Purpose

Having received confirmation of a successful
bid for up to £6,009,269 and in consultation with Cllr Philip
Robinson, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Bus Transport in
accordance with the Cabinet decision on 27 March 2024

DECISION

1. To enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Department for Transport (DfT) for Gloucestershire County Council
(GCC) to accept the DfT ZEBRA grant and then add the DfT grant
amount to GCC’s capital programme;

2. To enter into funding agreements with:
a) CHELTENHAM AND GLOUCESTER OMNIBUS COMPANY LIMITED, Company
number 01713578
b) PULHAM & SONS (COACHES) LIMITED, Company number
004664341
c) LYDNEY DIAL-A-RIDE AND COMMUNITY TRANSPORT, Charity number:
1005716
for GCC to award the ZEBRA capital grant funding together with
GCC’s own funding contribution for the purpose of
contributing towards the cost difference between Zero Emission
Buses (ZEBs) and standard conventional diesel bus equivalents as
well as the capital expenditure incurred as a result of
infrastructure purchase and installation;

3. To approve GCC paying up to £1,500,000 in GCC grant
funding by means of the three funding agreements described in
Recommendation 2 and/or to deliver the project outputs identified
in the Memorandum of Understanding with Government (see
Background/Context);

4. Enter on the UK subsidy database the total payments (ZEBRA and
GCC grant) to be paid to operators, by means of the three funding
agreements described in Recommendation 2.

Please note that there is now no requirement to agree and implement
a contracting arrangement with the Forest of Dean District Council
(FODDC) to provide GCC with part funding for the Lydney Dial a Ride
& Community Transport to purchase and operate a ZEB, as it was
agreed that FoDDC would sign a contract with Lydney Dial a Ride
directly.

Decision

Having received confirmation of a successful
bid for up to £6,009,269 and in consultation with Cllr Philip
Robinson, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Bus Transport in
accordance with the Cabinet decision on 27 March 2024
 
DECISION
 

To enter into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Department for Transport (DfT) for
Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to accept the DfT ZEBRA grant
and then add the DfT grant amount to GCC’s capital
programme;

 

To enter into funding agreements
with:

 
a)   
CHELTENHAM AND GLOUCESTER OMNIBUS COMPANY LIMITED, Company number
01713578[1]
b)   
PULHAM & SONS (COACHES) LIMITED, Company number 004664341
c)   
LYDNEY DIAL-A-RIDE AND COMMUNITY TRANSPORT, Charity number:
1005716

 
for GCC to award
the ZEBRA capital grant funding together with GCC’s own
funding contribution for the purpose of contributing towards the
cost difference between Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) and standard
conventional diesel bus equivalents as well as the capital
expenditure incurred as a result of infrastructure purchase and
installation;
 

To approve GCC paying up to
£1,500,000 in GCC grant funding by means of the three funding
agreements described in Recommendation 2 and/or to deliver the
project outputs identified in the Memorandum of Understanding with
Government (see Background/Context);

 

Enter on the UK subsidy database the
total payments (ZEBRA and GCC grant) to be paid to operators, by
means of the three funding agreements described in Recommendation
2.

 
Please note that
there is now no requirement to agree and implement a contracting
arrangement with the Forest of Dean District Council (FODDC) to
provide GCC with part funding for the Lydney Dial a Ride &
Community Transport to purchase and operate a ZEB, as it was agreed
that FoDDC would sign a contract with Lydney Dial a Ride
directly.

[1] This is in line with the
Cabinet decision taken on 27th of March 2024, however,
the contracts will be with the Gloucestershire based companies
representing Stagecoach West and the Oxford Bus Company.