Decision details

RESOLVED that Cabinet delegates authority to the Director of Transport and Engineering in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainability and Transport to form an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Enhanced Partnership Scheme by the end of April 2022, to meet the challenging timescale required by the Department for Transport within the National Bus Strategy for England.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Sustainability and Transport

Reason

The National Bus Strategy for England sets out an ambition for every local transport authority and bus operator in England to be in a statutory Enhanced Partnership or a franchising arrangement (entering an EP does not preclude franchising in the future, however, achieving franchising is lengthy and complex with significant financial risk).

Improving bus services to attract more passengers is a joint aim of the bus operators and the Local Transport Authority. A Bus Service Improvement Plan has been jointly agreed with the bus operators, which subject to government funding, will result in more people travelling by bus. The next stage is an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Enhanced Partnership Scheme which need to be in place by the end of April 2022.