To receive a report back from the Cabinet
Member on the implementation of the Scrutiny Investigation’s recommendations.
Minutes:
a) Submitted
– the report of the Cabinet Member for Education responding to the
recommendations of the Post 16 Transport to Further Education Scrutiny
Investigation. It was noted that the Cabinet Member had apologised for not
being able to attend the meeting, but the Senior Schools Manager outlined that
the Cabinet Member had thanked members of the investigation for their thorough
work into the field. Apologies were expressed for the delay in submitting the
report, and it was added that the opportunity to submit / implement some of the
recommendations for September 2015 had been impacted by a 'purdah' period. It
was also noted that the wording and conditions of the Post 16 Transportation
Policy would be simplified and adapted to address the changes.
It was explained that the recommendations had
been split into three categories, and each was discussed individually. Some of
the changes would be charging a fixed price and abolishing the notion of a
catchment area to ensure consistency in terms of provision. The aim was to
delete some of the obstacles. The wording and the conditions of the new
Transportation Policy would be much simpler and readable. This would ensure the
user's improved understanding together with the education providers and the
understanding of Galw Gwynedd helpline staff.
It was added that the intention was to
collaborate with Partners to contribute to improving the provision, and that
discussions had been held with the Llandrillo Menai Colleges Group to act as an agent. It was added that
interest had been noted but no commitment up to now.
b) Taking
advantage of his right to speak, Mr S Chambers, the President of the Coleg Meirion Dwyfor Students’
Union submitted his proposals for the Post 16 Transportation Policy. The
following observations were noted:
- It
was the standard of the service and not the price which caused concern.
- Overcrowding
on buses - the buses picked up members of the public, secondary school pupils
and College students - Health and Safety risk
- Flexibility
of the ticket - the usage limit (twice per day) contributed to overcrowding.
- The
use of 'My Travel Pass' - Welsh Government Scheme. Why did bus drivers not
accept it?
- Needed
better arrangements for periods of adverse weather.
- Suggested
focussing on quality and the students’ needs.
c) During the discussion, the following
observations were made:
- There
were too many differences between Welsh and English Legislation and that the
investigation’s original focus had been to look at these inconsistencies. It
was argued that the Council was no closer to helping people from
underprivileged households.
- Concern
that the ‘My Travel Pass’ was not accepted.
- Needed
to consider the ticket's flexibility - propose testing the ticket’s flexibility
in a specific area.
- Increasing
the ticket price from £60 to £100 was unfair - was it possible to review this
and charge £80?
- Needed
to consider purposeful buses for students only to avoid overcrowding - proposed
the need to consult further with users.
- Needed
to hold further discussions with commercial public transportation companies to
seek to stop the obstacle of using a ticket at any time of the day.
ch) Councillor
Gruffydd Williams proposed that the Cabinet Member should be called upon not to
increase the cost of the ticket from £60 to £100, and he requested that that
was recorded. The proposal was not seconded.
RESOLVED:
a) EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT
THE DELAY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS, WELCOME THE WORK WHICH
IS NOW BEING UNDERTAKEN, BUT PUSH FOR EARLY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS DERIVING FROM THE INVESTIGATION, SPECIFICALLY REQUESTING THE
CABINET MEMBER TO FOCUS ON:
i. THE QUALITY AND
STANDARD OF THE PROVISION, PARTLY DUE TO OVERCROWDING
ii. THE LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT
OF TIMES WHEN A STUDENT CAN USE THE TICKET, AND THE PROPOSAL THAT A DISCUSSION
OCCURS WITH PROVIDERS TO SEEK TO APPROVE FLEXIBILITY FOR A PERIOD
iii. THE USE OF THE ‘MY
TRAVEL PASS’ - THE BUS COMPANIES’ UNWILLINGNESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ITS USE
iv. CONTACT THE WELSH
GOVERNMENT TO PUSH FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ARRANGEMENT SIMILAR TO THAT IN
ENGLAND TO HELP STUDENTS FROM THE POOREST HOUSEHOLDS
b) THE CABINET MEMBER IS
REQUESTED TO REPORT BACK ON THESE MATTERS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 2016
Supporting documents: