Contact: Kevin Ings, ext 6986

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That approval be given for a pilot concessionary fares scheme for unemployed people in Leigh Park, Havant.

2. Reason

2.1 Approval is needed to introduce the concessionary fares scheme, which will help to promote and improve the economic and social well-being of the Leigh Park area by assisting unemployed people seeking employment and training opportunities.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Taking no action.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7. Introduction

7.1 Hampshire County Council successfully bid for funding from the Urban Bus Challenge competition in 2001 to implement the Leigh Links project. This bid has resulted in the introduction of three new demand responsive Cango services in the Leigh Park area of Havant. Two new wheelchair accessible vehicles are used to provide these services which allow access to employment at Broadmarsh Business Park, the doctor's surgeries on Leigh Park and the health facilities at the Queen Alexandra and St Mary's Hospitals.

7.2 Leigh Park is an area which registers high on the deprivation indices and consequently affordability is very much an issue for many people. The successful submission to the Urban Bus Challenge competition included funding for a concessionary fare scheme for unemployed residents in Leigh Park. The final detail of this scheme is still being developed; an outline of how the scheme is expected to operate is described below. The introduction of the scheme is planned for May 2003.

8. Scheme Proposals

8.1 A concessionary fare scheme will be introduced which will be available specifically to unemployed residents in Leigh Park, Havant. The purpose of the scheme will be to assist unemployed people who are seeking employment with the costs of travelling to and from job interviews and training courses. It will also be available to help eligible participants with the cost of travelling to health facilities on Leigh Park and at the Queen Alexandra and St Mary's Hospitals.

8.2 Participants of the concessionary fare scheme will be issued with an identity-style pass that will be valid for six months. If employment is obtained during this period then the pass will still be valid to help with the costs of travelling to work until the end of the six-month period.

8.3 The scheme will be administered by the Transport Information Centre on Leigh Park, set up following a previously successful Single Regeneration bid, which is operated by the Havant Council of Community Service. Eligible residents will be identified and referred to the Transport Information Centre by the local employment centre. Users of the scheme will be required to provide proof of their unemployment status, their address and a passport-size photograph.

8.4 Participants will be able to use the pass on any of the Cango services which operate out of Leigh Park. These serve the Broadmarsh Business Park, doctor's surgeries on Leigh Park and health facilities at the Queen Alexandra and St Mary's Hospitals. Participants in the scheme will be able to use the pass to obtain discounted tickets from the Transport Information Centre for those journeys which may be made by the other operators, Stagecoach and Emsworth and District, serving Leigh Park.

8.5 The concessionary fare scheme will be available for any public transport journeys which start in Leigh Park. The passes will in effect entitle people to travel at half fare on these services.

8.6 The scheme will operate for a pilot period of 12 months. The Urban Bus Challenge funding ceases in March 2004. A sum of £10,000 was allocated within the Urban Bus Challenge bid to finance this initiative. Eligible residents will initially only be able to benefit from one six-month pass. Depending on the take-up of the scheme, a second pass could be made available.

8.7 The County Council can operate the scheme under its `powers to promote or improve economic social or environmental well-being'. These new discretionary powers were introduced by the Local Government Act 2000. They enable local authorities to undertake actions which they consider are likely to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation

9.1 There are approximately 965 unemployed people in Leigh Park, which represents approximately 3.5% (county-wide average 1.1%) of the area's total population of 27,584. Information will be recorded to evaluate the number of people who use the concessionary fare scheme, together with those who attain employment or training opportunities as a result of the scheme.

9.2 The financial implications of the scheme will need to be very closely monitored as the scheme progresses. The contracts issued by the County Council for the operation of the Cango services are gross contracts, with the result that the authority itself retains the fare revenue collected on these services. Clearly, this would offer some flexibility in containing costs. The arrangement for discounting journeys with other operators through the Transport Information Centre should help to ensure that the costs on these remaining journeys can be contained within the set budget allocation.

10. Conclusion

10.1 One of the key aims of the Urban Bus Challenge Fund is to provide people with access to employment and training opportunities. Some people in Leigh Park will only be able to take full advantage of these new demand responsive transport services if they are able to obtain employment or enrole in training courses. This concessionary fare scheme offers some financial assistance to these people. It also provides the County Council with the opportunity to use its discretionary powers introduced by the Local Government Act 2000 to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of its area.

7773/KI