A petition from members of the public has been submitted to the Council by Councillor Walshe in the following terms:

“We the undersigned, call on Sevenoaks District Council not to cease expenditure on the minibus service but to provide the vehicles to other suitable organisations together with adequate finance to continue the service”

The Chairman announced that a petition containing 399 signatures had been submitted by Councillor Walshe in the following terms:

“We, the undersigned, call on Sevenoaks District Council not to cease expenditure on their minibus service but to provide the vehicles to other suitable organisations together with adequate finance to continue the service”

The Council was addressed by Mr Andrew Michaelides, a member of the public, who presented the petition to the Council. Mr Michaelidies reminded the Council that last autumn a decision had been taken to withdraw the Council minibus service in order to make annual savings of £330,000. He recognised the need for savings to be made but felt that the minibus service provided a vital lifeline for the elderly and infirm who found it difficult to access alternative modes of public transport and was also used to provide evening transport to youth events. Mr Michaelides welcomed the gifting of the minibuses to local organisations but drew attention to alternative proposals for savings that were considered during the budget process which he contested could have also allowed the Council to provide financial support for the minibuses.  He explained that Age Concern , Darent Valley had expressed concerns about funding and Age Concern, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and District had refused the opportunity to take on a minibus due to the lack of funding. Mr Michaelides asked the Council to re-consider its decision in the light of the petition.    

The Council also heard from Cllr. Walshe who had submitted the petition. Cllr. Walshe endorsed Mr Michaelides comments and reminded the Council of the alternative budget proposals made by his Group during the budget process for 2011/12. He felt that these could be revisited in order to provide funding to support the voluntary organisations in continuing to run the minibuses that had been gifted to them.  

In response the Leader of the Council said that he had no intention of re-opening debate on the budget but stressed that one of the reasons that the Council’s budget had been set in December was to allow more certainty and time for the Council to work with the voluntary sector about the continuation of these services. It had been his Group’s idea to gift the minibuses to appropriate organisations and the feedback that he had had from organisations such as Kent Compaid and Sevenoaks Area MIND were that the service had started well and that there had been good take-up. He explained that the cost of the Council service had been £1,000 per permit holder and that this had not been sustainable. At the time the decision was taken an undertaking had been given that the use of the voluntary sector minibus service would be reviewed and it was the intention that this review would take place in September, although it would probably take a year for the service to become established. This would not be a like-for-like comparison but a review of the service being delivered at that time.

Cllr. Fleming moved and Cllr Mrs Davison seconded that no action be taken in response to the petition. 

Cllr. Mrs Bracken commented that the Council’s Petitions Scheme was designed to stop vexatious or repetitious petitions and that the Council had erred on the side of generosity in considering this petition. She felt that this had been misused to re-open debate on the budget and hoped that this would not happen again.

The motion was put to the vote and carried.

            Resolved: That no action be taken in response to the petition.