To agree arrangements for participation in the West Midlands Rail Partnership in preparation for potential devolution of the West Midlands rail franchise currently operated by London Midland and managed centrally by the Department for Transport.

The cabinet member for transport and roads outlined that in 2017 London Midland rail services would be available for tender for which a bid was being considered by West Midlands Rail, a scheme developed by a number of local authorities in the region. He emphasise that Herefordshire’s contribution represented a small but essential part of the scheme.

The head of transport and access services explained that the scheme was a partnership largely led by Centro. The council was invited to participate in the partnership for an initial period until 2017 where there would be opportunity to remain in the partnership.

The explained that the council’s engagement with the project had limited scope as the only area of rail operated by London Midland within the county was the line between Great Malvern and Hereford. He added that the greatest benefit would be the opportunity to invest in the capacity on that section of line.

The group leader of Herefordshire Independents expressed support over a positive attitude being taken towards rail. He hoped that the project would lead to support for rail projects elsewhere in the county in future.

The group leader for It’s our County Herefordshire expressed support for the project but hoped that the project would not incur too great a cost.

The group leader for the Greens noted that Arriva also operated a service in the county which would not be affected by this project. She hoped that there could be greater influence over the wider rail infrastructure and not just the areas currently operated by London Midland.

The leader commented that other members of the West Midlands Rail scheme had a limited interest in investment in the rail infrastructure in Herefordshire. Given the scale of other local authorities involved, it would be very difficult to gain support for major investment in Herefordshire. However, he emphasised that the council would work hard to ensure that the best deal for Herefordshire was achieved.

The chairman of general overview and scrutiny expressed support for the scheme and hoped that it would be a success. He also noted that with a high rate of cancellations of trains on the line, there was a case for improvement. The leader acknowledged the issue and hoped that all that could be done by the negotiators would be done in this regard.

It was noted that the leader was to undergo surgery shortly and he was wished well for a successful recovery. 

RESOLVED

THAT:

(a)        the council becomes a member of the West Midlands Rail Limited Company, subject to legal agreements being satisfactorily finalised;

(b)       authority is delegated to the director of economy, communities and corporate to complete these agreements;

(c)        Subject to recommendations A and B, the leader be appointed as a director of the company and the cabinet member transport and roads be appointed as substitute who will be authorised to make decisions in this capacity relating to the strategic direction of the WMRL;

(d)       Subject to recommendations A and B, funding of £13,200 in 2016/17 and £7,464 in 2017/18 be approved as the council’s contribution towards the costs of administering the partnership and developing the case for full devolution of the rail franchise.