Minutes:
The following item for urgent business was submitted by Councillor G Bunn:
“Council notes the Government’s decision in the recent budget to raise the single fare
cap on bus journeys in England from £2 to £3 from January 1st, 2025, this represents an increase of 50%.
Council notes that this will increase the cost of journeys during a cost of living crisis at the most expensive time of year. It will also encourage people to choose car travel over public transport, at a time when we should be encouraging and supporting greener travel alternatives.
This decision follows the Labour Government’s previous choices to remove the Winter Fuel Allowance from pensioners and their failure to scrap the Two-Child Benefit Cap, as yet another choice that will negatively impact many of the poorest and most vulnerable residents across Broxtowe.
Council resolves to:
· request the Portfolio Holder for Environment to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to urgently review the decision to raise the cap by 50%.
· In the absence of this reversal, call upon Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, and the mayor of the East Midlands to develop a local scheme, as other Mayoral Combined Authorities already have done, to maintain the capped fare at £2 to support the economy and people of the East Midlands. We also call upon Claire Ward, as Mayor of the East Midlands, to maintain her commitment to supporting public transport using the devolved funding, which includes over £40 million specifically to support and improve bus services across the area, to work with us to go beyond this basic commitment and find a way to make public transport free in future. This transformative step would demonstrate EMCCA's commitment to inclusive growth and a strategy that unlocks the economic potential of the region by increasing access to jobs, training and opportunities, while also ensuring that the authority maintains its commitment to combating climate change as net zero and transport are two of EMCCA's five core priorities.”
On being put to the meeting it was agreed that the item met the criteria for urgent business.
An amendment was proposed by Councillor W Mee as follows:
“Council notes the Government’s decision in the recent budget to raise the single fare cap on bus journeys in England. from £2 to £3 from January 1st, 2025, this funding is a subsidy of bus companies to lower fares, not a price ceiling, of which the subsidy was scheduled to run out. The way in which we improve our public transport is through integrated ticketing.
Council notes that through integrated ticketing fares will decrease the cost of journeys during a cost of living crisis at the most expensive time of year. It will also encourage people to choose all modes of public transport (Tram, Train, Bus) over car travel, at a time when we should be encouraging and supporting greener travel alternatives.
This decision follows 10 years prior to the bus cap in which the conservatives took no action and let bus fares skyrocket, as well as no action on integrated ticketing.
This council also notes that the county council and the city council, the two Nottinghamshire councils with remit over transport are currently looking at improving current integrated ticketing plans. It is important we make a request that Broxtowe Borough is included in full.
Council resolves to:
On being put to the meeting, the amendment was defeated.
It was proposed by Councillor S J Carr and seconded by Councillor B C Carr that the item be put to the vote. The proposal was carried.
RESOLVED that the motion submitted by Councillor G Bunn be approved.