Agenda item

To report progress on outstanding actions from the minutes of the last meeting, for information only.

The Committee received an update from the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture on six outstanding actions arising from the previous meeting:

·         Benches Mapping Project
The Chairman and the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture had met with a representative from the app development team on 21^st February 2025 to discuss the Committee’s request to map the location of public benches. Data had been provided to the app development team and work was underway to incorporate this into a digital mapping platform for future reference.

·         Community Outreach
Members had previously agreed to identify a community group from each ward to work with the Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officer. This item was to be revisited under the work programme later in the meeting, to enable more detailed consideration of the issue at a future meeting.

·         Green Flag Working Group
A meeting of the Green Flag Working Group had taken place immediately prior to the Committee meeting. Members received a project update from the Leisure Services Officer and discussed the development of an action plan. Future meetings were scheduled to take place monthly via Teams, with in-person meetings to be held prior to each BTAC meeting. A formal report was expected to be presented to the Committee in November 2025.

·         Community Governance Review
At the meeting of Full Council on 3 March 2025, members approved the terms of reference for the Community Governance Review and authorised the commencement of Stage 1 consultation. A working group comprising Councillors Anne Dorrian, Barrie Pierpoint, Emma Cresswell, Mike Gilbert and Paul Gleeson had been appointed to consider consultation responses and to develop draft and final recommendations for submission to Full Council.

·         Highways Maintenance and Police Performance
Issues raised at the previous meeting regarding highways maintenance and police performance were scheduled to be addressed in the new municipal year and had been added to the Committee’s work programme.

·         Bus Routes – Fenside Service
Following concerns raised at the January meeting regarding the Fenside bus route, the Committee had invited Mrs Marrianne Garbutt, Managing Director of Brylaine Travel, to attend and address Members.

The Committee noted the updates and agreed to continue monitoring progress on the above actions through the work programme.

Bus Routes – Fenside Service

Members received a detailed address from Mrs Marrianne Garbutt, Managing Director of Brylaine Travel, following concerns raised at the previous meeting regarding the Fenside bus service.

Mrs Garbutt clarified that, contrary to public perception, the Fenside service had not been cancelled. The route continued to operate as it had for over two decades. The service no longer travelled to the bus station but continued to serve the Market Place. The change had been implemented due to operational challenges and public feedback regarding congestion and safety in the town centre.

Mrs Garbutt confirmed that she felt there was a general misconception about what the company did and who they were. She informed the Committee that to assist with this she had produced a booklet, which was presented to the Committee in advance of the meeting and explained during the meeting. She provided some history about Brylaine, which had been operating for 44 years. She advised that Brylaine had worked hard to ensure that bus services were maintained in the rural setting.

She indicated that the company had received very little financial support and outlined her concerns regarding funding, stating there was a misconception that bus services were publicly funded. Confirmation was provided that bus services in this area were not funded and were predominately commercial.

She briefed the committee that currently Brylaine supported 700,000 passenger journeys per year and the fleet covered 1.9 million kilometres per year. The company was operating 80% of this service commercially.

Mrs Garbutt outlined the significant financial and logistical pressures faced by Brylaine as a local, family-run operator. She highlighted that:

·         The company had not received Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) since October 2024 due to a national review.

·         Concessionary fare reimbursement stood at approximately 52% of the fare value.

·         The Boston Town service received only £400 per day in support, which was insufficient to sustain or expand the service.

·         In contrast, other towns such as Spalding and Grantham received significantly higher levels of support under the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), with Spalding receiving £980 per day and others benefitting from 15-minute frequency services.

Members noted that passenger numbers on the Boston Town service had declined markedly, from approximately 25,000 in January–February 2019 to 12,500 in the same period in 2025. Mrs Garbutt attributed this to a combination of reduced town centre footfall, limited destinations served by the current route, and increasing congestion.

A proposal for a revised “Daisy Chain” town service, designed to better serve key destinations such as schools, hospitals, and industrial estates, had been submitted to Lincolnshire County Council under Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. However, no funding had been allocated to Boston.

Mrs Garbutt also raised concerns regarding the condition of the Boston bus station, which she described as inadequate given the volume of passengers using the facility annually. She contrasted this with significant investment in other local infrastructure projects, including the railway station. Councillor Dorrian indicated that the bus station should and could be better and officers were looking at ways in which to make improvements.

Members expressed strong support for Brylaine and acknowledged the disparity in funding and support received by Boston compared to other areas. Several Members voiced frustration at the lack of advocacy from local County Councillors and committed to taking further action.

Resolved:

1.    That a dedicated meeting be arranged between Brylaine and interested Members to explore the issues in greater detail;

2.    That, if necessary after the above meeting, the matter be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, chaired by Councillor Gleeson, with a view to inviting Lincolnshire County Council to respond to concerns; and

The Chairman thanked Mrs Garbutt for her attendance and for her candid and informative presentation. Members commended her commitment to the town and pledged to support efforts to improve public transport provision in Boston.