Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Joint Assembly discussed, noted and indicated their overall support of the recommendations to the Executive Board regarding Cambridge South Station, Girton interchange and the Cambridgeshire rail study.  

In relation to the Park and Ride subsidy, the Joint Assembly questioned whether the Greater Cambridge Partnership should fund services that other organisations delivered. The Joint Assembly also asked what happened when Greater Cambridge Partnership funding ceased and whether this would result in changes being re-instated.

The Chairman invited Mike Mason and Councillor Susan van de Ven to ask their questions relating to this item, which had been submitted in line with the provisions of Standing Orders. Details of the questions and a summary of the answers given are set out in Appendix A to the minutes. In response to comments made by Councillor van de Ven, the Chairman assured her that officers would update the report before it was presented to the Executive Board, to reflect that the Cambridge to Royston cycle scheme was not complete and was missing a critical link.

The Strategic Programme and Commissioning Manager presented the quarterly progress report, which updated Joint Assembly members on progress across the Greater Cambridge Partnership programme. The GCP Interim Chief Executive drew Joint Assembly members’ attention to the recommendations to the Executive Board regarding Cambridge South station, the Park and Ride subsidy, the Girton Interchange and Cambridgeshire rail study, as outlined in the appendices to the report.

The Joint Assembly noted the recommendations to the Executive Board and discussed the proposals, raising the following points:

·         While members supported the proposals which would enable the removal of the £1 parking charge at park and ride sites from 1^st April 2018, they questioned what the long term sustainable source of funding was for this and whether parking charges would be reinstated once the GCP funding ended. Furthermore, members were of the opinion that the park and ride charge should never have been imposed and that the Cambridge City Deal funding had not been awarded to fund existing services in order to keep them going. Members felt this was questionable in relation to the purposes for which the original City Deal had been set up; to fund sustainable growth and infrastructure.

·         Members asked whether there was a commitment from Cambridgeshire County Council that parking charges at park and ride sites, including at new sites to be developed by the GCP, would not be reinstated in future. It was felt that if the County  Council reinstated park and ride parking charges in future, it would go against the GCP’s work in trying to achieve a modal shift to public transport as the preferred form of transport. In response to this, the County Council’s Finance Director informed members that for the next five years, income from the park and ride charge had been removed from County Council financial plans and Council resources were being managed without that income. A perpetual commitment could not however be made by officers and an ongoing revenue stream would have to be found.

·         Councillor Williams asked whether Cambridge South station would be accessible to residents as well as those who worked at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

·         Councillor Williams requested that the Executive Board be asked to look at a cost to benefit review of extended opening times of park and ride sites and extended operating times of buses. He advised that services would be better used if they were available from earlier and until later.

·         Councillor Williams advised that the mass transit study should be linked with the rail study.

·         In response to a question from Councillor Baigent regarding progress on negotiations regarding the Chisholm Trail in the Romsey area, members were informed that the GCP was in lengthy talks with Network Rail regarding this. Land agreements had almost been reached regarding the bridge over the River Cam, with heads of terms drafted. Ground investigation work had been conducted nearby. Agreements  were in place for phase 1 of the Chisholm Trail. The focus had been on getting phase 1 of the project moving as some of the land to build the new bridge was time limited.

The Joint Assembly broadly supported the proposals that would be made to the GCP Executive Board, with their views to be incorporated in the reporting to the Executive Board.