Issue - meetings

At the request of the  three constituent members of the Combined Authority an extraordinary urgent meeting of the Combined Authority has been called to discuss the totality of the transport levy, it’s distribution across the constituent Unitary Authorities, and the associated award of supported bus contracts.

The requisition submitted by the three Councils requests that the business to be transacted at the extraordinary meeting is as follows.

The Combined Authority will consider the following proposal:

In order to protect essential bus services across the West of England, the Combined Authority Resolves to:

1. To consider the feasibility of seeking a one-year extension to the current bus contracts to enable a long term sustainable solution to be found in collaboration with the Unitary Authorities.
2. To underwrite, either 1 above, or any new contract award from appropriate budgets, to enable the constituent councils and the combined authority to consider the budget impact for 23/24 onwards, including a clear assessment as to the VFM of routes, equality and service mitigations, and the appropriate share of service and cost across the Combined Authority and Levied Authorities.

The Chair introduced the report by saying that, like most combined authorities, the West of England have received its funding for running supported bus services from its constituent councils in the form of a Transport Levy.  The Levy was agreed between the various parties when all the bus service contracts, and other bus-related functions were transferred to the Combined Authority in 2020.  Unfortunately, inflationary pressures particularly from driver shortages and fuel price increases have resulted in a significant rise in tender prices for supported services contracts.

This report has followed the tender process for the financially supported bus service contracts across the region. It also followed previous reports in January and April which sought to enable the Combined Authority, as the Local Transport Authority, to award new contracts for bus services through appropriate delegations.

The recommendations set out in the report have included a full range of funding options and each has had a direct consequence for bus services currently running. 

The Chair informed the meeting that voting arrangements on this item required majority of present Committee members, or their substitutes, and excluded Metro Mayor.

The Chair asked for mover and seconder on one of the options in the report recommendations.

There were no movers and seconders for any of the options in the report recommendations.

Councillor Kevin Guy moved the following motion:

The Combined Authority Resolves:

1)    To negotiate extension of all the existing contracts by 12 months (in conjunction with consistent Councils), in order to provide the time to complete the required review and to delegate to the Combined Authority Chief Executive, in consultation with the Unitary Authority Chief Executives, the review and authority to conduct a negotiated procurement for2023/24 and beyond.

2)    To meet the increased costs implication of 12-month extension of contracts (from September 2022) and newly commissioned service provision from September 2023/24, in line with the funding principles agreed by the Chief Finance Officers from constituent Councils.

3)    That the Combined Authority S151 officer, in consultation with the Unitary Authority s151 officers, undertakes a comprehensive review into principles of setting the transport levy for 2023/24 and for future years, and to report back to the committee as part of the Unitary Authorities budget setting decision.

Councillor Toby Savage seconded the motion.

Councillor Kevin Guy outlined the following draft funding principles (as agreed by UA s151 officers).

The funding principles – 1 year extension all services:

1. Prior year and in year underspend / headroom on the transport levy inc. concessionary fares budgets and transport smoothing reserve is held to mitigate bus contract pressures.

2. Any income from bus services not assumed in the contract price should be earmarked to reduce the call on the constituent Councils.

3. Net increases above mitigation 1 & 2 above (having been satisfactorily exhausted) will be underwritten by constituent Councils as a one-off pressure, addressed via the budget monitoring report to Cabinet or their emergency decision / urgency provisions under the constitution.

The funding principles – newly commissioned service (following negotiated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6