Proposed withdrawl of the 375 bus route between Marple and Mellor

[Dave]

Thanks for the update Steve. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. 

[amazon]

Good Afternoon

My apologies for the delay in replying I have just returned from being away but have been keeping a watch on happenings. I will do my best to clarify the situation and offer my own view (bear with me please).

The TfGM ruling on February was exactly as stated, the vote was passed to start proceedings to cut the whole service. There was no mention of it being altered or for some of it to remain. We started a petition to get local support as soon as we were aware of the situation. We got nearly 2000 signatures before the meeting, which was fantastic. I contacted William Wragg as he started a petition the day before the meeting, I thought a united front would be good for our community. William didn’t respond to my contact and a Stalybridge Councillor presented his petition. I have since tried to contact him but as yet no response.

Since the meeting we have been working at a strategy to present our case to retain the service. @andrewbowden is correct that I am deputy chair of the forthcoming scrutiny meeting but I will actually be chairing it. Mayor Burnham will be present at the meeting also. Some may be aware that he was invited to Marple 4 weeks before the meeting and no mention of this cut was made. Of course it may have not been decided then but what was mentioned was the need for improved public transport.

Whilst trying not to be overly political or point fingers I want to stress everything will be done to retain the service, the amount of people who have emailed and phoned us in support of the service has been overwhelming, letters from school head teachers and local business owners have added more weight to our case.

The scrutiny meeting will be on 19th March, I will ascertain if it will be on webcast and will update on here accordingly.

I hope this provides a suitable update for those who read.

Kind regards

Steve 

Thanks for info

[Steve Gribbon]

Good Afternoon

My apologies for the delay in replying I have just returned from being away but have been keeping a watch on happenings. I will do my best to clarify the situation and offer my own view (bear with me please).

The TfGM ruling on February was exactly as stated, the vote was passed to start proceedings to cut the whole service. There was no mention of it being altered or for some of it to remain. We started a petition to get local support as soon as we were aware of the situation. We got nearly 2000 signatures before the meeting, which was fantastic. I contacted William Wragg as he started a petition the day before the meeting, I thought a united front would be good for our community. William didn’t respond to my contact and a Stalybridge Councillor presented his petition. I have since tried to contact him but as yet no response.

Since the meeting we have been working at a strategy to present our case to retain the service. @andrewbowden is correct that I am deputy chair of the forthcoming scrutiny meeting but I will actually be chairing it. Mayor Burnham will be present at the meeting also. Some may be aware that he was invited to Marple 4 weeks before the meeting and no mention of this cut was made. Of course it may have not been decided then but what was mentioned was the need for improved public transport.

Whilst trying not to be overly political or point fingers I want to stress everything will be done to retain the service, the amount of people who have emailed and phoned us in support of the service has been overwhelming, letters from school head teachers and local business owners have added more weight to our case.

The scrutiny meeting will be on 19th March, I will ascertain if it will be on webcast and will update on here accordingly.

I hope this provides a suitable update for those who read.

Kind regards

Steve

[andrewbowden]

According to the Manchester Evening News, it's going to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's "Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny" committee.  The MEN says "Although the committee cannot overturn resolutions made by the panel, it can make strong recommendations."
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/our-world-shrink-tremendously-those-17856818

There's no date for the next meeting of the committee listed on the Combined Authority's website but based on previous months, they happen in the middle of the month.
https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=247
Our very own Steve Gribbon is Deputy Chair according to the Combined Authority website, so it looks like the 375 will have a strong advocate when that meeting does happen.

[Dave]

I'm no expert on local authority jargon, but I think that being 'called in' means that elected councillors want to review a decision taken by officers.  So tfgm did take a decision, but there is now a glimmer of hope that it might be overturned.

[corium]

According to an email from the Lib Dems today:

"...We have heard this morning that the decision has been 'called in' and will be discussed again at a future meeting of the Greater Manchester Planning & Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee..."

Not sure how significant this is or whether the original decision is been delayed.

[andrewbowden]

Andrew I think the problem is that lots of slightly different versions of information is leaching out with no definitive statement from anyone. It may be the Lib Dems have got it wrong as well but everyone who is actually interested in using the service seem to be the last to know anything. Lets see what Steve G posts on here in due course. Nothing wrong with planning for the worst case scenario though as on my observations/ experience the Mellor/ Marple section is generally used as much/ little as all the other sections so if this is uneconomic even with a subsidy I would still have worries in the longer term

Ultimately the route's status of part-subsidised, part-commercial does make things more more confusing.  And whilst I am not saying don't worry, it's important to consider the split of responsibilities

I do have concerns about the rest of the route myself - does lobbing off the Mellor section make it less economic to run the commercial section?  But the way our deregulated bus system works means that is a decision for Stagecoach and Stagecoach alone.  And until they announce revised timetables for the 375, we have absolutely no evidence they plan to withdraw the service.

[corium]

Andrew I think the problem is that lots of slightly different versions of information is leaching out with no definitive statement from anyone. It may be the Lib Dems have got it wrong as well but everyone who is actually interested in using the service seem to be the last to know anything. Lets see what Steve G posts on here in due course. Nothing wrong with planning for the worst case scenario though as on my observations/ experience the Mellor/ Marple section is generally used as much/ little as all the other sections so if this is uneconomic even with a subsidy I would still have worries in the longer term

[andrewbowden]

As I mentioned earlier, the section between Marple and Stockport is run commercially by Stagecoach.  It is not in the power of Transport for Greater Manchester to scrap that section - that decision can only be made by Stagecoach.

So unless Stagecoach have decided to withdraw it at, then that section will remain.

If for some reason they did decide they no longer wanted to run the Stockport to Marple section them Transport for Greater Manchester would have to review it and determine if they wanted to subsidise that service to keep it running.

Basically nothing happened on Friday that meant the whole of the 375 would be axed.  Just the Mellor/Marple section.

[corium]

If it is indeed the whole route then it becomes a Stockport matter rather than a purely Mellor Hawk Green and Marple one given it would affect areas of Offerton & Hazel Grove  perhaps any campaign needs to be organised more on these lines. I don't know the ward boundaries with accuracy but am going to guess the route passes through the routes of representatives of all the main parties and I suspect having Labour councillors challenging the decision as well might carry more weight. I also wonder whether people on say the Bean Leach & Offerton park estates realise that they are about to lose this service. Whilst I think they may have some alternatives, I suspect they won't be happy.

[marplerambler]

Quote from: William Wragg MP on Twitter
Despite best efforts, Labour Councillors from across Greater Manchester have voted to scrap the 375 bus.
I sent a petition against plans to scrap the 375 to the meeting, but unfortunately the views of local residents were ignored.

What about the views of William Wragg MP?? Boris Johnson said that the Tory Party would invest massively in local bus services in return for re-election. William Wragg should be not just be telling us that he handed in a petition. He should be making public statements reminding Boris Johnson of his pledge and asking that the residents of Mellor and Marple that this bus service to Stepping Hill Hospital should be protected and subsidised.
 

[corium]

Just had an email from the Lib dems confirming the whole route will go, not just Mellor to Marple.

[admin]

So the important council meeting has been and gone. I am confused have we and our representatives saved the 375 not?

I'm a little unclear too but our MP Tweeted the following on Friday so I assume the withdrawal is going ahead despite opposition:

Despite best efforts, Labour Councillors from across Greater Manchester have voted to scrap the 375 bus.
I sent a petition against plans to scrap the 375 to the meeting, but unfortunately the views of local residents were ignored.

Can local councillors clarify the situation please? @Steve Gribbon

[alfred]

So the important council meeting has been and gone. I am confused have we and our representatives saved the 375 not?

[corium]

It's in the text of the first post in this thread.

The 375 is only subsidised between Marple and Mellor.  The Marple to Stockport section is commercially run by Stagecoach.  The assumption presumably is that they will continue to run that section after these changes.  Although whether anyone has asked them that is another matter.

Interesting. Some time ago (& I can't recall where) I read it was the section between the turning near the Devonshire arms and Shiloh Road that was subsidised, not the bit up to the Devvie. But things might have changed.