Minutes:
Q1. G Henshaw (South Yorkshire Free from Fossils) introduced himself, asked his question and supporting statement.
‘Is the mayor going to make contact with the members of the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority (SYPA) to explore how the £10.5billion of SYPA funds could be better invested to support South Yorkshire businesses and link with the policies promoted by the Mayor?’
The Mayor stated that there had already been some initial conversations about this, and he will continue to build on these with a number of pension funds and institutional investors in the coming weeks and months. The Mayor agreed to update Mr Henshaw and the public on these when he is able to.
ACTION: The Mayor to contact Mr Henshaw with an update when one is available.
Q.2 G Arthur (South Yorkshire Freedom Riders) introduced himself, asked his question and gave a supporting statement.
‘Will the mayor investigate returning the elderly travel concessions that elderly travel pass holders had before April 2014?
Those concessions for the elderly were free train travel in South and West Yorkshire between 9am and 11pm and an extension of free travel on buses from 9am instead of the national condition of 9.30am. The cost of the free train travel for the year 2014 was budgeted at £329,000.
The return of free train travel would bring us back into line with Liverpool and West Midlands. An interim measure would be to investigate a £10 annual charge as used in Manchester?’.
Mr Arthur added that the passes alleviate stress on the NHS and social care and encourage people to get out and engage in their wider community He asked if the pass could include train travel including into West Yorkshire. and questioned whether it was necessary for there to be a curfew of 11pm. He added that he believed there was not an adequate amount of public consultation about the changes.
The Mayor responded by stating that the Freedom Riders were one of the first groups he spoke to when he announced his candidacy, and he would be happy to do so again. He added that he wants our public transport network to be fit for purpose, accessible and affordable for everyone. The Mayor noted that the reinstatement of free rail travel for the elderly was an affordability issue noting that the MCA was considering other options. He added that there has been market research conducted and the results of this will be brought forward to a future MCA Board meeting, but he will discuss the issues raised by with colleagues.
ACTION: The Mayor to discuss the market research that was conducted by MCA with colleagues and update Mr Arthur following this.
On the issue of allowing elderly concession pass holders to travel before 9.30am during weekdays, The Mayor noted that the restriction to off peak during the working week is specified nationally in the Transport Act. The Mayor noted that funding was not made available by Government to extend this.
Q.3 F Postlethwaite (Better Buses) introduced herself, asked her question and gave her supporting statement.
‘Can the mayor please report on progress made on the investigation into franchising of bus services which was agreed on 4th March? In particular, is there a timetable for when data will be requested from bus operators, and a deadline for them to respond with the information?’
She thanked the Mayor for meeting the group within two weeks of his election and for speaking with the protectors outside the building prior to the MCA Board meeting.
F Postlethwaite detailed the types of complaints she received and the issues the public have with bus services in South Yorkshire.
The Mayor thanked F Postlethwaite and her colleague M Potham for taking the time to come into the MCA and talk to him and colleagues recently. He agreed with her sentiments and stressed that this was why in his second week in office he chose to focus on public transport. He stated that he has taken a number of the initial formal steps needed to move forward with the franchising assessment, including requesting data from the bus operators and appointing a Bus Franchising Manager.
Q.4 N Slack introduced himself, asked his questions and gave supporting statements. The questions were in reference to the Mayoral Priorities paper, item 11 on the agenda.
‘Currently questions like this have to be provided in writing 7 days in advance of the meeting, this usually means just a day or so after the agenda is published. Even well-resourced organisations might struggle to read and digest the reports presented for the meeting, let alone solo activists like myself. I believe this to be detrimental to democracy within the SYMCA, a point of priority during the Mayor’s electoral campaign. Can I therefore propose that the mayor look into the way questions and petitions are handled with a view to shortening the deadline for submission before any meeting?’
The Mayor responded that the turnaround time for public questions has been organised in such a way so the MCA are able to respond to the questions during the meeting. If the deadline was extended, we may not be able to get an appropriate response to the question for the meeting thus leading to a response in writing, so there are trade-offs for both options.
‘The last bullet point in the paragraph, “developing our collective thinking on what the region can do to grow it’s Arts, Culture and Heritage offer.” Does this comment presage a return to the commitment given by the previous mayor to appointing an arts, culture and heritage commissioner?’
The Mayor noted that South Yorkshire’s cultural and creative sectors are among the most valuable assets to the region and the Art, Culture and Heritage Project Director is currently working on this agenda. He added that he is leading a spotlight week on art and culture at the end of the month and is working with the Project Director to look at all possible options for maximising existing and developing new opportunities for our cultural sector.
Q.5 Dr M Thompson (Green New Deal South Yorkshire) introduced himself, asked his question and gave a supporting statement.
‘To address the current energy crisis and the longer-term climate crisis we need a massive upswing in renewable energy which can wean us off fossil fuels and create energy security and independence. Solar and wind are cheapest and the least risky options, well-developed and with very few side effects. But central government energy plans are currently mainly focused on continuing support for fossil fuels or on high-tech solutions which are expensive and risky, such as nuclear power and so-called blue hydrogen.
What plans does SYMCA have to promote and support the expansion of both wind and solar in the region?’
He acknowledged that what the MCA can do is limited due to its remit but that it could do things such as to commission training. He added that the UK currently imports turbine blades, and this is something that could be done here in South Yorkshire, at facilities such as the AMRC.
He mentioned an opportunity to create a Green South Yorkshire Bond which would provide the financing to allow the MCA and local councils to undertake more work to ensure a green new deal in South Yorkshire and noted that there are some good projects already underway in the region including Sheffield Renewables.
The Mayor agreed that South Yorkshire needs a green energy strategy and that there are lots of good projects being undertaken across the region already that we could draw on and replicate, and that there is the opportunity for new skills and jobs to be created. He assured Dr Thompson that he would be writing out to him with a detailed response.
ACTION: The MCA to write to Dr Thompson with a more detailed response.