Agenda and draft minutes

To note apologies for absence and confirm the quorum of 11 members is met.

Attendees (15): Councillors Mohsin Hussain, Ruth Wood, Peter Clarke, Peter Caffrey, Amanda Parsons-Hulse, Dot Foster, Donald Firth, Yusra Hussain, Anthony Smith, Robert Finnigan, Paul Wray, Sharon Hamilton, Harry Ellis, David Jones (substitute), Stephen Fenton.

Apologies (1): Councillor Jackie Ferguson. 

In attendance: Tracy Brabin (Mayor), Dave Pearson, Helen Ellerton, Khaled Berroum, Hannah Scales

None.

None.

Minutes were agreed as an accurate record.

The Chair updated Members on the recent meetings of Scrutiny Chairs Steering Group where a system for project scrutiny was discussed, including criteria to prioritise projects for scrutiny in future. The Chairs welcomed any ideas or comments.

The Chair also informed Members of the ‘Motorbike Live’ event she attended in December and discussed how motorbikes could better be considered in future transport strategising and planning as a possible topic of further enquiry for the committee.

The Chair briefly introduced the information report and invited Members to ask any questions. Clarification was sought about emergency timetables and reduced bus services and it was explained that the situation was fast-moving there was a possibility of bus companies reducing services due to the decreased patronage if funding was not secured. Updates would be provided when known.

Members were reminded of the next meeting due to be held on 10 March 2022 and one of the key items being behaviour change, based on the committee’s deliberations this year so far.

The Chair welcomed and thanked the Mayor Tracy Brabin for attending and outlined the format of the Mayor’s Question Time. The session would be split into pre-agreed topic areas and members could ask any questions under those topic areas in turn.

The topic areas were:

• Mayoral and Combined Authority transport powers
• Buses
• Mass Transit and connectivity
• Rail
• Active Travel

Following questions and discussion took place:

• Mayoral and Combined Authority’s powers: Members noted that although the Mayor had some direct powers, relatively she had more soft power than direct. Mayors across the regions work together through the M8 and M10 groups to pool ‘soft power’ influence and leverage relationships in parliament and government to influence policy and decisions and secure funding. The Mayor also works alongside the 5 local council leaders and considers herself “one of a group of six” part of a collective approach, as expressed in the CA’s governance structure.  Members discussed which additional transport powers the Mayor might need going forward such as powers around climate change and electric bus fleet management, as well as possible rail and road powers. 

• Buses: The FlexiBus  (“demand led” bus service) pilot in East Leeds was discussed along with the importance of ensuring access to buses for people in all areas of West Yorkshire. The Mayor outlined how the Bus Service Improvement Plan planned to support West Yorkshire’s rural communities, although an announcement on funding for the BSIP was still awaited. It was hoped in the meantime that the Enhanced Partnership would give the Combined Authority more insight and opportunity to influence bus companies to provide a reliable and desirable service.

The government and the Combined Authority supported bus companies during the pandemic to keep services running. The government had yet to announce how funding would continue after March and as a result bus companies are planning ahead, with possible reductions in timetabled services due to uncertainty. The Mayor confirmed she had written to bus operators about this.

It was noted that travel behaviours have changed since the pandemic and long-term impact is still being analysed. The pandemic reduced journeys, but patronage had returned back to approximately 80% of pre-pandemic patronage before the Omicron variant. This means that demand is still there initiatives such as free bus Sunday, the £1 boxing day offer and cheaper summer tickets for young people had helped in that.

Inclusivity in the network was noted as being crucial and Members noted the Network Navigation Project, including real time navigation screens on bus stops across West Yorkshire. Printed timetables (removed as a result of Covid-19) were due to be re-installed. Audio-visual information on all buses and of the telephone contact centre available for people who prefer speaking to a real person regarding buses were other changes. Improvements such as investment in ‘tap in, tap out’ payment systems, the disparity of pricing across the region and extra bus priority lanes mitigating delays caused by traffic were discussed.

The Mayor acknowledged the challenges in having a network focusing on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.