Rutland County Council used to pay a subsidy to Centre Bus to run this service, similar to the current running cost of £40,000, so I don't understand why Rutland County Council require Oakham Town council to pay this £40,000, it is a double taxation demand once again. I wonder if it comes with threats again? Like the requests in the past for Oakham Town Council to fund Library staff and the Electricity bill for street lighting.
I am not sure where Rutland County Council get their usage figures from, because when the mini bus stops outside my house, most of the time it is empty and when it does have passengers its never more than 3 or 4, when it sits at stops it pollutes the air because unlike the buses drivers the mini bus driver never turns the engine off.
If anyone does not understand double taxation this is a brief explanation. RCC have budgeted for county transport costs and charge us for it through the council tax bill. Oakham Town Council have not budgeted for this expenditure and will add it to next years precept demand, just like the street lighting bill after RCC said they would turn them off if the Town Council did not agree to pay. This new expenditure will see Oakham Town Council council tax demand, increase by almost a quarter. I see no mention of which council will keep the collected fares if any are collected.
Oakham Town Council
Rol House, Long Row, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6LN
01572 723627
enquiries@oakhamtowncouncil.gov.uk
www.oakhamtowncouncil.gov.uk
TO: All members of the Town Council
In accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1972, you are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of Oakham Town Council on Monday 4th July 2022 at 6.30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Town Council Offices, Rol House, Long Row, Oakham, LE15 6LN
Sally-Anne Wadsworth
Chairman of the Council
28th June 2022
NOTICE OF MEETING
Public Notice of the meeting has been given in accordance with schedule 12, Para 10(2) of the Local Government Act 1972. The Meeting is open to the press and public. Members of the public attending this meeting are advised that it may be filmed and recorded.
AGENDA
1. APOLOGIES AND REASONS FOR ABSENCE: To receive and approve apologies for absences
2. DECLARATION OF MEMBERS’ INTERESTS AND APPLICATIONS FOR DISPENSATION: Reminder to Members to disclose either a Pecuniary Interest or Other Interest in any item on the agenda. The clerk cannot advise members on this. Members are personally responsible for declaring an interest. Members are respectfully advised to read the Code of Conduct for more information. Councillors are also responsible for ensuring that their Registers of Interests are up to date (within 28 days of any changes)
3. DEPUTATIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: An opportunity for members of the public to speak in accordance with Standing Orders 1 (d)- 1(i)
4. OAKHAM HOPPER
11.1 To receive a report from the Oakham hopper Working Group
11.2 To vote on the proposals submitted in the paper attached.
11.3 To discuss and vote any proposals that arise from additional discussions of this service.
5. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING: 13 July 2022 @ 6.30 p.m.
NOTES:
a) The meeting is open to the press & public.
b) The Town Council allows a short period of time at meetings of the Full Council when residents can put questions to the council. At other times, the public are not able to take part in the proceedings except at the discretion of the Chairman who may at a convenient time in the transaction of business adjourn the meeting and suspend standing orders to allow any member of the public to address the meeting and ask questions requiring answers of a factual nature
c) Mobile phones are to be switched to silent during the meeting
d) Additional documents to support the agenda will be available online and hard copies are available at the office should the public wish to review.
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Report No. Appendix: Agenda Item: |
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OAKHAM TOWN COUNCIL |
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Report Author: Oakham Hopper working Group.
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Title: Oakham Hopper
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Applicable Strategy:
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Background.
Following the meeting of the Oakham Hopper group the Council is asked to discuss and vote on the following proposals:
To take on the running of the Oakham Hopper Service for the rest of the financial year at a cost of £25,000.
For OTC to permanently take over the running of the Oakham Hopper Service at an approximate cost of £40,000 pa
To discuss next steps as to the future of this service (initial questions and responses from Emma Odebas are attached)
Good afternoon
Many thanks for your email.
Actual numbers of passengers in the last few months broken down by numbers on each timed service per journey – Usage data attached in the Hopper passenger records file fyi.
The actual costs of a full year service as it stands without our involvement - Up to September 2021, the Oakham Hopper was a 100% subsidised contracted local bus service operated by Centrebus Ltd on behalf of RCC. The annual contract subsidy was £57,025 and RCC also then subsidised the reimbursement of concessionary fares payments for free travel of £28,800 per annum. On top of this, the 16:00 journey was operated by a taxi company at a cost of £12,160 per annum. A total subsidy of over 97k p.a for the service to operate. September 2021 onwards, RCC has been operating a free minibus service to achieve savings with no reduction in service to passengers at an operational cost of £40,400.
Costs of the school run service as it presently stands. – The Braunston to Oakham return school journey forms part of a closed bus contract which then goes on to take scholars to Melton Vale post-16 centre. We have had quotes from operators to run the Braunston section only with the lowest submission being £14,995, hence my proposal to reduce the operational cost to you of £40,400 to £25,000 to deduct what we would pay an external operator to cover.
Costs for running the service if it was reduced to the school run services and 3 routes in the morning. This would effectively mean reducing the service by 2 routes around the town. Based on the full operation cost of 25k and there being 5 full loops, it would reduce by a further 10k meaning the cost to OTC for the school run and 3 loops would be 15k per annum for the reduced service.
A draft contract/SLA so that council can look at the fine print. I am working on a draft of this at the moment but want to work on it with OTC ‘s continual input into what you expect to see included as it isn’t an insular task. The agreement will include the maximum payment, the payments terms, the level of service to be delivered by RCC and what the arrangements would be for driver training, vehicle standards, maintenance, publicity and promotion of the service, regular service monitoring meetings to discuss usage and makes any changes OTC might like to see with times or the route, RCC’s responsibility to provide replacement vehicle in the event of breakdown and/or any time off road, bus stop maintenance and updating of timetables. I will continue to work on the bare bones of a draft but RCC are actually the contractor in this scenario as opposed to the contract holder so the content of the SLA really needs input from OTC at all stages.
As offered previously, I am happy to be online, in person or at the end of the phone whilst the meeting takes place to answer any questions anyone might have before a final decision is taken.
Please note that I will be on leave from 28th June – 7th July and back at work on 8th July.
Oakham Hopper Passenger Numbers Sept 2021 -
Total AM Total PM Monthly Total
09:30 10:30 11:30 13:00 14:00 16:00
Sep-21 166 67 18 251 85 29 1 115 366 Started 15/9/2021
Oct-21 159 143 115 417 94 45 0 139 556 1 Week stats missing
Nov-21 155 245 223 623 124 59 4 187 810 Full month stats
Dec-21 127 218 234 579 102 54 5 161 740 Christmas Bank Holidays
Jan-22 129 216 223 568 114 73 4 191 759
Feb-22 118 220 208 546 98 74 6 178 724
Mar-22 165 248 240 653 128 92 7 227 880
Apr-22 143 238 211 592 122 100 8 230 822
May-22 149 214 268 631 130 90 8 228 859
