The Transport, Environment, Communities & Climate Change Select Committee scheduled a meeting to review several ongoing projects and programmes. These included updates on the Bus Service Improvement Programme, Home to School Transport, Opportunity Bucks, and the Bucks Tree Mission. The committee also planned to discuss its upcoming work programme.

Bucks Tree Mission

The committee was scheduled to receive the fourth annual update on the Bucks Tree Mission, covering council-initiated tree planting across Buckinghamshire from April 2024 to March 2025. Councillor Ade Osibogun, Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change and Waste, and Councillor Jaspal Chhokar, Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change & Waste, were expected to present the update.

The update included:

• A summary of all planting to date
• External funding awarded
• New planting in 2024-25
• Updates on sites planted in previous years
• Information on carbon sequestration[^2]

In 2021, Buckinghamshire Council passed a motion to plant 543,000 trees, one for every resident, within a decade. According to the report pack, over 216,000 trees had been planted by 2025, surpassing the cumulative target for the year.

The report pack stated that the council had secured over £1.3 million in funding to support tree planting in Buckinghamshire. It also noted some of the challenges in establishing new woodlands, including increasingly variable weather patterns.

The report pack stated that all new woodlands are registered under the Woodland Carbon Code, and that Billet Field Wood had been validated, confirming an estimated 416 units. The report pack stated that existing sites are expected to sequester over 7,000 metric tonnes of CO2 by 2050.

The report pack stated that the Bucks Tree Mission programme scope would be expanded from October 2025 to include tree planting secured through planning, tree planting on other land in Buckinghamshire facilitated by the council, and tree planting on school land.

Bus Service Improvement Programme

The committee was scheduled to review and evaluate the progress of the Bus Service Improvement Programme. Councillor Thomas Broom, Cabinet Member for Transport, Richard Barker, Corporate Director for Communities, and Lindsey Vallis, Service Director – Transport & Regulatory Services, were listed as contributors.

The report pack highlighted the importance of bus services for social, economic, and environmental well-being, and as a low-carbon alternative to private car use. It also noted challenges such as rising costs, reduced passengers, and the long-term funding position.

The report pack stated that Buckinghamshire Council is the Local Transport Authority (LTA) and has a duty to secure the provision of public passenger transport services to meet any public transport requirements within the county which would not otherwise be met. This is done through the Buckinghamshire Council Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and the adopted Bus Enhanced Partnership.

The report pack stated that the council's BSIP vision is to:

Establish buses as a key mode of travel in Buckinghamshire providing connectivity and accessibility to all with safe, reliable, and regular services.

The report pack listed a number of BSIP-funded improvements to date for 2025, including new bus services, increased frequencies, and expanded networks. It also included a case study on the new Winslow Station, describing it as a one-off opportunity to encourage mode shift to bus.

The report pack also detailed the council's capital delivery plan, English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), Home to School Transport, and Demand Responsive Transport (DRT).

Home to School Transport Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Home to School Transport service. Councillor Thomas Broom, Richard Barker, and Lindsey Vallis were listed as contributors.

The report pack stated that the Client Transport team provides home to school travel assistance for eligible children of compulsory school age (5 to 16 years old), pupil referral unit (PRU) transport, and travel assistance for eligible Post-16 students (of sixth form age) and young people with SEND up to the age of 25.

The report pack outlined the policy context for home to school transport, noting that it is a statutory duty placed on local authorities to provide free-of-charge travel arrangements for eligible children of compulsory school age (5 to 16 years).

The report pack stated that most of Buckinghamshire's 84,000 children of compulsory school age are not eligible for travel assistance. Over the 2024/25 academic year, the council provided school transport for approximately 8,320 children and young people who were eligible for school transport assistance.

The report pack also noted increased pressures on home to school transport budgets nationally, as well as growth in SEND Transport demand in Buckinghamshire.

The report pack stated that the total approved net budget for Home to School Transport for 2025/26 is £38.17 million, including £7.76 million of growth and £3.14 million of savings to be achieved through the Home to School Transport Programme.

Opportunity Bucks Update

The committee was scheduled to review the work of the Opportunity Bucks Programme, which started in December 2022. Councillor Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Communities, Richard Barker, and Sophie Payne, Service Director, Culture, Sport and Leisure, were listed as contributors.

The report pack described Opportunity Bucks as a local partnership approach to levelling up, working to improve outcomes for people experiencing the most hardship. It noted that while outcomes are generally good across Buckinghamshire, some areas experience poorer outcomes and significant hardship.

The report pack identified 14 wards as the focus of the Opportunity Bucks programme: Castlefield & Oakridge, Aylesbury North West, Aylesbury South West, Aylesbury North, Totteridge & Bowerdean, Marsh & Micklefield, Sands, Booker & Cressex, Abbey, Disraeli, Chesham North, Chesham South, Terriers & Amersham Hill, and Aylesbury West.

The report pack stated that over £10 million of additional funding has been secured for the programme, including over £540,000 of contributory funding from partner contributions and local stakeholders, and over £9.5 million through additional funding streams.

The report pack included a performance summary, with indicators across themes such as education and youth engagement, standard of living, health and wellbeing, quality of the public realm, and jobs, careers and skills.

The report pack highlighted several key initiatives delivered through the programme, including Community Action Days, Health on the High Street, improvements to the public realm, Horizons, and Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM).

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to consider its upcoming work programme. Councillor Penny Drayton, Chairman, was listed as the lead presenter, with all committee members contributing.

The report pack included a table outlining the topics scheduled for future meetings, including:

• Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy (February 2026)
• Community Boards (February 2026)
• EW Rail (February 2026)
• Local nature recovery strategy (March 2026)
• Active Travel (March 2026)
• HS2 Update (April 2026)

The report pack also listed potential items to be scheduled, such as a Town and Parish Charter update, an update on the progress of the Serious Violence Strategy 2024 to 2027, and waste collection, with emphasis on recycling and the collection of food waste.