Archived decisions

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

1. Summary

1.1 A sum of £524,762 from the Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2001/03 has already been used to assist with the capital costs of providing ten accessible mini-buses at community transport schemes across Hampshire.

1.2 In March 2004 approval was given for the utilisation of a further £495,000, which had been secured from contributions from local district councils, primary care trusts, most community transport schemes and a previously successful Rural Bus Challenge bid; the sum was to be used to continue the process of supporting community transport schemes through the provision of nine additional accessible mini-buses. It was initially intended that the County Council should purchase and own these vehicles, however it is now proposed that these vehicles will be purchased and owned by the nominated schemes following appropriate grant awards from the County Council.

1.3 A further £625,000 has been allocated from the LTP to provide community transport schemes with accessible mini-buses in 2004/05 and this report recommends the principles on which funding should be allocated to schemes.

2. Background

2.1 A review of community transport schemes in Hampshire was undertaken in 1999. One particular issue identified was that of future vehicle funding arrangements. If schemes are to continue to offer accessible vehicles at affordable rates, thus enhancing social inclusion, there is a need to provide assistance to meet increasing capital costs. These vehicles generally offer older people, disabled people and even younger people the opportunity to access a range of services and facilities within their local community.

2.2 The need to develop the community transport sector was identified in both the Passenger Transport Group and cross-cutting transport Best Value Review action plans. The need for a strategic approach towards supporting the sector is also set out in the Accessible Transport Strategy which has been adopted by the County and District Councils and many other organisations in Hampshire.

2.3 This has culminated in the production of a draft Community Transport Development Plan which recommends a framework for the future development and funding of community transport in Hampshire. The plan involves a needs assessment which has determined what the baseline level of community transport provision should be in each district of Hampshire, together with the levels of resources and funding which would be required to provide this.

2.4 The development plan outlines how the County Council can work with its partners to implement the plan over the next ten years. Without this level of investment from the statutory agencies in Hampshire, community transport schemes will in time be unable to maintain their current levels of activity at an affordable price and this will have a detrimental effect on the overall transport network in Hampshire.

2.5 The draft development plan is now being revised following detailed consultation with other County Council Departments, District Councils, health organisations and the community transport sector in Hampshire.

2.6 Work is currently underway to produce an overall Passenger Transport Strategy of which community transport will form a part. It will be necessary, therefore, to ensure that the final Community Transport Development Plan is fully integrated into this process. Indeed this process itself may have a bearing on the final version of the Community Transport Development Plan.

3. The Role of Community Transport in Hampshire

3.1 This continued programme of vehicle funding support will help to provide a more secure basis for the future funding of community transport schemes, enabling them to sustain and develop their services whilst supporting the LTP objectives of accessibility and social inclusion. The sector is well placed to make a key contribution towards enhancing accessibility and reducing isolation, particularly in rural areas, for those people or families who do not have access to their own transport. Where such facilities can be targeted at youth to access recreational and leisure facilities then this could also help to reduce incidences of vandalism.

3.2 The sector also has a part to play in providing services which complement the public transport network which the County Council supports. The best value transport reviews have identified a clear role for the community transport sector in supplying local transport services. The community

transport sector has the potential to provide services in areas and at times when it may not be feasible or cost-effective to provide a conventional bus service, thus helping to sustain present travel opportunities whilst making use of alternative approaches.

3.3 In addition to this many of these alternative approaches will be provided with smaller vehicles, thus reducing vehicle impact on the environment. The demand-responsive nature of some services, particularly where these provide a door-to-door transport service, could also offer some reassurance to those people who may have concerns about personal safety on conventional public transport. Supporting the opportunities for more group transport movements may also potentially lead to lower car usage.

4. Vehicle Funding Programme

4.1 A sum of £625,000 is available from the Local Transport Plan in 2004/05 to support the purchase of accessible mini-buses by community transport schemes in Hampshire. The funding will be used to provide grants to individual schemes for this purpose. The allocation of grants to schemes is being based on the following guiding principles:

(i) The approach and level of support set out in the draft Community Transport Plan. This, among other things, proposes the number of vehicles that should be available in each district council area.

(ii) The current age/mileage profile and condition of the vehicle fleet currently owned by community transport schemes in Hampshire.

(iii) The opportunities to develop the community transport sector as a whole.

(iv) That as many schemes as possible should benefit, particularly those which had received little support through previous replacement programmes.

(v) That generally schemes would receive up to 75% of the costs of replacing existing mini-buses. Where new vehicles are being provided to extend vehicle fleets then these will be funded at full cost on the first occasion with subsequent replacements being funded at 75%.

4.2 Using this approach the following schemes will receive financial support towards the cost of purchasing vehicles under the funding programme for 2004/05:

Basingstoke Community Transport 4 vehicles

Eastleigh Voluntary Transport Scheme 4 vehicles

East Hampshire Community Transport 1 vehicle

Fareham Community Action 2 vehicles

Rushmoor Voluntary Services 1 vehicle

New Forest Community Transport 2 vehicles

Winchester Area Community Action 1 vehicles

Greyfriars 1 vehicle

4.3 These vehicles will be purchased and owned by the nominated schemes following grant awards from the County Council. For most schemes the grant award has been estimated at approximately £33,000 per vehicle. The exact amount provided to each scheme will be clarified once the individual organisations have undergone a tendering exercise, where this is required.

4.4 The operating cost of the vehicles once purchased will be covered by the community transport schemes themselves. The costs will be recovered through hire charges to organisations using the vehicles and income from contracts for providing specific services. This will recover some of the future vehicle replacement costs, although the majority of these will need to be addressed through the Community Transport Development Plan in future years.

5. Service Agreements

5.1 The utilisation of these vehicles will be covered under the terms of new service agreements. This will ensure that vehicles comply with all necessary legal and safety requirements and are used in a manner which is compatible with the overall objectives of the Community Transport Development Plan.

5.2 The service agreement will also cover those situations where either the organisation is disbanded or if the vehicle is disposed of and not replaced. In these instances the County Council would be entitled to and be paid a percentage of the resale value which is equivalent to the percentage of the original vehicle price which the County Council provided. The agreement will also outline the process for addressing situations where vehicles are not being used in a manner which contributes to the overall objectives of the Community Transport Development Plan.

Recommendations

1. That the Community Transport Vehicles programme, at an estimated sum of £625,000, be approved.

2. That delegated powers be approved for future individual components of the programme using the principles for awarding grants outlined in this report.

8896/KI