Agenda item

To consider Hampshire County Council’s T19 Consultation on street lighting, supported passenger transport services and concessionary travel and to discuss proposals 1-6 with a view to informing the Council’s response. A copy of the Consultation Information Pack is attached.

The Board received a copy of Hampshire County Council’s (HCC’s) T19 consultation on street lighting, supported passenger transport services and concessionary travel to provide feedback to input into a Council response.  HCC proposed to initially save £230,000 per annum by switching off street lights on some residential streets for a minimum of two or more hours per night from April 2019.  HCC also proposed changes to the supported passenger transport services and concessionary travel scheme to save a total of £2.1m, of which £650,000 had already been secured.  The Board considered each of the proposals individually and made comments to be incorporated into a Council response:

Proposal 1: To switch off street lights for part of the night (two or more hours) on residential streets

·      Potential issues if the lights were switched off in areas where there was a night time economy.

·      A view from the Police should be sought on the potential effect on anti-social behaviour and burglaries.

·      Potential to switch off every other light should be considered.

·      Request evidence to be provided on the street areas where the lights switch off could work.

Proposal 2: To make operational changes to the current public bus and ferry services which Hampshire County Council supports

·      As the questions related to specific bus services it was considered it was difficult for the Council to give a view, however it was acknowledged that those passengers using the buses relied on the services currently provided.

Proposal 3: To replace some supported public bus services with alternative forms of community transport, such as Taxishares and Call and Go

·      There were some pilot schemes taking place in other areas and it was suggested that the outcomes from the pilot schemes should be considered before any changes implemented.

·      Alternative services away from a scheduled service to meet local conditions should be considered.

Proposal 4: To reduce the amount of printed material and make better use of electronic information

·      Agreement with the reduction in the amount printed but as long as some printed material was still made available for those without access to online services.

Proposal 5: To reduce the amount of support available to organisations that provide, promote or support transport services

·      As there was only £30,000 saving to be made across the County it was the view that there would only be a limited affect in Rushmoor.

·      A check online was requested to see which services in Rushmoor would be affected and advise Board if necessary.

Proposal 6: To remove the use of the Older Persons’ Bus Pass on Taxishares, Dial-a-Ride and Call and Go services

·      The services should only be removed where there was currently a bus service available.

·      Consultation with the users should be carried out to identify why they needed the service.

·      A pilot impact assessment should be carried out.

The views of the Board would be compiled into a Council response to the consultation and sent to Hampshire County Council before the deadline of 5th August.