Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed all present to the meeting. Apologies were noted as above.

No Declarations of Interest were submitted.

Members of the public have up to 30 minutes to ask questions submitted in advance of the meeting, questions should be submitted to Democratic Services by midday on Monday 25^th November 2024.

No Public Questions had been received.

To note the Terms of Reference for the Bury Local Bee Forum.

The Terms of Reference for the Bury Local Bee Network Forum were noted.

The Forum discussed times and dates of meetings to ensure public, Member and TfGM attendance, and it was felt that a move to evening meetings would be preferable.

It was agreed:

That the Terms of Reference for the Forum be noted.

Report attached.

Nick Fairclough presented an update on the delivery of the Bee Network, and highlighted the following key areas from the report:

·         Successful continuing delivery of Bus Franchising, with a 5% increase in patronage.

·         Increasing patronage for Metrolink.

·         Reduced Fare Evasion.

·         Ongoing work on the GM Rail Network.

·         Active Travel statistics relating to walk, wheel or cycle and an infrastructure update.

·         Ongoing work to ensure Bee Network customers can ‘tap on and tap off’ so can move seamlessly between between buses and trams, with an ambition to integrate cycle hire and GM rail in the future.

·         Fares reduced for weekly and 28 day tickets.

·         Preparation of the draft Local Transport Plan which should be available by Summer 2025.

The Chair referred to the exciting initiatives underway, and the benefits for the residents of Bury, with the ultimate aim of equal access for all. These sentiments were echoed by the other Councillors present.

Cllr Green made comments around the position in Prestwich, where connectivity between services was an issue, and that variations in demographics across Prestwich needed to be taken into account. Cllr Green also asked TfGM officers to keep Ward Members informed of any service issues so they could communicate these to residents.

Dan Coles agreed that there was work to do on communications with residents on changes to services or issues, and highlighted that these were areas that the Public Affairs and Communications Team and Bus Team would needed to address.

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.

Daniel Coles gave details of the Bury Bee Network Bus Review, advising that network reviews were a mechanism for considering public needs and aspirations for the bus network across Greater Manchester.

Daniel reported on the timescales for change and network review process, advising that in terms of the Bury Area Network Review, Stage 1 (Engagement and Evidence Gathering) had taken place between September and November 2024, and outlined the next steps from December 2024, which would end in January 2026 with strategic network changes implemented. Stage 2 would commence from January 2025, with detailed route planning, appraisal and further stakeholder engagement.

In terms of feedback to date, issues identified included reliability, lack of frequency, accessibility and infrastructure and integration/inter-connectivity issues.

The Chair requested that once the consultation outcome was known, that a further report be presented and that all Councillors be given the opportunity to attend the meeting.

Daniel also advised that future Thematic Reviews planned included looking at the NHS, and cross border travel, in terms of both staff and patients.

It was acknowledged that engagement with schools and colleges was a developing approach and improvements could still be made.

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.

Sam Knight gave details of the draft School Travel Strategy, the aim of which was to get more young people to chose to walk, wheel, scoot, cycle or use public transport to get to school and access further education.

The report set out the case for change, barriers to travelling sustainably to school, current travel patterns, and plans to improve school travel including creation of safer streets around schools. Consultation would end on 26^th January 2025.

Members and officers discussed the report, with the Safer Streets approach praised, but concerns were raised about whether this approach could be resourced once the GM Mayor’s activation budget had ended, and also whether the approach moved issues to another area. There was also the need to link the approach in with the Bury Physical Activity Strategy. The future Safer Streets approach included greater use of ANPR cameras, and use of volunteers and teachers, and it was confirmed that Bury would soon have the relevant ANPR powers, which would become operational in December.

Chrispian Logue also highlighted the opportunities arising from the Northern Gateway and Strategic Housing Sites.

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.

Discussion on potential agenda items for future meetings.

The Forum discussed potential items to discuss at future meetings that would help form a Forward Plan, with items raised including the Travel Hub at Prestwich, the consultation feedback from the Bus Review, an item on Health and Transport (Lee Buggie) and the draft Local Transport Plan (Summer 2025).

It was agreed:

That Forum Members feed in any further ideas to Phil Llewellyn, who would produce a Forward Plan report for the next meeting.

To discuss the date and time of the next quarterly meeting.

Following discussion about the availability of Members, it was felt that evening meetings would work better and TfGM officers advised that they should be able to attend evening meetings.

It was agreed:

That future meetings be held in the evenings, with the date of the next meeting in February 2025 to be advised.