Agenda item

The Chair and members discussed a number of principles and approaches to work programming, topic selection and future meetings – including:

• The balance between pre-decision scrutiny and input into issues during development vs scrutiny of what is already in delivery vs reviewing what has already been done
• Level of resource capacity and time available to scrutiny – one scrutiny officer and three further committee meetings, with limited support from wider officer when needed.
• Reminder to focus on structural issues and wider, connecting strategic and long-term issues – not just narrow, immediate and short-term ones
• Mayors Question Time: possibly spend time at the November meeting to discuss proposed approach to questioning the Mayor at 20 January session.
• Chair suggested consideration of the Mayor’s Pledge 8 on transport: “Bring buses back under public control, introduce simpler fares & contactless ticketing and greener buses.”

Members’ discussion, questions and suggestions included the following:

Buses:

A major mayoral priority is to bring bus services under public control. The long, statutory process of bus franchising has now begun. In the meantime, the CA’s current influence over the bus network will largely be through the WY Bus Partnership/Alliance, Bus Service Improvement Plan and CA funded bus services.

Areas for scrutiny to focus on include:

1. Franchising process and lessons learned from Greater Manchester
2. network coverage and connectivity
3. integration with other modes such as rail, cycling and walking
4. reliability and frequency of services
5. costs and ticketing
6. partnership working with transport operators and partner councils

Behaviour changes and inclusion in the context of decarbonisation:

Another major mayoral priority is decarbonisation, following the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019. It might be useful to look at the decarbonisation plans more broadly and how local government intends to influence change in behaviours necessary to meet the targets – and what levers the CA has to make an impact on people’s behaviours. Areas to look at include:

1. Research: Do we understand why people travel how they do? Have habits changed over time? What changes habits? All future policies and systems must bear these in mind.
2. ‘Seldom heard groups’: Certain seldom heard groups often rely on and need public transport the most. What are their challenges? E.g. some neurodiverse people have concerns about personal space or punctuality. Are their needs being taken adequately into account? Is there enough engagement with them in consultations?
3. Youth engagement: if young people begin habits early, they are more likely to sustain them into adulthood. E.g. difference in attitude in Greater London vs West Yorkshire youth towards public transport. What could be done? I.e. a comprehensive yellow school bus system from a younger children?
4. Reliability: Trust in buses/trains is a major factor – consequences of lateness can be severe in terms of employment or personal circumstances, are high risk modes in some areas. Problem is worse if route is fragmented and people have to take different buses from different companies.
5. Connectivity and integration: how can different modes of transport can be linked up to suit people’s needs and encourage behaviour change. E.g. how active travel modes such as walking and cycling are connected to rail and bus and how rail and bus are connected to each other.
6. Technology and data: how can technology and data be used to improve ease of use and reliability/trust in network? 
7. Safety and prevalence of existing and future cycling/walking infrastructure.
8. Place: different approaches in suburban, inner city and rural areas?
9. Communication and messaging: How are we identifying and reaching unlikely transport users? E.g. sometimes green focused messaging does not resonate with certain groups who may respond better to financial incentives – and vice versa.

Freight:

Canals and waterways are a strong strategic asset and an opportunity in both commercial/economic and decarbonisation, shifting transport of people and freight from roads. Areas to focus on: How do we move our freight currently? Has it been considered in current strategies and plans? What is the future role of canals?

Roads:

Previously a function of the WY county council pre-1986, currently, the local authorities still act as Highway Authorities responsible for roads. Roads are too integrated and cross-border in nature at a regional level to be managed in a district focused, atomised way. There is scope to look at how roads and highway policy/management is harmonised and coordinated across the region:

1. how it works now,
2. why it wasn’t changed with devolution
3. how it could work in future

Other suggestions made included:

• Sources of transport funding.
• Looking back at how the West Yorkshire+ Transport Fund has been spent, in particular on links to York.