REPORT TO PICKMERE PARISH COUNCIL
7th September 2021
AGENDA ITEM 9.3 CEC CONSULTATION RE BUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
1 REPORT
1.1 CEC have issued the appended letter to town and parish councils and have also copied their
own council report on this topic. In particular, CEC is looking for input and evidence from small
councils in relation to the following:
• Regarding the existing bus network, what is good and any issues/concerns about the
current network such as the level of services and locations served by bus.
• What are the barriers preventing local people using the bus network?
• Any opportunities to improve connectivity by bus in the future.
• Locations where congestion is impacting the reliability of journeys by bus.
• Locations for bus stop improvements which would improve quality-of-service for
passengers.
1.2 Any response will be considered for inclusion in CEC’s submission to the Department for
Transport. The deadline for the Parish Council to respond is 17 September 2021.
2. RECOMMENDATION
2.1 That Council notes the communications and comments as necessary.
Jack Steel
Clerk to the Parish Council
Appendix 1 – Letter from CEC to Parish Councils
Dear Town/Parish Clerk,
Bus Service Improvement Plan
Town & Parish Councils Engagement
In response to the National Bus Strategy for England (NBSfE) “Bus Back Better”, Cheshire East Council is
developing a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) for the whole borough.
The relevant Department for Transport (DfT) guidance states the need to consider current bus service
provision, in particular the level of satisfaction with the local bus network, any issues with services or
infrastructure, and to identify any opportunities to improve connectivity and stabilise the bus network as we
recover from the pandemic.
The Highways and Transportation Committee received a report on 19th July 2021 outlining the requirement
to develop a BSIP (please find attached), which provides further information on the National Bus Strategy
and Cheshire East’s emerging response.
The Council is interested to receive any input and evidence from Town and Parish Councils on matters that
are within scope for the BSIP, including:
Regarding the existing bus network, what is good and any issues/concerns about the current
network such as the level of services and locations served by bus.
What are the barriers preventing local people using the bus network
Any opportunities to improve connectivity by bus in the future.
Locations where congestion is impacting the reliability of journeys by bus.
Locations for bus stop improvements would improve quality-of-service for passengers.
Whilst this is a challenging time for bus operators, the production of these plans is being closely linked to
future funding arrangements for buses, so we feel it is vital that the needs of Cheshire East are captured
fully on our Improvement Plan.
Should you have any further comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact the team working on our
Improvement Plan to discuss further; they can be contacted by email at BSIP@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
The tight timescales for preparation of the BSIP have been set nationally. With this in mind, it would be
appreciated if you could provide any response you may have as soon as possible. Information received by
17th September 2021 will be considered for inclusion in our submission to the Department for Transport,
which is due in October 2021.
