Executive Report of the Director of Transport, Environment and Planning (Portfolio of the Executive Member for Transport)

13 July 2023

Update on local bus services - Annex: Additional Implications

Legal

1. The delivery of the BSIP through either an EP route or a franchise route is mandated by the Transport Act 2000.  EP Plans and Schemes are statutory documents.  The Bus Services Act 2017 incorporates a duty on local transport authorities to consult on EP Plans and EP Schemes into the Transport Act 2000.

2. The quotes for the short term bus contracts and the tender for the long term bus contracts will need to be carried out in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (where applicable) and the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules and will need to involve colleagues from procurement and legal services

3. Funding agreements – any relevant funding agreements will need to be reviewed by colleagues in Legal Services to understand whether there are any subsidy control implications.

4. Park & Ride contract extension – the extension agreement will need to be prepared by Legal Services.  Both the Procurement Team and Legal Services will need to be involved (as appropriate) in the review of the P&R service to inform the future re-procurement of the contract for the service to commence in April 2025.

5. BSIP/EP funding – there is a governance process in relation to the BSIP and EP which will need to be followed when drawing down funding.

Procurement

6. Any proposed works will need to be commissioned via a compliant procurement process under the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules and if applicable, the Public Contract Regulations 2015. The Commercial Procurement team will need to be consulted alongside Legal Services, and the Insurance team so appropriate documents, contracts and processes can be completed.