36.
MINUTES
RESOLVED :
THAT the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2003 be confirmed.
37.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
A personal interest was declared by Mrs T M Butchers in Minute 39
- Youth Transport Research.
38.
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Valerie Lawson, Chairman of Cyclewight submitted a question
relating to European ‘In Town Without My Car Day’. A copy of the question and
reply given is contained in the Public Question Register.
39.
YOUTH
TRANSPORT RESEARCH
The Chairman welcomed Katy Blackburn, of the IW
Youth Trust, who made a presentation to the Select Committee on research
undertaken on youth transport. She outlined the 17 recommendations arising from
the research, together with work that was currently being carried out on some
of these. Miss Blackburn highlighted the recommendations that she believed were
the key areas which could lead to positive outcomes. These were :-
·
The
active involvement of young people in the review of the public transport
network prior to the re-tendering exercise in 2004 on the Council supported
services.
·
Greater
flexibility in the conditions of use for concessionary offers for young people.
·
Investigate
transport provision for improved access to extra curricular activities.
·
Review
safety around school sites for all highway users.
·
Encourage
schools to produce a School Transport Plan and encourage use of rail, cycling
and lift sharing.
The Select Committee was also advised of the pilot
project operated by Wight Leisure, in conjunction with Southern Vectis and
Island Line, on a Youth Mover Plus Leisure Access Scheme. Mrs Annie Horne,
Managing Director of Wight Leisure, together with Mr John Sands, Project
Development Manager, indicated that the pilot project commenced on 4 September
2003 and would end on 31 December 2003. The scheme was undertaken on the basis
of information arising from the Connexions Youth Opinion Survey in 2001, One
Stop Shop Survey in 2002 and the Best Value Review of Wight Leisure in 2002.
The Youth Mover Plus card enable free travel on buses and trains at certain
times for 11 to 18 year olds in full time education together with free
admission to Wight Leisure’s main facilities. The project operated with grant
assistance from the Children’s Fund and was available to the first 250
applicants. This was the only type of scheme operated by a local authority
which linked concessions for travel and leisure facilities.
Members discussed the problems associated with
encouraging young people to use public transport and the congestion created by
parents outside schools when dropping off and picking up. The implications of
any concessionary scheme on school transport would also be a major factor.
RESOLVED :
(a)
THAT
the recommendations arising from the Youth Transport Research be supported.
(b)
THAT
the initiative of bringing leisure and transport together be supported and
Wight Leisure prepare a case for a permanent scheme.
(c)
THAT
officers look at the Council’s existing policies to ascertain whether these
need to be amended in the light of the information contained in the Youth
Transport Research.
(d)
THAT
officers investigate how other local authorities fund concessionary fares.
40.
DECRIMINALISED PARKING ENFORCEMENT
The Head of Select Committee and Best Value Support indicated that
at the Select Committee’s Awayday in March 2003 it was intended to review the
progress made on decriminalised parking enforcement on the Island. Due to
insufficient staff resources within Engineering Services it had not been
possible to make any further progress since the matter was last considered by
the Select Committee in April 2002. A revenue bid had been included within the
Engineering Services Service Plan for £91,800 in 2004/05 and £139,800 in
2005/06 for staff resources and ancillary works required prior to any
application being submitted to the Department of Transport.
The Select Committee expressed disappointment about the lack of
progress and considered that funding should be made available to enable the
Council to achieve its aim of decriminalised parking enforcement. The original
financial projections suggested that a scheme across the Island could provide
an operating surplus after 3 years. Any surplus could then be reinvested in
public transport schemes and highway improvements.
RESOLVED :
THAT the Executive be requested to support the revenue bid to
enable decriminalised parking enforcement to progress as a priority and that
consideration be given to moving resources from non priority areas to achieve
this.
41.
BUDGET
MONITORING REPORT AS AT END OF OCTOBER 2003
The Select Committee considered the budget and expenditure
position on revenue and capital as at the end of October 2003.
On revenue there was still a need to closely monitor car parking
income to ensure that it met the target figures. Officers were still concerned
as to the effect of the Concessionary Fares Age Equalisation Scheme on the
budget. There was a statutory requirement to meet any increased costs and
discussions were ongoing regarding this.
The Chief Financial Officer detailed the latest position on the
more significant capital schemes. The
Executive at its meeting on 19 November 2003 had agreed to redirect uncommitted
capital to urgent highway safety works arising from the drought conditions
experienced in the summer. This would have an affect on the approved capital
programme and the details of this would be debated later in the meeting.
RESOLVED :
THAT the revenue
and capital position be noted.
42.
HIGHWAYS
CAPITAL PROGRAMME
The Head of Engineering Services reported that the Executive, at
its meeting on 19 November 2003, had considered the need to undertake urgent
safety works to a number of highways due to the summer drought conditions.
These were remedial works only and would cost £600,000. It was estimated that
at least £1.6m would be required in total to reconstruct the worst affected
highways. A case was being prepared for submission to the Government Office for
the South East for additional capital funding. Members were advised of those
schemes, contained within the capital programme for 2003/04, which would not be
undertaken as the result of the urgent remedial works.
The Select Committee noted that there was a net budget shortfall
of £376,953 in the Ventnor Haven Project. The Head of Engineering Services
explained the reasons behind the additional expenditure. Officers were
investigating the ability to seek funding from other sources but there was a
need to for a contingency to be agreed in case the shortfall had to be fully
met by the Council. Members expressed concern as to how the position had been
reached and believed that they should have been advised of the situation at an
earlier date. The Select Committee was informed that processes had now been put
in place to avoid such a situation recurring.
RESOLVED :
THAT the changes to the Highways Capital Programme, agreed by the
Executive, be noted
CHAIRMAN