Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Dobbs.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no whipping declarations.

The panel approved the minutes of the meeting held 5 March 2009 as a true and accurate record.

The panel received a presentation and paper on the Long Term Transport Strategy, which covered projected trends up until 2026.

• Location of Red Brick Farm and Paston/Norwood – Officers agreed to confirm exact locations in writing.
• Clarification was requested on the proposed changes to the A15 – Officers confirmed that the proposals for Hampton had not yet been submitted so it was too early too comment.
• Will there be any provision for electric vehicles in the city? The suggestion was noted and officers advised that it was currently too early to comment on the proposals.

Cllr Judy Fox declared a personal interest of being employee of Baker Perkins at Manor Drive.

A number of suggestions and proposals were noted, and officers agreed to review the suggestions as the process developed;

• Are there are proposals to enhance access to the development to the north of Baker Perkins?
• Are there are any proposals for light rail, trams or similar systems?
• Are there any proposals for additional park and ride facilities?
• Are there any proposals to improve the Crescent Bridge roundabout?

The panel received a report from the Head of Integrated Waste Management requesting approval for the creation of a scrutiny task and finish group to focus on waste management.

The panel welcomed the proposals, and endorsed the recommendation. The Scrutiny Manager agreed to write to each group requesting nominations from each political group.

The panel received a report from the Integrated Passenger Transport Unit on concessionary bus fares. The report covered the implementation of the scheme in other cities and different options for extending the scheme in the city.

The panel made the following comments

• Clarification was request on whether the survey highlighted at a previous meeting had been undertaken. It was confirmed that the survey had not yet been undertaken, and would have major resource implications if undertaken.
• The comments of users and the reasons for wishing to travel before 9.30 were presented to the committee. Some members questioned the need for certain groups to be travelling prior to 9.30.
• It was suggested whether it would be possible to mark passes with a “C” symbol to allow companions to travel free. It was explained that whilst the production costs were significantly reduced, the authority would have to reimburse operators for the cost of the fares.
• Members asked whether it would be possible to obtain costs from other cities as a comparison. Officers advised that whilst it may be possible to obtain costs from other cities, it was impossible to compare different public transport systems due to the number of variables.

The Executive Director – Operations outlined the existing budget situation, and explained the difficulty of implementing any extensions to the schemes. Following a discussion on the financial situation it was agreed that a letter would be sent to the bus companies requesting that they waiver the charges for the companions. Cllr Fox expressed concern that it was not possible to extend the companion scheme.

Cllr Fox requested an update on the Food Waste decision. Martin Whelan agreed to provide an update outside of the meeting.

The committee noted the report.

The panel noted the report and expressed thanks to the officers for the information.

Officers to clarify the location of the Gunthorpe/Paston scheme for Cllr Thacker.