barriers to students attending College both in terms of the numbers of buses available to use and the cost

Tudor Grange Academy We have not experienced a reduction in uptake of any Redditch courses. The data for 2015.16 shows an increase in the numbers of students opting to come to TGAR 6th form particularly in maths, physics and English literature.

RSA Academy Arrow Vale Our students have reported on a number of occasions when being late to school, that buses have driven past them due to being too full to be able to allow any other passengers on. There are regularly delays in the buses which also results in students arriving to school late. Our Sixth Form students who don’t wear a uniform, are also being questioned when asking for a child ticket, as the drivers don’t believe they are still in full time education (as a school we are unable to fund anything to prove that they are still in education with us and qualify for a child ticket).

South Bromsgrove High Not aware of any issues or concerns as a result of the subsidy Academy Trust reductions, or any reduction in the take up of places.

Youth Cabinet

The Youth Voice Development Worker advised that there had not been enough time for the Youth Cabinet to discuss the effects of the revised bus network before the Scrutiny Panel meeting in May 2015. However, she felt that the young people still had concerns about passenger transport such as those outlined in the Youth Cabinet's petition handed in as part of the consultation last year. These included concerns that some students' choice of college courses might be limited and access to leisure activities (particularly in the evening) would be restricted due to lack of suitable services and high fare costs.

Page 12 Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel 20 May 2015 Item No. 6

SUPERFAST BROADBAND – UPDATE

Summary 1. The Broadband Team has been invited to discuss the delivery of Superfast Broadband in Worcestershire, including progress of the 5 rural communities originally supported by the County Council to submit a bid to DEFRA to enable access to Superfast Broadband.

Background 2. The County Council appointed BT as a broadband infrastructure supplier, on 5 August 2013. The County Council and BT formed a partnership known as 'Superfast Worcestershire' which aimed to deliver high speed broadband to 90% of Worcestershire homes and businesses (delivering high speed broadband to an additional 55,000 business and residential premises in Worcestershire) by June 2016, with remaining 'hard to reach areas' receiving at least basic broadband download speeds of 2Mbps. The Council committed to invest up to £8.5m in the project with additional funding from BDUK (£3.35m) and BT (about £9m).

3. The County Council was successful in securing a further £4.78m of funding to invest in extending the fibre infrastructure to ensure that superfast speeds were available to 95% of the County. This was anticipated to benefit a further 13,000 residential and business premises across Worcestershire.

4. The Council invited all infrastructure providers to respond to the Open Market Review, to establish where they currently operated or had plans to deploy within the next three years. This would determine where, following a tender process, this further public money could be spent, as required under State Aid Regulations. Worcestershire signed the final deal with BT on 27 March 2015.

DEFRA Bid 5. Before the formation of Superfast Worcestershire, the County Council supported 5 rural communities in the County to submit a bid to DEFRA to enable them to take advantage of fibre broadband infrastructure. The aim was to invest and extend coverage to around 1,300 business and residential premises in the areas of:

 Abberley  Defford and Besford  Honeybourne and Pebworth  Ombersley, Doverdale and Holt  Welland, Castlemorton and Birtsmorton

6. After a number of meetings with BDUK and DEFRA, on 20 March 2014 the Council received a letter confirming that DEFRA could not consider the communities' application for funding that the Council had supported.

Economy, Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel – 20 May 2015

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Page 13 7. The Council worked with BDUK to identify alternative funding through their Superfast Britain programme – this included significant pressure to ensure that the original 5 communities were enabled through this process.

8. BDUK confirmed their financial support and the Council agreed a change to the contract with BT to extend coverage into gaps identified in these communities. This secured coverage for an additional 1,300 premises, again by June 2016. Communities were informed of progress at a meeting in October 2014, ahead of the public announcement.

9. A Member of the Panel is concerned that some of these parishes still cannot access SFBB. Parts of all of the five areas identified have already received an uplift in fibre coverage as part of the deployment. The remainder that are within the programme are planned to be completed by June 2016. Additional coverage will also be provided as part of the Superfast Extension Programme.

10. The County Council continues to manage the programme from a County and coverage level and recognises the benefits of giving flexibility to BT to deploy the infrastructure using the best engineering solution and value for money approach.

11. The Government and the Council recognise that the public sector investment made to secure the best infrastructure for our residents and businesses is for their long term future rather than short term gain.

Communications 12. Members have also asked about the way planned roll outs are communicated with the Council. The importance of this is highlighted in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee report on rural broadband which concludes that: 'Councils need access to timely data from BT that allows them accurately to monitor take-up of broadband. Equally, they need access to timely data from BT about planned broadband coverage and speed.'

13. BT is contractually obliged to inform the Council, at least 3 months ahead of deploying infrastructure of where this is planned. To date the programme has been broadly deployed in line with the phases as presented by BT prior to contract award(s), with some minor exceptions. The programme remains 3 months ahead of schedule.

14. The Council makes information available to the public through the Superfast Worcestershire website. This includes what cabinets are planned, surveyed and live.

15. The Council receives quarterly reports on take up, coverage and speeds from BT as well as regular contact and contractual meetings. In addition, the Council has a mailing list of approximately 13,000 residents and businesses who are regularly communicated

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Page 14 with on programme progress - when requested at more frequent timescales than quarterly at the discretion of the supplier. Other communications include regular visits to parish councils, communities and door to door targeted mail-outs as fibre is deployed.

16. In addition, the contract with BT asks for an Annual Report, summarising programme activity, achievements against milestones and how public concerns and demand have been managed, to be submitted to scrutiny.

17. The latest annual report was in September 2014. This included confirmation that BT was meeting its contractual milestones and that targets were being met. The Panel was also advised that BT's deployment strategy was based on technical and physical feasibility; existing infrastructure (exchange equipment, ducts, copper and power availability); clustering of premises (to maximise the number of lines served in the earliest timeframe to deliver value for money); and best alignment of local engineering resources. The next update is next due this autumn.

Purpose of the 18. Members are asked to discuss the delivery of Superfast Meeting Broadband in Worcestershire, including progress of the Parishes originally included in the DEFRA schemes. In doing so, Members may wish to consider:

 timeliness and transparency of information on which areas will be upgraded, when and how they were prioritised  how customers are being engaged in the roll out

19. The Panel is asked to determine whether they wish to make any comments or recommendations to Cabinet, and if so, agree these, and to consider whether any future scrutiny work is needed.

Contact Points County Council Contact Points: Worcester (01905) 763763, Kidderminster (01562) 822511 or Minicom: Worcester (01905) 766399

Specific Contact Points for this Report: Stella Wood (Tel: 01905 82 2873) Email: [email protected]

Background In the opinion of the proper officer (in this case the Director of Papers Resources) the following background papers relate to the subject matter of this report:

Agenda and Minutes of

 Economy Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel 17 September 2014

which is available on the Council's website at: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/democratic- services/minutes-and-agendas.aspx

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 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee report on Rural broadband and digital-only services http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselec t/cmenvfru/834/834.pdf

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