Decisions

* Bus operators and transport providers are at real risk of going out of business before normality is resumed due to significantly reduced revenue income from fare box, grant awards, payments for contracted services and/or concessionary fare reimbursement for an extended period.
* Services may be reduced below an acceptable minimum level for the duration of the crisis potentially leaving some key workers unable to access work.
* Permanent loss of operators/providers would mean it would be virtually impossible to reinstate the full network coverage of bus operations and transport services after the Covid-19 crisis.
* Continuation of concessionary fare reimbursement and contracted service payments would cost no more than is currently budgeted within the Transport Levy (approx. £5m for these three elements for each quarter) but would provide immediate certainty of cash flow to all operators on a business as usual basis.
* In order to ensure the continued funding delivers appropriate services and support a number of conditions have been devised which operators will be required to accept before the funding is released – see background document. These conditions align well with other Combined Authorities across the country.
* This action would provide reassurance that operators have the support from the Transport Authority for their long-term survival and future role in the region.
* The Department for Transport has been actively encouraging Local Transport Authorities to take this step and subsequently wrote to local authorities again stating that the CBSSG restart payments had been calculated on the basis that LTAs continue providing the reimbursement and contract payments.
* This is a decision taken under the Scheme of Delegations approved by WECA Committee in June 2020. This decision has been taken under this provision.

* Pay operators from the 2020/21 concessionary travel budget the same as they would have expected to receive for Q4 Dec 2020 – Mar 2021, irrespective of whether journeys are taken.
* Pay Community Transport providers their expected grants for Q4 Dec 2020 – Mar 2021.
* Pay operators for the service contracts in place, irrespective of whether these are operated, again for a limited period to end of March 2021.
* Payments to be offered immediately to provide certainty of cash flow, subject to the acceptance of conditions set out in background document.
* Review further payment position ahead of Q1 2021/22.

In approving the £9.4m Regional Recovery Fund on 9 October 2020, the WECA Committee agreed officer delegations to ensure that decisions on business cases / detailed specific proposals for the agreed schemes can be progressed at pace.

One of the proposals was the High Street renewal catalyst fund.

A Feasibility and Development Funding Application was prepared seeking agreement to proceed
with Phase 1 Feasibility and Development and release of £400,000. Agreement was also sought
for the delegation of the release of the remaining £410,000 to the WECA Director of Business and
Skills, in consultation with Unitary Authority Business & Skills Directors, subject to confirmation of
the deliverable outcomes.

Phase 1 activity will include project set up, establishing resources for 2 years of project delivery, initial delivery of pilot interventions, and developing the business case for further investment.
Phase 2 activity will build on Phase 1 to deliver interventions based on evidenced business cases.

The Chief Executives of the 4 West of England unitary authorities were consulted on this proposal and were in agreement with the decision.

Approval given to the Feasibility and Development funding application for the High Street renewal
catalyst fund and the release of £400,000. Approval also given to delegate the release of the
remaining £410,000 to the WECA Director of Business and Skills, in consultation with Unitary
Authority Business & Skills Directors, subject to confirmation of the deliverable outcomes.

In approving the £9.4m Regional Recovery Fund on 9 October 2020, the WECA Committee agreed officer delegations to ensure that decisions on business cases / detailed specific proposals for the agreed schemes can be progressed at pace.

One of the proposals was the Small Business Resilience Grant Programme.

A Full Business Case was prepared seeking £1m from the Investment Fund which will be match
funded by £180k by business. The funding will be provided from the £7.15m balance of the
Regional Recovery funding.

The project will deliver a small business grant fund to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
across the region. This aims to support businesses that require funding to implement new
business practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, by purchasing new products, services or
equipment.

The project sits within the ‘Rebuilding Business’ pillar of the West of England Recovery Plan, which
seeks to ‘Further enhance our business support offer to help businesses adapt, survive and find
sustainable pathways to recovery and growth’.

The project aims to build upon national recovery funding, benefiting from the experience and
learning gained from the grant funding schemes that have been launched in the last 10 months, to
help to improve business resilience and survival rates.

It is planned to support 300 businesses and the business case assumes that 270 of these will still
be trading after 12 months. Based upon the experience of providing Universal Business Support,
it is forecast that 30% of the businesses will create one new employee, 81 new jobs overall.

The Chief Executives of the 4 West of England unitary authorities were consulted on this proposal and were in agreement with the decision.

Approval given to the Full Business Case for the Small Business Resilience Grant programme.

A series of delegations to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) were approved through the WECA Committee and West of England Joint Committee on 19 June 2020 and 4 December 2020 as follows:

On 19 June 2020, it was agreed:
• To delegate the responsibility for agreeing procurement strategies for MetroWest 1b for detailed design and construction to the WECA and North Somerset Council CEOs, subject to funding.
• To endorse the change to scope (extension to Westbury to be progressed) for MetroWest 1a on the condition that the business case is produced and approved; and to delegate responsibility for approving the business case for this to the WECA CEO in conjunction with Unitary Authority (UA) CEOs.
• To delegate the responsibility for signing the Implementation Agreement for MetroWest 1a with Network Rail to the WECA CEO, in conjunction with UA CEOs, subject to funding.
• To delegate responsibility for signing Implementation Agreements for MetroWest 2 with Network Rail to the WECA CEO, in conjunction with UA CEOs, subject to funding.
• To delegate the approval of the Bristol Temple Meads Eastern Entrance Full Business Case to the WECA CEO, in conjunction with UA CEOs, to a maximum value of £26.645m (which included the £2.5m already awarded).

On 4 December 2020, it was agreed:
• To approve the project scope and value for money assessment and release of funding for the next phase of MetroWest Phase 1a (Severn Beach & Westbury Lines) works up to value of £1m from within the Investment Fund from within the agreed £116.4m of MetroWest Phase 1 budget to facilitate the start of enhanced services.

Further to these decisions, approval was sought in January 2021 under the agreed delegations for the delivery strategies for MetroWest Phase 1a (Severn Beach & Westbury Line), MetroWest 1b (Portishead Line), MetroWest 2 with the associated Implementation Agreement for Ashley Down station, and also for the Full Business Case for Bristol Temple Meads Eastern Entrance and the associated Implementation Agreement.

The Chief Executives of the 4 West of England unitary authorities were consulted on the proposals and were in agreement with the decision proposed for each of these projects.

1. Approval of the delivery strategy for MetroWest 1b Portishead Line which includes expanding the scope to be delivered under one major contract to minimise interface risks, letting a GRIP5-8 contract with a break to allow for changes arising from the Development Consent Order outcome, and also approval of the establishment of an integrated delivery team comprised of North Somerset Council, WECA and Network Rail harnessing the respective skills and experience from each organisation.

2. Approval of the delivery strategy and Implementation Agreement (subject to a legal review) for MetroWest phase1a Severn Beach & Westbury Lines, progressing the GRIP5-8 works and operation of services prior to the approval of the MetroWest phase 1 Full Business Case, based on the value for money assessment set in Appendix 2 of the report submitted for approval by the Chief Executives.

3. Approval of the delivery strategy and Implementation Agreement for MetroWest phase 2 Ashley Down station (subject to legal review), separating procurement, detailed design and construction from the delivery of the proposed Henbury and North Filton stations.

4. Approval of the Bristol Temple Meads Eastern Entrance Full Business Case, in principle, as a value for money project, and approval of the use of the WECA Investment Fund to cash flow work on GRIP 5, and to approve the Phase 1 (subway extension) GRIP5-8 Implementation Agreement (subject to legal review).

A delegation to approve the Full Business Case for Yate Park & Ride was granted to the WECA Chief Executive in consultation with the Chief Executives of the constituent Councils in October 2020.

Following the award of £300k in July 2019 to develop the proposal, an Outline Business Case was submitted by South Gloucestershire Council for the Yate A432 Park & Ride project, which was approved at the WECA Committee in October 2020. Having secured planning consent, a Full Business Case has now been submitted seeking approval through the granted delegation.

The Business Case seeks £3.3m, beyond the £300k previously awarded, to construct a car park with the capacity for up to 195 vehicles including 20 electric vehicle (EV) charge points, a Car Club bay and car share bays. The scheme will also provide cycle parking including 10 secure individual bike lockers and secure cycle storage for up to 30 bicycles. The facility aims to serve a range of users including those interchanging with local bus services, providing extra parking capacity for Yate station, serving nearby business premises and the scheme will also include up to 50 Click & Collect parcel lockers. The funding can be accommodated from the ‘tail’ for this project.

The Chief Executives of the 4 West of England unitary authorities were consulted on this proposal and were in agreement with the decision.

Approval given to the Full Business Case for the Yate A432 Park and Ride.

In approving the £9.4m Regional Recovery Fund on 9 October 2020, the WECA Committee agreed officer delegations to ensure that decisions on business cases / detailed specific proposals for the agreed schemes can be progressed at pace.

One of the proposals was the Low Carbon Challenge Fund (LCCF) extension.

A Full Business Case was prepared seeking £1.943m to extend and enhance the LCCF programme.
This business case is aimed at extending and enhancing the existing LCCF, focusing on the Green Business Grants and Local Energy Scheme grant streams and the free Carbon Surveys offer. LCCF is managed by WECA and currently funded by ERDF grant and applicant match.

LCCF has a strong strategic fit with the West of England Recovery Plan and Climate Emergency
Action Plan and also supports delivery of the Local Industrial Strategy.

Given the funding is for an extension to the current programme it can rapidly mobilise and it is
planned to launch the second Green Business Grants window in January 2021, with completion of
the Local Energy Scheme (which requires a longer lead time to get necessary planning or other
consents in place) and Green Business grants in December 2022 and the Carbon Surveys in March
2023

The Chief Executives of the 4 West of England unitary authorities were consulted on this proposal and were in agreement with the decision.

Approval given to the Full Business Case for the Low Carbon Challenge Fund extension