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

1. Summary

1.1 A sum of £300,000 has been allocated from the Local Transport Plan (LTP) to purchase community transport vehicles in 2005/06. In addition, £140,000 has been carried forward from 2004/05 of which £75,000 has already been allocated following the report to the former Executive Member for Environment on 12 October 2004. This report proposes how the remaining funding of £365,000 should be allocated.

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, disabled 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 Previous work has recommended a framework for the future development and funding of community transport in Hampshire. This involved developing 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. Without this level of investment 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.

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. Services provided by community transport schemes include group hire, dial-a-ride, wheels to work schemes and shopping trip services for older and disabled people. 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 that 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. This 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 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.

3.4 The role of community transport services will be considered as part of the ongoing series of district by district comprehensive public transport reviews which are now being progressed.

4. Vehicle Funding Programme

4.1 A sum of £365,000 is available from the LTP to support the purchase of accessible community transport vehicles in Hampshire. The funding will be used to provide grants to individual community transport schemes for the purchase of vehicles.

4.2 The allocation of grants to community transport schemes is being based on the following guiding principles:

(i) Previous work which has determined what the baseline level of community transport provision should be in each area. This, among other things, proposes the number of vehicles that should be available in each district council area. In some cases this means that grants will be used to introduce new vehicles to meet these levels, whilst in other cases they will be used to replace current vehicles in order to ensure the sustainability of existing community transport schemes.

(ii) Where existing vehicles are replaced the current age/mileage profile and condition of the vehicle fleet currently owned by community transport schemes in Hampshire is used. Data has been gathered from each of the schemes and recommendations for vehicle replacement are based on those minibuses which are approaching the end of their economic life as assessed by a combination of age, mileage, general condition and suitability.

(iii) The opportunities to develop the community transport sector as a whole. For example, there has been a particular emphasis on developing schemes in some of the more underdeveloped rural areas through the later part of this funding programme, eg Test Valley, Hart.

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

(v) 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%.

4.3 These principles have been used to decide the funding allocations in the previous two financial years.

4.4 Using the guiding principles outlined in 4.2 above the following schemes will receive financial support towards the cost of purchasing vehicles under the LTP capital funding programme for 2005/06:

Scheme Number Guiding

of Vehicles Principles

Basingstoke Community 1 (i), (ii)

Transport

Colden Common Community Bus 1 (i), (ii)

Community First, New Forest 1 (i), (iii)

Eastleigh Voluntary Transport 1 (i), (ii)

Scheme

Gosport Voluntary Action 2 (i), (iii)

Havant Council of Community 1 (i), (ii)

Service

Ringwood and District Community 1 (i), (ii)

Association

Rushmoor Voluntary Services 2 (i), (ii)

Test Valley Community Services 1 (i), (iii)

4.4 A table showing the current numbers of vehicles allocated to schemes throughout the county is attached as an appendix.

4.5 These vehicles will be purchased and owned by the nominated schemes following grant awards from the County Council. The exact amount provided to each scheme will be clarified once the individual organisations have undergone a tendering exercise, where this is required.

4.6 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 will need further funding in other years. Priorities will continue to be established from the work previously undertaken.

5. Service Agreements

5.1 Utilisation of the new vehicles purchased by community transport schemes 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 set out in the Community Transport Strategy.

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 set out in the Community Transport Strategy.

6. Impact Assessments

6.1 The vehicles operated by community transport schemes are generally available to all bonafide voluntary and community groups in their area of operation.

Recommendation

That the Community Transport Vehicles programme, at an estimated sum of £365,000, be approved from the 2005/06 Local Transport Plan funding programme, to assist the purchase of 11 community transport vehicles which will be deployed across the county:

Basingstoke Community Transport 1 vehicle

Colden Common Community Bus 1 vehicle

Community First, New Forest 1 vehicle

Eastleigh Voluntary Transport Scheme 1 vehicle

Gosport Voluntary Action 2 vehicles

Havant Council of Community Service 1 vehicle

Ringwood and District Community Association 1 vehicle

Rushmoor Voluntary Services 2 vehicles

Test Valley Community Services 1 vehicle.

547Rpt/KI

APPENDIX

CURRENT PROVISION OF COMMUNITY TRANSPORT MINIBUSES

Note: Some of these vehicles are used on contract hire/service provision and currently not available at these times for general community use. The vehicles operated by Gosport Disability Trust can only be used by older and disabled people and are not available for general community use.