Leaders claim they did not know about birthday bus plan

Council leaders say they should have been informed about a plan to give people free bus travel during their birthday month.

The £8m scheme will give passengers in Bristol and neighbouring areas a free pass for the month of their birthday.

The scheme, proposed by metro mayor Dan Norris, is aimed at increasing bus travel.

Some council bosses in the region said they were not consulted about the initiative before it was announced.

During a meeting of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), on 16 June, they called for more cooperation in future, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Councillor Claire Young, the new Liberal Democrat leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: "The WECA mayor was able to make a public announcement about the buses without consulting the partner authorities beforehand.

"As a new administration, we would want better oversight of the decision-making going forward, so that we can work together to develop policy and demonstrate how we're delivering the best outcomes for our residents."

Mr Norris said: "Obviously the birthday buses initiative has been worked on for a very long time, and the thing — having been a former government minister — that jumps out at me, is I'm amazed that many councillors do not know what is going on.

"I'm wondering: are officers talking about the work that they're doing and consulting with their members?

"We must try and work out how we make sure we know what's going on, and I think we need to review what's happened, because bus companies have been working on this for a year or more, they are very keen to get on."

However, the initiative had not been discussed in the past two years by the combined authority's transport board, according to Cllr Sarah Warren, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for sustainable transport on Bath and North East Somerset Council.

She said: "It's a little odd that it hasn't come to that board over the last couple of years."

Anybody living in Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North East Somerset can apply for the Birthday Bus Pass, although they will have to supply proof of living in the area.

The scheme will be rolled out from 1 July, and will run until 30 June 2024.

It will be funded by a £105.5m grant given jointly to WECA and North Somerset Council.

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