Contact: Kevin Ings, ext 6986 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

(i) That approval be given to a grant of up to £33,500 from the Rural Bus Service Fund towards the purchase of a new mini-bus for the Broughton and Mottisfont Village Bus Association.

(ii) That approval be given to purchase the existing vehicle for £7,500 for redeployment at another community transport scheme in Hampshire.

2. Reason

2.1 Approval is needed to ensure the cost-effective maintenance of the existing services provided by the Broughton and Mottisfont Village Bus Association.

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 J K Glen

7. Broughton and Mottisfont Village Bus Association

7.1 The Broughton and Mottisfont Village Bus Association was established in 1980. It is the longest serving of three organisations in Hampshire which provide community bus services.

7.2 Community bus services are operated under Section 22 of the 1985 Transport Act and they provide registered local bus services which are organised and driven solely by volunteers.

7.3 The local bus services provided by the Broughton and Mottisfont Village Bus Association are available to the residents of Broughton and Mottisfont and a number of the surrounding parishes. The Association provides local bus services to the following destinations:

(i) Romsey - twice weekly;

(ii) Salisbury - weekly;

(iii) Southampton - monthly; and

(iv) Winchester - monthly.

One return trip is provided on each occasion.

7.4 Information provided by the Association showed that these services carried 1,385 passengers during the last 12 months, which represents 2,770 passenger trips per annum. In addition, the vehicle used to operate these services is also available for private hire by local groups and individuals when not being used on the above services.

7.5 The Association is now requesting a grant from the County Council to help with the cost of replacing the current vehicle. By the time this vehicle is replaced it will be approximately six years old, which is comparable with the reasonable working life of vehicles for community transport schemes included within the Community Transport Development. Historically the County Council has contributed towards the purchase of new vehicles for the Association.

8. Costs

8.1 The estimated cost of purchasing a new Osprey mini-bus from Rohill in Andover will be in the region of £51,000, excluding VAT. The Association currently has £10,000 in reserve and when this is taken together with the estimated residual value of £7,500 for the existing vehicle, a sum of £33,500 still needs to be raised to replace the vehicle. Test Valley Borough Council is currently being asked to consider a small grant of £2,000 towards the replacement costs. It is proposed, therefore, that the County Council should meet the shortfall through the £1.3 million Rural Bus Service Fund.

8.2 A contribution of £33,500 from the County Council, when spread over the six-year life of a new vehicle, represents an annual contribution of £5,583. This will maintain the services outlined above which, other than the costs of purchasing the vehicle, are self-financing. With 2,770 passenger trips being provided each year this works out at a subsidy of £2.01 per passenger trip and compares favourably with the County Council's minimum criteria for supporting local bus services. The grant, therefore, offers a very cost-effective means of providing a public transport service in an area of Hampshire where there are no or limited public transport options.

9. Service Agreement

9.1 It is proposed that support for this organisation in future should be provided under the umbrella of the Community Transport Development Plan which the County Council has been progressing. The Association would therefore be supported on the same basis as other community transport schemes in Hampshire. This would take the following approach:

(i) The new vehicle will be purchased and the ownership retained by Hampshire County Council.

(ii) The new vehicle will be made available to the scheme under a service agreement. This will demonstrate how the services provided by the Association are helping to meet the number of journeys for the Test Valley area highlighted as being required in the Community Transport Development Plan.

(iii) The existing vehicle will be purchased by the County Council with monies from the Community Transport Development Plan and relocated at another community transport scheme in the county. A number of community transport schemes in the county are presently operating with ageing vehicles. Relocating this vehicle elsewhere in the county at another community transport scheme will offer a short-term gain of a few more years operating time until resources can be identified to replace all the vehicles in this scheme.

(iv) The future replacement of the new vehicle would then be built into the Community Transport Development Plan.

10. Conclusion

10.1 Community bus services provide a very cost-effective way of meeting local transport needs through a community-based transport initiative. The Broughton and Mottisfont Village Bus Association provides a number of local bus services to local destinations which ensure that local residents who do not have access to their own transport are able to access key local facilities.

10.2 In public transport terms the grant of £33,500 required for this new vehicle from the County Council represents value for money, when set against the number of passenger trips that will be provided over a six-year period and the County Council's criteria for supporting local bus services. The services also play their part in helping to reduce social exclusion in one area of Hampshire.

8140/KI