Agenda item
Questions to the Executive Leader and Executive Members received under Standing Order 10(c)
To deal with the following questions to the Executive Leader and / or other Executive Members, in accordance with Standing Order 10(a):
(i) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Alexander:
“Can the Executive Member for City Strategy please tell me why Council officers have said that an authorised new bus stop on Hamilton drive cost £2,000 but an authorised replacement bus stop on Hamilton Drive East only cost £85?”
(ii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Fraser:
“Can the Executive Member for City Strategy explain the inordinate delay in ensuring that the CCTV camera installed on Bishopthorpe Road becomes operative?”
(iii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Firth:
“Would the Executive Member comment on the latest bus usage and bus reliability performance in the City?”
(iv) To the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services from Cllr Aspden:
“Can the Executive Member give an update on progress made towards using the Sustainable Communities Act to benefit York?”
(v) To the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, from Cllr Alexander
“Can the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion describe his objectives for the coming year and how he plans to overcome problems within the portfolio area that his predecessor could not?”
(vi) To the Executive Member for Housing & Adult Social Services, from Cllr Horton:
“Will the new Executive Member for HASS explain to myself, my fellow Ward Councillor and the residents of Almsford Road, the cost to the Council in Officer time and other costs, in relation to the failed attempt to bring 17 Almsford Road in to affordable housing usage?”
Minutes:
Six questions had been submitted to the Executive Leader and Executive Members under Standing Order 11.3. The guillotine having fallen, Members agreed to receive written responses to these questions. The questions and the written responses are set out below:
(i) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Alexander:
“Can the Executive Member for City Strategy please tell me why Council Officers have said that an authorised new bus stop on Hamilton Drive cost £2,000 but an authorised replacement bus stop on Hamilton Drive East only cost £85?”
Reply
“To provide a full engineering brief for a new bus stop includes:
· Consultation with local residents at a site never to have had a bus stop before
· Full accessibility measures (Kassel kerbs and a 'bus stop' box cage on the road)
· High quality flag, pole and timetable
· Installation
= £2000
To re-plant a fallen pole (no new infrastructure required) and seal with concrete
= £85”
(ii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Firth:
“Would the Executive Member comment on the latest bus usage and bus reliability performance in the City?
Reply
“Patronage
As reported in NPI 177/ BVPI 102 (Local bus passenger journeys originating in the authority area on all bus service - including commercial operations) ridership is as follows:
2007/8: 14,853,143
2008/9: 15,334,448
Patronage on bus services across the City has consistently been at approximately 15 million since 2004.
Park and Ride services have seen year on year increases for several years. Total, annual, patronage has increased by 2% over the past year. However, May 2009 figures show a 5.8% drop when compared to May 2008. Of particular note is an 11.8% drop at Rawcliffe Bar which would suggest a reduction in the number of visitors from the north east.
Subsidised services are difficult to quantify exactly due to the changeable nature of the commercial/subsidised network. However, a couple of fairly consistent route surveys demonstrate the following modest ridership increases:
Service 20 (Acomb - Clifton Moor - Haxby - Monks Cross)
April 2007 6754
April 2008 7641
April 2009 8885
Service 11 evening/Sunday (Bishopthorpe - York)
April 2007 1919
April 2008 1661
April 2009 2402
Service 24 (Fulford - York -Acomb)
April 2007 4080
April 2008 4730
April 2009 5320
Commercial services - The one operator not running any subsidised services in York, Yorkshire Coastliner (now part of Transdev), returned patronage of 600,907 for 2007/8, increasing to 652,282 for 2008/9.
Reliability
LTP 5 figures indicate the following for the past two years:
Percentage of services starting their route on time:
2007/08 68.3%
2008/09 70.9%
Percentage of services on time at intermediate timing points:
2007/08 22.9%
2008/9 52%
The figures were collected via on-street surveys over a one month period where 'on time' refers to the national standard of between 1 minute earlier and 5 minutes later than the scheduled arrival time.
As per the 'public transport review' of last Winter, the Council will be in a position to monitor services using real time passenger information data for the 2009/10 indicators. This will mean that both the sample and accuracy of data collected will be improved. The data will be supported by a small sample of on-street surveys to ensure that it is correct.
A snapshot of reliability for the week ended Saturday 20th June 2009 produced the following results:
94.2% of journeys started on time - that is within the tolerance permitted by the Traffic Commissioner
89.4% were on time (from in excess of 20,000 observations at all stops on the network)
90.5% was the level of compliance for the network as a whole.”
(iii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Fraser:
“Can the Executive Member for City Strategy explain the inordinate delay in ensuring that the CCTV camera installed on Bishopthorpe Road becomes operative?”
Reply
“I understand that the timescale for CCTV installation, testing and operation, will in many cases take several months (sometimes 3-4, others have taken longer). Council officers are reliant upon electric & line connections being supplied by a contractor and BT. We have no control over BT's timeframes.
In addition, understand that with this camera we utilised remaining funds from 08/09, to purchase the hardware and commence installation. The later elements (as above) have been funded from 09/10 financial year, so that has added a little to the timeframe.
I understand that BT have said they will be starting their initial work next week and the transmission team will then follow. We do not as yet have a completion date for the work.”
(iv) To the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, from Cllr Aspden:
“Can the Executive Member give and update on progress made towards using the Sustainable Communities Act to benefit York?”
Reply
Reply
“The Neighbourhood Management Unit have done an excellent job in raising awareness of this new Act. Following information in the April/May editions of Your Ward, all Ward Committees either had a display at the surgery or an agenda item on the Act, consultation letters were sent to 150 voluntary organisations and all Parish Councils and a dedicated web page with an on line consultation facility was provided on the Council website.
As a result of this consultation 327 suggestions were received from residents. Some were duplicates and for many the Council already has the necessary powers. After sifting by Officers from all departments of the Council a short list of suggestions was presented to a Citizens Panel. The Panel included young people and representatives of organisations who had suggested proposals. The feedback from those who attended was very positive with 99% happy with the process. Officers also attended the Without Walls Executive Board to seek their views and the website refreshed to allow residents to comment in the shortlisted suggestions.
All the comments will be assessed to form the final proposals which will come back to the Executive on 21st July.
Feedback for the Local Works Organisation who have been promoting the Sustainable Communities Act shows that a number of Local Authorities are struggling to find proposals to send to the next stage and it would appear that our consultation process has been more comprehensive than many.”
(v) To the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion, from Cllr Alexander:
“Can the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion describe his objectives for the coming year and how he plans to overcome problems within the portfolio area that his predecessor could not?”
Reply
“In last year’s CPA the leisure portfolio increased its rating from 2 stars to 3 stars. It is my ambition to have the same problem next year.”
(vi) To the Executive Member for Housing & Adult Social Services, from Cllr Horton
“Will the new Executive Member for HASS explain to myself, my fellow Ward Councillor and the residents of Almsford Road, the cost to the Council in Officer time and other costs, in relation to the failed attempt to bring 17 Almsford Road into affordable housing usage?”
Reply
"As I understand it, it was never the intention of officers, or indeed, as far as I am aware, yourself, your fellow Ward Councillor or the residents of Almsford Road to bring 17 Almsford Road into affordable housing usage, it was to bring it to an acceptable standard for occupation - and to that extent the attempt has been successful, not a failure.”