Agenda item

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the Executive.

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The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5.00pm on Friday, 3 July 2026.      

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It was reported that there had been nine registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Flick Williams spoke remotely in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. Flick welcomed the decision to offer exemptions to blue badge holders and hackney carriages. It was in line with the Council's obligations under the public sector equality duty. However, there was some concern that the exemption was not to be extended to private hire vehicles transporting SEND students to and from schools and colleges. Flick expressed support for the comments made by Streamline Taxis that had been published in the agenda supplement. That the exemption should apply to all locally licensed

taxi companies. Also, the continued emphasis on the scheme operating as a trial raised concerns that blue badge holder exemptions could be subsequently removed. This should not be predicated on volume of blue badge use since every disabled person's need for access was equally valid.

Mark Venables spoke remotely in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. Mark spoke on behalf of York Civic Trust, Transport Advisory Group. It was reported that York Civic Trust strongly supported the council's proposals for this scheme. That it would significantly improve bus journeys and enhance safety for walkers, wheelers, and cyclists. It also offered an opportunity to enhance the public realm and York Civic Trust was ready to assist in realising the potential for this. There was some concern at the further delay in introducing the scheme which was originally planned for implementation in 2025. Delaying implementation until four months before the council elections presented a risk that the scheme would become a political battleground.

Andrew McGuinness spoke remotely in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. Andrew spoke in in his capacity as Chair of the Enhanced Partnership Bus Forum. It was stated that buses remained Britain's most widely used form of public transport, providing essential connections for people traveling to work, education, healthcare, and local services. However, one significant challenge undermined their effectiveness, and that was congestion. A recent report highlighted that England needed faster buses and that bus speeds had fallen to unacceptably low levels. Average bus speeds were just 7.8mph in congested urban areas increasing to only 9.5 mph in other cities. The report estimated that increasing average bus journey speed by 10% would generate an additional 147 million passenger journeys each year while delivering savings and wider economic benefits worth around £5b nationally. These findings reinforced national evidence that improving bus reliability was not simply about making buses faster. It was about making public transport more attractive, reducing operating costs and supporting local businesses.

Doreen Magill spoke remotely in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. Doreen spoke on behalf of York Bus Forum. It was stated that the main issue was about congestion and everyone, including motorists would benefit if these issues were addressed. The only solution was public transport, specifically buses. The key to a good bus service was encouraging people to use it. The Rougier Route was not expected to solve all the problems, but it would help. It was the first step to encourage people to use buses, which would free up space to move around more easily.

Andy D’Gorne spoke remotely in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. It was stated that York Green Party welcomed the report, a much-needed boost to bus services, albeit slipping again into the most politically contentious timing. There was concern that some suggestions made during the consultation were either not referenced or glossed over in the report and needed to be closely monitored. Firstly, the scheme’s operation until 11.00pm was likely to result in illegal right turns into Coney Street. The solution could be an amendment to the foot street order to enable the hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) barriers at this point to remain closed between 5.00pm and 11.00pm. Secondly, changing Tanner Road, Tough Green and Micklegate roads to one way with cycle contraflow was expected to increase speeds and should be countered by extending the Bishophill 20 mph provision to cover these streets, which would no longer serve as through routes for most of the time. There was also a need for a point closure or camera to ensure that Barker Lane was not used as a vehicle shortcut to Mickelgate on the diversion loop. Finally, there should be further liaison before the scheme commenced with both the Grand Hotel and the NCP car park whose operations would be significantly disrupted by the introduction of a one-way flow at the bottom end of the Tanner row section.

John Iredale spoke in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. John spoke on behalf of Bishophill Action Group. It was stated that the consultation opportunities had been thorough and well attended by residents. There was significant support for improvements to the bus transit times and for improvements for pedestrians and cyclists resulting from reduced traffic flows. Suggestions about issues within the Bishophill area had been addressed and the proposals modified. It was acknowledged that there was to be a review of the scheme once the experimental phase had been completed. It was pointed out that Bishophill Action Group were in favour of a 20mph central zone in York.

Diane Roworth spoke in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. Diane spoke on behalf of York Access Forum and York Disability Rights Forum. There was support for allowing blue badge holders and hackney carriages to use the bus gate alongside emergency and other essential vehicles. This proposal recognised the important principle that a vehicle carrying a blue badge was an essential vehicle for its user. It was important to note that a blue badge was not a privilege. It was a mitigation to overcome the limitations of an impairment or disability. It was about levelling the playing field as far as possible. It was noted that other private hire vehicles were not exempt and that no provision had been made for community transport schemes. It was requested that these two areas received further consideration to ensure that no disabled people lost out on their ability to use the streets that they currently had access to.

Stephen Moyle spoke in relation to agenda item 10, ‘Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route’. Stephen spoke on behalf of First Bus Group in York. It was stated that First Bus Group strongly supported the Rougier Route because it addressed the issue of bus reliability, which was one of the biggest challenges facing public transport in York. That every day buses were delayed by congestion through the city centre. When one bus was held up it impacted on every trip the vehicle was due to make for the rest of the day. That meant passengers arrived late for work, education, medical appointments, and any other important commitments that they had. It also meant that more buses and drivers were needed to maintain the same timetable, which increased costs and reduced efficiencies. The proposed scheme allowed buses carrying thousands of passengers each day to move more reliably through the city. Faster and more consistent journey times for passengers would help encourage more people to use public transport instead of driving and therefore help tackle the issue of congestion. The scheme would help unlock economic, social and environmental benefits. The Rougier Route was considered a positive step towards a better transport network for York. The bus operator supported the Council to approve the trial and allow the scheme to demonstrate its benefits.

Rachel Robinson spoke in relation to agenda item 11 ‘Fulford Cemetery / Bereavement Services’. Rachel spoke on behalf of Fulford Parish Council (the current owners of Fulford Cemetery). It was stated that the parish council fully supported the proposals for City of York Council (CYC) to take over the management of Fulford Cemetery from the parish council and to terminate the 2006 burial services agreement, as set out in the report. It was pointed out that Fulford Cemetery was unlike any other parish council managed cemetery. It was the only cemetery in the country owned and managed by a parish providing burial services on behalf of the unitary authority. It had been clear to the parish council for some time that a city-wide operation such as Fulford Cemetery required city level resources. It was stated that CYC had managed much of the cemetery operations since August 2025 and the agreement had been extended to August 2027. Since August 2025, the benefits of the support and professional expertise from the CYC cemetery supervisor, the cemetery administrator and from bereavement services had been evident financially, administratively and in terms of industry and public perception. Additionally, the coordination of volunteering ventures by CYC communities team had also proved extremely valuable in terms of assistance with the maintenance of the grounds, encouraging community engagement, positive feedback, and giving the volunteers a real sense of investment in the site's future. The recommendations provided an opportunity for CYC to have control over York's burial services and the income generated by them.