Agenda for Scrutiny Board (Infrastructure, Investment & Inclusive Growth) on Wednesday, 24th November, 2021, 10.30 am

Scrutiny Board (Infrastructure, Investment & Inclusive Growth) - Wednesday, 24th November, 2021 10.30 am

Venue: Civic Hall, Leeds, LS1 1UR. View directions

Contact: Becky Atherton (0113 37 88642) Email: Becky.atherton@leeds.gov.uk

Link: to View Meeting Recording

Items
No.	Item
30.	APPEALS AGAINST REFUSAL OF INSPECTION OF DOCUMENTS To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25 of the Access to Information Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded) Minutes: There were no appeals.
31.	Late Items To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration. (The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.) Minutes: There were no formal late items.
32.	Exempt Information - Possible Exclusion of the Press and Public 1 To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report. 2 To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information. 3 If so, to formally pass the following resolution:- RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:- Minutes: There was no exempt information.
33.	Declarations of Interests To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’. Minutes: There were no declarations raised at the meeting.
34.	Apologies for Absence and Notification of Substitutes To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor J Goddard. Councillor K Ritchie attended as a substitute on behalf of Councillor J Goddard, for the duration of the meeting.
35.	Minutes - 27 October 2021 PDF 237 KB To approve as a correct record the minutes of the minutes of the meeting held on 27 October 2021. Minutes: RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held Wednesday, 27^th October 2021 be approved as an accurate record.
36.	Advancing Bus Provision PDF 414 KB To receive an update on the progress made against the recommendations of the Scrutiny Board inquiry into Advancing Bus Provision, and to further discuss with partners developments relating to improving bus service provision in Leeds. Additional documents: App 1 2 Advancing Bus Provision DP 21 , item 36. PDF 518 KB App 3 bus-service-improvement-plan , item 36. PDF 2 MB Minutes: Further to the minutes of the meeting held 14^th October 2021, the report of the Head of Democratic Services introduced a report that set out the progress made in responding to the actions arising from the Scrutiny Inquiry into Advancing Bus Service Provision. Appended to the submitted report included a copy of the recommendation tracking flowchart and classifications (Appendix 1), as well as a formal update (Appendix 2) and the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) (Appendix 3). The following were in attendance for this item: LCC o Councillor H Hayden, Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate o Gary Bartlett, Chief Officer Highways and Transportation WYCA o Councillor K Groves, Lead Member for Public Transport o Dave Pearson, Director Transport and Property Services PROVIDERS o Andrew McGuiness, Regional Manager Confederation of Passenger Transport UK o Paul Matthews, MD of First West Yorkshire o Alex Hornby, CEO TransDev o Dwayne Wells, Head of Commercial Arriva Bus The Director, Transport and Property Services (WYCA) introduced the report, and provided the Board with a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the following: · An overview of the National Bus Strategy and BSIP. · West Yorkshire Position on Bus Reform. · West Yorkshire Route to Bus Reform – Mayoral ambition in West Yorkshire including timescale assumptions to achieve a statutory Franchising scheme. · Visions and objectives of the BSIP, as well as headline initiatives of what the BSIP will seek to deliver. · A draft version of the Plan on a page. · Impact of the Pandemic. · Next steps in terms of the BSIP funding bid, the establishment of an Enhanced Partnership, the completion of Leeds Public Transport Improvement Plan Schemes and commencement of BSIP Quick win programme. The Chief Officer Highways and Transportation (LCC) addressed the Board and highlighted the partnership work undertaken with WYCA to understand the implications of the BSIP. An overview was provided on the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme. It was confirmed that as the multi-year programme of projects comes towards its end, efficient management has resulted in the possibility of a number of additional minor schemes being progressed in the new year. Representatives of the bus operators supported the initiatives of the BSIP. The following issues were highlighted: · General concern for long-term future investment in bus services and potential future funding models. · Staffing position impacting on service delivery and incentives that have been introduced to tackle driver shortages in Leeds. · Reduced passenger volumes and changing patterns of usage on buses. · An increase in traffic volumes and the impact this has on punctuality and reliability on services. The Lead Member for Public Transport (WYCA) emphasised the importance of ensuring the right model is used for West Yorkshire and reiterated challenges around funding. Scrutiny Board members commended the work undertaken by frontline workers during the pandemic and requested their praise be noted. Members’ discussion included: · Clarity on the delivery of the remaining 90 ultra-low emission, Clean Air Zone compliant buses.Members were informed of the profit implications for providers resulting from the pandemic, and the commitment to not buy ... view the full minutes text for item 36.
37.	Work Schedule PDF 410 KB To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2021/22 municipal year. Additional documents: App 1 Work Schedule 2021 2022 , item 37. PDF 308 KB App 2 ExB minutes 20102021 , item 37. PDF 235 KB Minutes: The report of the Head of Democratic Services submitted a report which detailed the Scrutiny Boards work schedule for the 2021/22 municipal year. The schedule was appended to the submitted report, together with the Executive Board minutes from the meeting held Wednesday, 20^th October, 2021. RESOLVED – To note the contents of the report and the work programme for the 2021/22 municipal year.
38.	Date and Time of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Scrutiny Board will take place on 19 January at 10.30am. There will be a pre-meeting for all Board members at 10.15am. Minutes: RESOLVED – To note the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday, 19^th January 2022 (there will be a pre-meeting for all Board members at 10.15 am) (The meeting concluded at 13:00)