Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
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Agenda Item 4 Report to the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services 12 October 2012 Report to the Cabinet Member for Jobs and Economy 15 October 2012 Sandwell Voluntary Multilateral Agreement for the Provision of Enhanced Bus and Passenger Services (Cabinet Forward Plan Ref. No. JE092) 1. Summary Statement 1.1 Centro, in partnership with local bus operators and the Council, have been undertaking a network review of bus services from March 2012. Details of the review were reported to the Cabinet Member for Jobs and Economy on 11 June 2012 (Decision No. 24/12 refers). A comprehensive public consultation exercise took place in summer 2012 with various comments and recommendations being received, which fed into the design of a new, modernised network. Proposed service changes are listed in Appendix 1. 1.2 Service changes coming out of the review process were publicised during October 2012. This was carried out through a mass marketing campaign, various media sources, and events across the borough, ahead of the launch date on 28th October. 1.3 During initial stages of the review process, a Voluntary Multilateral Agreement (VMA) approach was agreed and adopted between Centro, various bus operators, and the Council, for the provision of enhanced bus and passenger services, aspiring to achieve an increase in customer satisfaction with bus services, bus patronage growth and modal shift towards buses. 1.4 It is worth noting that every operator who runs both commercial and tendered services in the Sandwell area was invited to enter into the VMA, but several operators who run commercial services declined to do so. The VMA does not stop these operators running services on routes, or operators who may wish to register new commercial services. Centro are keen to see such operators participating in the VMA in the future, in particular those who share the aspirations set out in 1.3. IL0 - Unclassified 1.5 The major targets of the VMA are to be phased over a three year period and focus on increasing customer satisfaction, bus patronage and reliability and punctuality, carried out through bi-annual customer satisfaction surveys, a Joint Data Sharing Agreement between operators and Centro, and patronage/reliability monitoring:- an increase in customer satisfaction from the 2012 baseline of 72% by 4% per year across the whole Partnership area to reach over 80% satisfaction by 2014-2015 growth in patronage across the whole Partnership area by 2014-2015 from the 2012 baseline; monitoring of service reliability and punctuality on ten key services (80, 87, 89, 120, 127, 311, 404, 410, 428, and 450). Operators will share patronage information quarterly with Centro for assessment of patronage growth or decline on the network over each 12 month period, to help identify areas for improvement and strengths/weaknesses of the service; various other targets have also been agreed and are listed under Item 7.6 below. 1.6 Measures to promote the VMA objectives include developing a new “Oyster” style Smartcard, enhancing the availability of RTI by installing displays at a further 40 locations, on-service cleaning trials for selected bus services at West Bromwich bus station, and development of a single joint customer charter. These are listed under item 7.7 below. 1.7 The VMA also sets out measures for the Council to:- continue to liaise with operators to implement improvements on the highway network; to consider further schemes and priorities for Kassel kerb and hard- standing facilities where identified as part of an audit process to be carried out on the key routes by Centro during 2013; work with Centro and the bus operators to identify and address as appropriate through enforcement measures locations where bus services are delayed as a result of illegal parking; consult and liaise as early as possible with bus operators and Centro on those routes where bus services are directly affected to allow appropriate diversion or other measures to be agreed. IL0 - Unclassified Any proposed amendment to traffic regulation or proposed scheme on the public highway will be subject to public consultation. Objections will be received and considered by the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services with four possible outcomes:- approval; approval with modifications; revised design with further consultation; rejection of the proposal. 1.8 The Sandwell VMA will come into effect on 28 October 2012 and will continue for a period of three years until 28 October 2015 unless otherwise terminated, replaced or extended. The VMA shall be reviewed by all parties after twelve months of its commencement. If any party decides to terminate its participation in the VMA, it is entitled to do so on giving at least three months prior notice to the other parties. Further details are attached for your information. 2. Recommendations 2.1 That the changes to bus services as a result of the Sandwell Bus Network Review be noted. 2.2 That the objectives, targets and measures within the Sandwell Voluntary Multilateral Agreement (VMA) be approved and signed on behalf of the Council by the Cabinet Member for Jobs and Economy at a launch ceremony on 24 October 2012. 2.3 That Sandwell officers work with Centro and the operators to ensure that targets in the Voluntary Multilateral Agreement (VMA) are met, and report back on performance against VMA objectives in 12 months time. IL0 - Unclassified In accordance with the authority delegated to the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, the following course of action has been agreed, which will be set out in the formal record of the decisions taken by the Member: (1) the recommendation(s) 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above is/are approved. (2) the recommendation(s) 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above is/are approved as now amended. (3) the recommendations 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above are not approved. _________________________________ Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services 12th October 2012 In accordance with the authority delegated to the Cabinet Member for Jobs and Economy, the following course of action has been agreed, which will be set out in the formal record of the decisions taken by the Member: (1) the recommendation(s) 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above is/are approved. (2) the recommendation(s) 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above is/are approved as now amended. (3) the recommendations 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above are not approved. _________________________________ Cabinet Member for Jobs and Economy 15th October 2012 Nick Bubalo Area Director - Regeneration and Economy Contact Officer Richard White Transportation Officer 0121 569 4894 IL0 - Unclassified 3. Strategic Resource Implications 3.1 Several measures in the VMA, especially those listed in 1.7 above, are the responsibility for Sandwell Council to implement. Centro are carrying out an audit on Kassel kerb and hard-standing facilities on key routes during 2013, and this could have strategic resource implications for the Council as the Highway Authority. 4. Risk Implications of the Proposal 4.1 The Corporate Risk Management Strategy (CRMS) has been complied with to identify and assess the significant risks associated with this decision. This includes (but is not limited to) political, legislation, financial, environmental and reputation risks. 4.2 Based on the information provided, it is the officers’ opinion that for the significant risks that have been identified, arrangements are in place to manage and mitigate these effectively. 4.3 This assessment has identified there are no current “red” risks that need to be reported. 5. Legal and Statutory Implications 5.1 The Sandwell VMA is a Voluntary Partnership Agreement between Centro, the bus operators and Sandwell Council. It is based on provisions in the Local Transport Act 2008, which provides local authorities and transport authorities with a wide range of options to help them meet local peoples transport needs. It seeks to demonstrate the extent to which network modernisation, performance improvement and improved customer satisfaction can be achieved through a Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Public transport supports the Council’s commitment to promoting sustainable travel and accessibility along with the policies contained in both the Black Country Joint Core Strategy and the Local Transport Plan 3. National Express West Midlands have a statutory duty to consult on route changes, mergers, new services and service withdrawals. 6. Implications for the Council’s Scorecard Priorities 6.1 The approval of the Sandwell VMA will contribute towards “Active and Well People”, “A Safe and Clean Place to Live” and the “Educated and Skilled People in Employment” priorities because public transport is important to people in accessing schools, further education, employment, shopping and leisure. IL0 - Unclassified 7. Background Details 7.1 Centro, in partnership with local bus operators and Sandwell Council, have been undertaking a network review of bus services from March 2012 (see earlier report entitled “Sandwell Bus Network Review”; Cabinet Forward Plan Ref. No. JE075). A comprehensive public consultation exercise took place in summer 2012 with various comments and recommendations being received, which fed into the design of a new, modernised network. The review will conclude in October 2012 with the launching of this new network. Proposed service changes are listed in Appendix 1. 7.2 Service changes coming out of the review process were publicised during September and October 2012. This was carried out through a mass marketing campaign, various media sources, and events across the borough, ahead of the launch date on 28th October. 7.3 During initial stages of the review process, a Voluntary Multilateral Agreement (VMA) approach was agreed and adopted between Centro, various bus operators, and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, for the provision of enhanced bus and passenger services, aspiring to achieve an increase in customer satisfaction with bus services, bus patronage growth and modal shift towards buses.