Agenda item

The Chairman explained that he had received correspondence relating to the Community Car Scheme which had been passed onto officers and relevant issues would be considered as part of their report.  The Chairman would make contact with the individual after the meeting to address any outstanding matters.

The Executive Director referred to the presentation provided by Creative Arts East earlier on in the meeting and the links to lack of transport in rural areas.  She also referred to the changes with Stagecoach and impacts that this could have.

She confirmed that there were no proposals to reduce or remove funding for the service, but to review its operation.  The Executive Director explained that in 1999 funding had been received to assist in the setup of Rural Transport Partnerships, which was administered by a dedicated officer.  It was explained that Community Car Schemes were not run by the Borough Council and presently the Borough Council funded six schemes.  They were all funded slightly differently with some receiving grants and some putting in quarterly claims.  It was clarified that the Borough Council checked the claims, but the administration work was carried out by the car scheme themselves.

The Executive Director explained that correspondence had been received from an individual relating to Community Car Schemes which had prompted this review.  As part of the review a survey was sent to all Parishes to ascertain details of any schemes they ran, the results of which were included in the report.  The Executive Director highlighted that no Parishes, which currently did not have a scheme in place, had responded that they would like one to be introduced.

The Executive Director highlighted the recommendation as set out in the report.  She explained that if the Council continued to fund schemes, a Service Level Agreement would be required along with evidence of sufficient Governance arrangements and the schemes would continue to be administered by the car schemes.

The Panel was informed that Norfolk County Council also funded some community car schemes and following discussions with officers it had been agreed that they could also administer payments to the schemes on behalf of the Borough.

The Panel was also requested to consider any relevant criteria for journeys under the scheme and what the Borough would fund. 

The Chairman thanked the Executive Director for her report and invited questions and comments from the Panel, as summarised below.

The Vice Chairman, Councillor Bambridge asked about the Borough Council checking process.  The Executive Director explained that the car scheme carried out the administration work and would do necessary checks that the journey had taken place and mileage incurred.  The Borough Council would then check the arithmetic and the claim would be authorised by a senior officer.

In response to a question from Councillor Bubb, it was confirmed that Parish Councils were bodies in their own right and had their own external auditors.  Schemes receiving payments annually must demonstrate financial need each year and they did so by providing an income and expenditure account for verification.

Councillor Smith commented that he did not feel that criteria for journeys should be introduced.  He did not want the scheme to be too prescriptive.

Councillor Devereux, Portfolio Holder for Development, commented that it would be essential for Parish Councils to have adequate governance arrangements in place and that the implementation of services could sometimes be challenging.  He also commented that Community Car Schemes were an essential service for some communities.

Councillor Moriarty addressed the Panel under Standing Order 34.  He explained that he was a volunteer driver for Castle Acre Community Car Scheme.  He asked if the Council had approached West Norfolk Community Transport to see if they were interested in expanding their services.  The Executive Director explained that discussions had been held with West Norfolk Community Transport and they were not in a position to expand their service at the moment as they had just taken on some of the Stagecoach routes.

The Chairman commented that there was definitely a need for the scheme.  He reiterated that the schemes were Parish Schemes and he did not think that the Council should introduce criteria for journeys.  Schemes would need to be properly governed and accounted for.

Councillor Moriarty commented that sometimes the volunteers did not charge the additional mileage which was paid by the Borough Council.  He also referred to waiting times during journeys and ‘dead miles’ which were the miles from drop off of the customer, to home.

Councillor Bubb asked how Norfolk County Council would issue payments for the scheme and it was explained that they would be set up on an automatic paying schedule.

The Panel considered the options as set out in the report. 

RESOLVED: 1. The Panel supported the recommendation to continue to support the valuable community car schemes in West Norfolk and to maintain the budget at current levels.  Subject to continued discussions with the Transport Manager at Norfolk County Council, it is recommended that community car schemes are administered by Norfolk County Council, as part of their Total Transport Plan, where more detail regarding routes can be considered.   

2. The Panel did not want to introduce and criteria regarding eligibility and journey types.