Bus services after the Spending Review

Written evidence from the Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance (BUS 02)

Inquiry into bus services after the spending review

1. Background

1.1 The Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance (CSPA) is recognised by the Cabinet Office as the body that represents retired civil servants. From the approximate 500,000 civil service pensioners the Alliance has an active membership of over 61,000 which are organised into 100 local Groups in England and Wales and, separate Branches covering Scotland and Northern Ireland.

1.2 The Alliance has been fully involved over the last few years both as an independent organisation and through our affiliations with organisations such as the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) in campaigning for the provision of concessionary travel for pensioners and older people including the Free Bus Pass.

2. Change in the level of administration of the Concessionary Bus Pass Scheme For Disabled and Older People

2.1 Following the consultation exercise conducted by the Department for Transport in 2009 we made a submission calling for the administration of the concessionary bus travel scheme to be undertaken by the upper level of local authorities as exampled by the County Council rather than at the District Council Level. However we also made the point that any such change should not result in existing additional benefits, such as wider operating times for access to bus services sponsored by individual local authorities, should be detrimentally affected as a direct consequence of the change in the level of administration, a point taken on board by the Department for Transport in their response to the consultation exercise.

2.2 Although we welcomed the decision of the Department for Transport to change the level at which the concessionary bus pass was administered, we had expected there to be a consultation exercise undertaken by County Councils in conjunction with District Councils and their equivalents, with interested parties to ascertain whether or not there were likely to be any issues of concern arising from the change in the level of administration. To date we have only been able to ascertain that Hampshire County Council undertook a public consultation exercise in which our local representatives were involved.

3. Bus services after the spending review

3.1 Although we welcomed the change in the level of administration of the concessionary travel scheme for disabled and older people including pensioners, we supported this change without the prior knowledge that the Coalition Government were going to introduce a reduction in the Bus Service Operator’s Grant (BSOG) as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Were we to have had prior warning of this change it is possible we might not have supported the change in the level of administration until the impact of the reduction in the BSOG had been assessed.

3.2 Whilst we welcomed the retention of the Free Bus Pass for disabled and older people following the Comprehensive Spending Review announcement in November, we now have very serious concerns that this may prove to be a seriously diminished facility especially in more rural areas where existing public transport provision can be sparse under the existing funding and subsidy provisions.

3.3 The proposed cuts in the BSOG over the next four years will be likely to introduce serious cutbacks in the provision of bus services, but this may prove to be a very difficult issue to monitor given that the administration of the concessionary travel scheme funding is no longer undertaken at the lower level of local authorities.

3.4 In other words although there may have been an advantage to the upper level of local authorities administering the concessionary bus travel scheme, that advantage may well now be undermined by the cutback in the BSOG. Also there does not appear to be, or there seems to be very little provision on the part of the upper tier of local government to undertake any public consultation arising from the change in the level of the administration of the concessionary bus travel scheme, which must pose serious concerns over what consultation is likely to be undertaken regarding the impact of the BSOG.

3.5 If it would prove to be of assistance we would be prepared to give oral evidence to expand on any of the contents of this submission.

December 2010