Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has confirmed that it will receive £13.49 million in 2023/24 from the passenger transport levy on Peterborough City Council (£3,615,714) and Cambridgeshire County Council (£9,878,676), reports Steven Knight. The levy for 2023/24 represent a 2% increase on the previous year.
The Combined Authority has also confirmed that the new Mayoral Bus Services Precept, being introduced for the first time in 2023/24, will raise an additional £3.624 million to assist with bus service support costs. The Precept income is not being ‘ring fenced’ to the collecting authority but will be added to a Combined Authority central budget to support bus services across the region. It will be paid to the Combined Authority by the six collecting authorities in ten equal instalments. The total amounts due to be raised through the Council Tax Precept from each of the local authorities are: Cambridge City £538,048; South Cambridgeshire £807,968; Huntingdonshire £789,540; East Cambridgeshire £383,578; Fenland £372,708; and Peterborough £732,283.
Figures released by the Combined Authority show that it plans to spend almost £7.52 million supporting 77 bus services in the region over the next 12 months. The biggest beneficiary is Stephensons of Essex which will receive £1.917 million, with Dews receiving £1.457 million. Stagecoach East, which cut back much of its rural operations last year, will pick up £873,692 with most contracts covering partial service operations in Peterborough. The biggest single tender award is for the £916,575 to Stephensons of Essex for operation of route 11 between Newmarket-Burwell-Swaffham Prior-Cambridge. Stephensons also picked up the 112 Ely-Soham-Newmarket with a contract award price of £587,820. The contracts also include the ‘Ting’ demand responsive operation in West Huntingdonshire which was awarded to Vectare at a subsidy price of £424,998.
