Return of Sunday services in Staffordshire

[l.murphy123]

Earlier this year the government announced £30m to local authorities to support and restore lost bus services. I submit a freedom of information request to Staffordshire County Council asking how much they have applied for and the specific details of their application. Their response to my questions are below:

(1) How much have you applied for?
Staffordshire County Council has applied for £583,372

(2) At the time of this FOI request (27/06/2020) has the funding been approved?
No

(3) What specific bus routes or corridors will be subsidised in Staffordshire? (I have grouped these)
South Staffordshire
1 Cannock – Walsall (2 Hourly)
7 Stafford – Moss Pit (Hourly)
9 Stafford – Highfields (Hourly)
12 Stafford – Doxey (Hourly)
H Stafford – Hospital (Hourly)
26 Cannock – Pye Green Circular (Hourly)
60A Cannock – Lichfield (2 Hourly)
70 Cannock – Wolverhampton (2 Hourly)
74 Stafford – Cannock via Brocton (2 hourly)
75 Stafford – Cannock via Penkridge (2 hourly)
811 Lichfield – Burton via Fradley, Alrewas & Barton (2 hourly)
825 Stafford – Lichfield via Rugeley (2 hourly)
765 Tamworth – Lichfield via Whittington (Hourly)

North Staffordshire
2 Stapenhill – Burton – Horninglow (Hourly)
16 Leek – Cheddleton – Hanley (additional journeys) infill
16 Buxton- Leek (1 return journey) infill
32 Uttoxeter – Upper Tean (Hourly(
109 Leek – Macclesfield (2 return journeys)
228 Kinver – Merry Hill (Stourbridge) (90 min)
401 Uttoxeter – Burton via Tutbury (2 Hourly)
Swift Uttoxeter – Ashbourne (2 Hourly)

(4) Will you be supporting daytime, evening and Sunday services?
It is proposed to use 100% of the funding to restore a daytime Sunday/Bank Holiday service following routes that currently have a Monday to Saturday commercial service in place.

(5) Will Great Wyrley, Landywood and Cheslyn Hay have reinstated evening and Sunday bus services?
The funding is to be used as in 4

(6) When will operators be able to start new supported services or journeys?
No proposed date presently as award of funding has not yet been confirmed.

[l.murphy123]

I have replied with a further three questions which I am awaiting response:

(1) Are these specific routes final or could they change?
(2) Would the Arriva 2A be more suitable than the Arriva 1? This serves more of the village (Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley and Landywood) and previously ran on Sundays. The number 1 only serves Great Wyrley.
(3) What is the rationale for not looking to fund evening services, which may increase numbers during the daytime?

What are everyone's thoughts?

[WyreForestShuttle]

Earlier this year the government announced £30m to local authorities to support and restore lost bus services. I submit a freedom of information request to Staffordshire County Council asking how much they have applied for and the specific details of their application. Their response to my questions are below:

(1) How much have you applied for?
Staffordshire County Council has applied for £583,372

(2) At the time of this FOI request (27/06/2020) has the funding been approved?
No

(3) What specific bus routes or corridors will be subsidised in Staffordshire? (I have grouped these)
South Staffordshire
1 Cannock – Walsall (2 Hourly)
7 Stafford – Moss Pit (Hourly)
9 Stafford – Highfields (Hourly)
12 Stafford – Doxey (Hourly)
H Stafford – Hospital (Hourly)
26 Cannock – Pye Green Circular (Hourly)
60A Cannock – Lichfield (2 Hourly)
70 Cannock – Wolverhampton (2 Hourly)
74 Stafford – Cannock via Brocton (2 hourly)
75 Stafford – Cannock via Penkridge (2 hourly)
811 Lichfield – Burton via Fradley, Alrewas & Barton (2 hourly)
825 Stafford – Lichfield via Rugeley (2 hourly)
765 Tamworth – Lichfield via Whittington (Hourly)

North Staffordshire
2 Stapenhill – Burton – Horninglow (Hourly)
16 Leek – Cheddleton – Hanley (additional journeys) infill
16 Buxton- Leek (1 return journey) infill
32 Uttoxeter – Upper Tean (Hourly(
109 Leek – Macclesfield (2 return journeys)
228 Kinver – Merry Hill (Stourbridge) (90 min)
401 Uttoxeter – Burton via Tutbury (2 Hourly)
Swift Uttoxeter – Ashbourne (2 Hourly)

(4) Will you be supporting daytime, evening and Sunday services?
It is proposed to use 100% of the funding to restore a daytime Sunday/Bank Holiday service following routes that currently have a Monday to Saturday commercial service in place.

(5) Will Great Wyrley, Landywood and Cheslyn Hay have reinstated evening and Sunday bus services?
The funding is to be used as in 4

(6) When will operators be able to start new supported services or journeys?
No proposed date presently as award of funding has not yet been confirmed.

I hope you understand tendering authorities such as Transport for West Midlands are currently working at much reduced capacity with many staff working from home or self isolating. The tendering authorities such TfWM are currently working in partnership with the operators to operate the best possible service in quite exceptional circumstances. FOI requests such as this take away work from vital services being provided by the authorities. Whilst I fully accept the democratic right of anyone to question those in power my own personal opinion is a request such as this should only be submitted after 1st August after we leave lock down and question why anyone would wish to make such a request during the present emerency when services have not returned to 100%?

[the trainbasher]

I hope you understand tendering authorities such as Transport for West Midlands are currently working at much reduced capacity with many staff working from home or self isolating. The tendering authorities such TfWM are currently working in partnership with the operators to operate the best possible service in quite exceptional circumstances. FOI requests such as this take away work from vital services being provided by the authorities. Whilst I fully accept the democratic right of anyone to question those in power my own personal opinion is a request such as this should only be submitted after 1st August after we leave lock down and question why anyone would wish to make such a request during the present emerency when services have not returned to 100%?

I work in local government and if I'm honest, my department has still had to provide a near normal service (albeit mostly WFH), including responding to complaints from the public and dealing with requests for info (mainly from management).

Local government does not stop during a pandemic.

[WyreForestShuttle]

I work in local government and if I'm honest, my department has still had to provide a near normal service (albeit mostly WFH), including responding to complaints from the public and dealing with requests for info (mainly from management).

Local government does not stop during a pandemic.

I fully agree local government does not stop during the Covid-19 and whilst Centro House has been closed a service to the public has been maintained. My point was Freedom of Information requests are a waste of valuable resources in the current climate taking staff away from more vital work such as responding to complaints from the public and vital management operations and personally cannot understand the importance of the future of Staffordshire bus services when operators and authorities are operating in such unfortunate conditions during the current national emergency.

[l.murphy123]

Why anyone would wish to make such a request during the present emerency when services have not returned to 100%?

It was done via a website called whatdotheyknow and they replied within a few days, it's no different to an email being sent so your argument it has taken resources up is quite silly. It was done now because nobody knows when 'normal' will resume there aren't any time frames so asking now or asking in 6 weeks time is no different. The application is still pending it has not been cancelled and is therefore still relevant. As @trainbasher says things haven't come to a standstill. Im also entitled to know where my council tax is going. Thanks for your comment.

[WyreForestShuttle]

It was done via a website called whatdotheyknow and they replied within a few days, it's no different to an email being sent so your argument it has taken resources up is quite silly. It was done now because nobody knows when 'normal' will resume there aren't any time frames so asking now or asking in 6 weeks time is no different. The application is still pending it has not been cancelled and is therefore still relevant. As @trainbasher says things haven't come to a standstill. Im also entitled to know where my council tax is going. Thanks for your comment.

On the contrary having had to respond to many many many many Freedom of Information requests over the years from websites, the paperwork that has to be filled to H M Government by the Authority when FOI requests are made by them or anyone else is extraordinary especially when aligned with the internal data analysis that is required within the authority on FOI data together with the actual burden placed on staff supplying the requested data especially under the current circumstances to the FOI Officer In Charge. The actual silliness as you describe is the huge cost of FOI's to the budget of local authorities no doubt reflected in the increasing cost of your council tax you appear so concerned about ironically. You argument is akin to Turkeys voting for Christmas oddly and makes no sense at all when Local Authorities are so pressed for cash currently due to the crisis. Whilst Lancashire & Devon have had their funding approved the DfT is still waiting to approve funding for the Staffordshire bid they may have more pressing matters in Leicester to cope with first.

[Grinder]

Very tetchy comments so i'll add my pennyworth, what has the health problem in Leicester got to do with the DfT and Staffordshire.  Leicester is in Leicestershire and health problems come under the DoH. The only link between Leicester and Staffordshire is that some but not all services in both areas are run by Arriva.

[Bob]

I love the way the Tories are making out theyre all for buses when it was them who cut them in the first place...and Cannocks shameless dreadful Tory MP was all over the local press like a tramp on chips at the time trying to blame bus companies!

[Simon@Arriva]

Earlier this year the government announced £30m to local authorities to support and restore lost bus services. I submit a freedom of information request to Staffordshire County Council asking how much they have applied for and the specific details of their application. Their response to my questions are below:

(1) How much have you applied for?
Staffordshire County Council has applied for £583,372

(2) At the time of this FOI request (27/06/2020) has the funding been approved?
No

(3) What specific bus routes or corridors will be subsidised in Staffordshire? (I have grouped these)
South Staffordshire
1 Cannock – Walsall (2 Hourly)
7 Stafford – Moss Pit (Hourly)
9 Stafford – Highfields (Hourly)
12 Stafford – Doxey (Hourly)
H Stafford – Hospital (Hourly)
26 Cannock – Pye Green Circular (Hourly)
60A Cannock – Lichfield (2 Hourly)
70 Cannock – Wolverhampton (2 Hourly)
74 Stafford – Cannock via Brocton (2 hourly)
75 Stafford – Cannock via Penkridge (2 hourly)
811 Lichfield – Burton via Fradley, Alrewas & Barton (2 hourly)
825 Stafford – Lichfield via Rugeley (2 hourly)
765 Tamworth – Lichfield via Whittington (Hourly)

North Staffordshire
2 Stapenhill – Burton – Horninglow (Hourly)
16 Leek – Cheddleton – Hanley (additional journeys) infill
16 Buxton- Leek (1 return journey) infill
32 Uttoxeter – Upper Tean (Hourly(
109 Leek – Macclesfield (2 return journeys)
228 Kinver – Merry Hill (Stourbridge) (90 min)
401 Uttoxeter – Burton via Tutbury (2 Hourly)
Swift Uttoxeter – Ashbourne (2 Hourly)

(4) Will you be supporting daytime, evening and Sunday services?
It is proposed to use 100% of the funding to restore a daytime Sunday/Bank Holiday service following routes that currently have a Monday to Saturday commercial service in place.

(5) Will Great Wyrley, Landywood and Cheslyn Hay have reinstated evening and Sunday bus services?
The funding is to be used as in 4

(6) When will operators be able to start new supported services or journeys?
No proposed date presently as award of funding has not yet been confirmed.

Very interesting Lee and well done for following up in the interest of bus users in your area.

[l.murphy123]

Very interesting Lee and well done for following up in the interest of bus users in your area.

Cheers Simon. I assume you'll bid for the routes as they are Arriva's commercially, or not necessarily?

[metrocity]

Doesn't seem the best use of funds should they get it. Inevitably they won't be viable to operate commercially once the funds run out within a year or two and the status quo of no Sunday services will then be restored. Why bother?

[WyreForestShuttle]

Cheers Simon. I assume you'll bid for the routes as they are Arriva's commercially, or not necessarily?

It is typical of how out of touch with reality the management of Arriva Midlands are to praise the waste of the valuable resources of local authorities in meeting Freedom of Information requests of no consequence at a time of a national emergency in England. Thank goodness in The West Midlands County we no longer have to generally deal with an operatior that is so bad it cant get the current guidance for using public transport right, is up for sale & it would seem no one across Europe seems wants to want to buy it that alone says it all.

[l.murphy123]

It is typical of how out of touch with reality the management of Arriva Midlands are to praise the waste of the valuable resources of local authorities in meeting Freedom of Information requests of no consequence at a time of a national emergency in England. Thank goodness in The West Midlands County we no longer have to generally deal with an operatior that is so bad it cant get the current guidance for using public transport right, is up for sale & it would seem no one across Europe seems wants to want to buy it that alone says it all.

Be quiet, you've made your point

[WyreForestShuttle]

Be quiet, you've made your point

Ok will do I hope you enjoy your Sunday Services in Staffordshire when they return it may offer valuable opportunities for NXWM & Diamond Bus to tender for extra work. Luckily in The West Midlands County we have an excellent comprehensive network of Sunday Services operated both commercially and under tender to TfWM which continued throughout lockdown for essential journeys in a partnership between NXWM, Diamond Bus & TfWM which I thank them all for in such difficult circumstances.