It’s Not Fare: B&NES Greens Call for Metro Mayor to Enforce Equitable Fares for Students

Councillor Joanna Wright, the leader of the Green Group, has issued a compelling statement at the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) meeting, addressing the concerning issue of unfair train fares for 18-year-olds in education. Cllr Wright emphasised the importance of ensuring fair access to transportation for all residents, particularly young adults pursuing education in the region.

The West of England Authority has long asserted its commitment to making the region a better place to work and live through increased mobility and accessibility. However, Cllr Wright has highlighted a significant oversight in the existing transportation system that disproportionately affects a key demographic – 18-year-olds in full-time education.

Currently, students over the age of 18 traveling to school or educational establishments by train are required to pay full adult fares, even during peak times. The limited availability of discounted fares through Student Railcards and the complex authorisation process for the Scholars Scheme have placed an undue burden on students and their families.

Cllr Wright drew attention to the struggles faced by parents, such as Frances, who have encountered delays and unsatisfactory responses from Great Western Railway when seeking support for reduced fare options. Questions were raised about why Great Western Railway failed to prioritise the concerns of its customers and why there has been consistent delay in responding to such inquiries.

Addressing West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris directly, Cllr Wright urged him to take decisive action as the leader responsible for transportation, jobs, and skills in the region. She stated:

“Dan Norris, I urge you to ensure that the West of England Authority provides comprehensive support to all educational establishments and schools. This support should empower them with the complete details of the Scholar Scheme, ensuring that no young adult, just embarking on their journey beyond school, is burdened with the responsibility of paying full train fares. These young people are often in the throes of exams, a time charged with high emotions and expectations and caught up in the expensive travel costs when they do not have full-time jobs.”

The Green Group leader also highlighted the intersectionality of the issue, linking it to the broader goals of the West of England Authority in tackling climate change and facilitating affordable housing and job opportunities. She emphasised that supporting young people in accessing affordable train travel aligns with the Authority’s core objectives.

Cllr Wright concluded by urging Metro Mayor Dan Norris to take immediate action, calling for a proper plan to ensure collaboration between Great Western Railway, local educational establishments, and schools to streamline access to the Scholars Scheme.

TO SEE THE FULL STATEMENT

Fair Fares – Cllr Joanna Wright

The West of England Authority claims its objective is to make the region a better place to work and live for all our residents.

Over many years I have repeatedly spoken to Officers at the Authority about supporting a key group of residents who have very little voice to ensure that they too have Fair Access to all that this region offers.

If you are 18 and over and are in full-time education and you travel to school or any other educational establishment by train you will have to pay full fares on your train ticket.

Student Railcards only offer discounts outside of peak times, which means if you have to travel before 10.30am to be in time for lessons only a full adult fare will suffice.

There is an alternative option called the Scholars Scheme that allows students to have a cheaper ticket and travel at peak times. However this Scholars scheme can only be authorized by the educational establishment or school. Having raised two adult children, I’ve encountered numerous parents facing challenges with their children using trains for education. Many times, these parents have struggled to receive adequate support from both the school and Great Western Railway in ensuring easy availability of these tickets.

Indeed, a concerned parent named Frances shared with me the correspondence received from Great Western Railway regarding this matter. They wrote the following to Frances:

“Sorry for further delay in coming back to you. I’ve spoken with our fares experts who have confirmed that the monthly season ticket is the best value for 18-year-olds, and there are no other products available that would reduce the cost down from this.

“Along with other operators we did lobby for the 16-17 Saver to cover 18-year-olds in full-time education but were not successful in securing this concession.

“I appreciate this won’t be the answer you were looking for, and for your patience while we investigated.”

Why did Great Western Railway not accord priority to Frances’ concern? Why do the inquiries of Great Western Railway’s customers consistently encounter a response of ‘further delay’?

What factors contributed to Great Western Railway’s inability to secure this concession successfully?

If Great Western Railway acknowledges that the response Frances received is not satisfactory, why have they not taken proactive measures to address the issue?

Metro Mayor, as Leader, you are the Transport Authority. As Leader you are also responsible for jobs and skills in the region. 18 year olds are in education to make sure that they get good jobs and help the region prosper. They are also 18 when still at school and the system in place for train journeys that forces them to make a full adult fare is not fair.

Dan Norris, I urge you to ensure that the West of England Authority provides comprehensive support to all educational establishments and schools. This support should empower them with the complete details of the Scholar Scheme, ensuring that no young adult, just embarking on their journey beyond school, is burdened with the responsibility of paying full train fares. These young people are often in the throes of exams, a time charged with high emotions and expectations and caught up in the expensive travel costs when they do not have full-time jobs.

The West of England Authority claims to be tackling climate change and helping residents secure good jobs and homes they can afford, which you state, is the heart of everything you do.

If the heart of what you do is to help residents, then I am informing you that there is a group who actively need the support to get to education using a train at a reduced fare, which not only tackles the climate emergency but also in the long run brings a better future for all in the region.

Metro Mayor, please act now and bring forward a proper plan for the West of England Authority to ensure that Great Western and local educational establishments and schools have in place a better system for accessing the Scholars scheme. Travelling by train is one of the best travel options for the environment and we need more young people to know that travelling by train is affordable and a great way to get to education. We need Leadership from you to ensure that this takes place for 18-year-olds.

Green Group Advocates Enhanced Council Transparency on Active Travel in B&NES

In a compelling address to the Climate Emergency and Sustainability Policy Development Panel this morning, Green Group Councillor Saskia Heijltjes underscored concerns regarding the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, emphasising the imperative for heightened proactivity, transparency, and accountability in decision-making processes.

Councillor Heijltjes articulated valid concerns about individual Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders being designated as single-member decisions, whereby decisions are already finalised without comprehensive details being shared. The Green Group asserts that such decisions compromise the purpose of scrutiny panels, intended for thorough examinations of policy proposals, ensuring a fair and democratic process. Single-member decisions not only inefficiently utilise members’ time but also circumvent the scrutiny process.

“The decisions are already set as single-member decisions. Why discuss Liveable Neighbourhoods in this scrutiny panel if the decisions are predetermined and will be made by a single member?” questioned Councillor Heijltjes.

The Green Group calls on the scrutiny panel to insist that decisions related to Liveable Neighbourhoods undergo proper examination before reaching the Cabinet, stressing the critical nature of preparing a Full Business Case to access nearly £5 million of funding from WECA. Indeed, the group notes the Full Business Case’s vitality for upholding the integrity of the council’s decision-making process and ensuring accountability. The current absence of this Full Business Plan is unacceptable within a democratic system – we highlight the significance of presenting scrutiny panels with the Full Business Case for the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme.

This becomes particularly pertinent considering the Council’s failure in June 2023 to secure funding for the Active Travel scheme, led by the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Councillor Kevin Guy. Despite suggestions for active travel routes and public consultations offered through scrutiny panels, the Liberal Democrats dismissed members’ proposals and pursued single-member decisions. The later rejection of their Active Travel proposal and loss of funding by Active Travel and the Levelling-Up Fund raised questions regarding the legitimacy of the Liberal Democrats’ commitment to active travel in Bath and Northeast Somerset.

“BANES has missed out on active travel funding, urgently needed for more travel choices. Discussing a report with an update while decisions are already slated as single-member decisions is a waste of panel members’ time,” stated Councillor Heijltjes.

Additionally, the group expresses concerns about proposed Liveable Neighbourhoods, specifically pointing out potential counterproductivity in the Lyme Rd/Charmouth Rd scheme. Here, the Liveable Neighbourhood plan, Councillor Heijltjes argues that proposal do not align with the funding criteria for the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements – again – putting BANES at risk of not securing the £5 million funding needed to achieve sustainable travel choices and meet Journey to Net Zero targets.

Councillor Heijltjes also notes the absence of an updated circulation plan, crucial for managing traffic in Liveable Neighbourhoods. The Green Group urgently calls for an update on the promised circulation plan, highlighting the potential risks associated with implementing Liveable Neighbourhoods without a comprehensive traffic management strategy.

“The circulation plan has been promised for some time now. Chair, please insist that this is brought in some form to the next panel meeting,” urged Councillor Heijltjes.

Manda Rigby states that The Liveable Neighbourhoods programme has engaged with resident and been ‘codesigned’ to enhance their communities and environment. Given the importance of collaboration with residents, why is that the Climate Emergency and Sustainability Policy Development Panel not being provided with such information?

Prolonged Inaction: B&NES Council’s Belated Stand on Lethal Cold Homes Crisis

Today, responding to temperatures consistently reaching zero degrees, B&NES has initiated the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), providing warm overnight spaces and implementing plans to bring people indoors throughout the weekend.

But what if your home is the cold place?

Research has laid bare a stark reality: a fifth of excess winter deaths stem from cold homes. This disheartening truth is acutely felt in the Southwest, where Bath grapples with the highest rate of cold-related deaths in the UK—a situation exacerbated by fuel poverty and insufficiently insulated homes.

Unfortunately, about two-thirds of Bath homes are rated EPC ‘D’ or below, emphasizing their inefficiency in heat retention. This inefficiency not only jeopardizes residents’ health but also significantly inflates energy bills, with crisis hotspots facing an average annual energy bill of £2,340.

This challenge is far from new, and esteemed organisations such as Greenpeace, Age UK, Fuel Poverty Action, Shelter, Friends of the Earth, and National Energy Action have persistently advocated for the social and political significance of insulation. These charitable entities underscore the far-reaching impact on public health, particularly the heightened vulnerability of older individuals during winter months, while considering broader socio-environmental contexts.

Indeed, Green Group Councillor, Joanna Wright, raised the insulation issue over a decade ago with then-Liberal Democrat MP Donald Foster. In 2011, amidst talks with Age Concern and alongside Greenpeace, she addressed heating issues within the local area.

Councillor Wright adds, “The Green Party repeatedly raises the issue of insulation, as a major policy target for national and local government, because it literally keeps people alive, brings down bills and helps the planet.

Why have the Liberal Democrat’s taken so long to grasp this key issue, in a city widely known to have many of the coldest homes in the UK?

The Liberal Democrats were in coalition with the Conservatives and along with the Conservatives have failed to ensure policy and budgets are put in place at a local and national level.  The Council and our MP should be ensuring greater action on insulation ensuring everyone in Bath live in warm homes?”

Consequently, Bath and Northeast Somerset now depend on government funding for essential retrofitting programs, given the unique challenges posed by Bath’s historical architecture. The urgency for an emergency program to insulate all of Britain’s homes by 2030 is paramount, serving to curb escalating energy bills and put an end to fuel poverty.

Residents are strongly encouraged to leverage various funding schemes and seek expert advice to enhance the energy efficiency of their properties. The Bright Green Homes scheme, supported by the government’s Home Upgrade Grant Scheme, extends funding support for measures including loft, underfloor, and wall insulation, air source heat pump central heating systems, and solar panels.

Letter to Chronicle 16th December 2023 -URGENT NEED TO REPAIR POTHOLES

Urgent Need to Repair Potholes

The irony of Cllr Manda Rigby tentatively promising that potholes will be fixed in a year’s time on North Road is not lost on the many cyclists who travel this well used route. Again we hear that a serious accident has taken place this week leaving a member of the public with serious facial injuries having to attend the RUH. This is a public health matter, costing our NHS precious resources.

The North Road route up to Ralph Allen School and the University of Bath is strategically an important active travel corridor that should be made fit for purpose and regularly resurfaced and kept safe.

In the letters page last week (16th December 2023) Elisabeth, from Bath shared the many experiences that her family had also endured on this route, including her son being knocked off his bike by King Edward School..

On the 24th November 2023, school children, students and worried parents came together on North Road, to demand that “B&NES Council Stops Pot Hole Danger” . As Ward Members for Lambridge we know that many young people on the east of Bath regularly use North Road to get to schools in the area and parents often contact us, worried for their safety.

We are concerned that Cllr Rigby’s promise, to resurface North Road in the next financial year, is too long to wait. The Council under her direction should be acting now to ensure that the public are kept safe on the public highways. All Councillors at B&NEs recently voted unanimously for Vision Zero, which states that every road crash is preventable. Kate Uzzell from Road Peace also spoke at this Council meeting and told of the tragic death of her husband, a confident cyclist of many years who hit a pothole and was killed.
How many other crashes need to take place before North Road has its potholes fixed?

Cllr Joanna Wright and Cllr Saskis Heijltjes