This week, the Charnwood Council held three meetings: the Licensing Committee, the Public Transport Scrutiny Panel, and the Member Conduct Committee.

Licensing Committee

The Licensing Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 25 June 2024, was cancelled.

Public Transport Scrutiny Panel

The Public Transport Scrutiny Panel convened on Wednesday, 26 June 2024, to discuss several pressing issues related to bus services in Charnwood.

Review of Parking Enforcement

The Panel agreed on a draft recommendation to review parking enforcement in Loughborough Town Centre. They also discussed the possibility of using more flexible wording in Section 106 agreements¹ in future planning obligations to better support public transportation needs.

Public Transport Survey

The Panel reviewed responses from the recently completed Public Transport Survey, which was distributed to all 52 borough councillors, 36 parish councils, and 10 resident groups in Loughborough. The survey revealed significant unmet demand for bus services, especially in rural areas. One notable quote from the survey highlighted:

Some residents without a car were prevented from accessing essential services such as healthcare, shopping and leisure activities, particularly during evenings and weekends.

Challenges Faced by Bus Operators

Bus operators Arriva, Kinchbus, and Trent Barton presented the challenges they face, including driver shortages, increased operating costs, congestion, and competition from other transport modes. They emphasized the problem of parked cars obstructing bus routes and called for more enforcement, especially during events like the Loughborough Fair.

The operators also noted that they were not consulted on the pedestrianisation of Loughborough Town Centre, which they claim negatively impacted bus reliability. They suggested future pedestrianisation schemes consider the impact on bus services.

Improving Passenger Transport

Councillor Blackshaw, Cabinet Lead Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, provided an update on Leicestershire County Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+). The plan aims to improve bus punctuality, reliability, and affordability. The Panel viewed the BSIP+ as a positive step but expressed concerns about the allocated funding and lack of detail in some areas. Councillor Blackshaw agreed to raise these concerns with Leicestershire County Council.

The panel felt that it was important to be able to feed recommendations into the plans for public transport developed by Leicestershire County Council.

Member Conduct Committee

The Member Conduct Committee met on Monday, 24 June 2024, to address two complaints against councillors and review its work programme.

Complaint Against Councillor X

The first complaint, made by Mr A, was discussed in private and related to comments made at a meeting on 13 May 2024. The Monitoring Officer concluded that the comments were likely to be considered disrespectful but did not breach the Code of Conduct. The Committee agreed there was no case to answer.

Complaint Against Councillor Y

The second complaint, brought by Councillor Z, concerned comments allegedly made by Councillor Y at a meeting on 18 March 2024.

Councillor Z considers that Councillor Y’s conduct at the meeting on 18 March 2024, was such that it brought his office into disrepute.

This complaint will proceed to a hearing to determine if the Code of Conduct was breached.

Work Programme

The Committee also reviewed its current work programme.