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.

As part of decisions taken through the ‘One Front Door’ funding programme report considered by the West of England Joint Committee meeting on 9 October 2020, the following change for the Bristol Beacon project was agreed:
Cost increase due to delays in project and Covid-19 with the approval of the reallocation of Local Growth Fund (LGF) / Getting Building Fund (GBF) funding from other Bristol City Council projects to be delegated to the WECA Chief Executive in consultation with the Chief Executives of the constituent councils, subject to securing any necessary approval from MHCLG.

A change request was subsequently submitted seeking to reprofile £2.916m of approved LGF funding to the Bristol Beacon from the A4018 transport improvements project. Bristol City Council is still intended to deliver the A4018 transport improvements project through other funding sources and, given the LGF is a capital fund, revenue reversion may apply otherwise.

Under this arrangement, the Bristol Beacon project will benefit exclusively from the LGF, and the GBF from the A4018 project is swapped with LGF for other schemes in the GBF programme.

Approval given to the reallocation of £2.916m of LGF funding from the A4018 Corridor Improvements project to the Bristol Beacon project.