Issue - meetings

TAMAR BRIDGE AND TORPOINT FERRY JOINT COMMITTEE: BRIDGE OFFICE DEVELOPMENT

 

 

Meeting: 24/11/2014 - City Council (Item 43)

43 Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee: Bridge Office Development pdf icon PDF 37 KB

Cabinet Members: Councillor Coker (Cabinet Member for Transport) and Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance).

 

The City Council will be asked to add the Tamar Bridge Office Development to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee’s capital programme with a budget of £3.33million.

 

The minute of Cabinet held on 21 October 2014 will be submitted together with the report considered at Cabinet.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Coker (Cabinet Member for Transport) presented the Tamar Bridge Office development proposal for addition to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee’s capital programme. (Cabinet minute 57 refers). Councillor Wheeler seconded the proposal.

 

Councillor Evans proposed and Councillor Stevens seconded the following amendment -

 

 

‘To number the following recommendation - 

(1)

 

Tamar Bridge Office Development is added to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee’s capital programme with a budget of £3.33million;

And add -

(2)

It is noted that -

 

(i)

the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry are jointly owned by the two local authorities of Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council; 

 

(ii)

the bridge and ferries are operated as a single business which is self-financing; 

 

(iii)

without toll income to fund the operation, approximately £10millon revenue funding would be required annually (based on 2013/14 figures) which could require at least a ten per cent increase in Council Tax.’

 

Councillor Coker indicated that he was happy to accept the amendment as the suggestion to remove tolls which had been made in the press by a UKIP Parliamentary Candidate would require an alternative source of income to be found.

Following a request from ten councillors for a recorded vote, the vote was –

For the motion (50)

 

Councillors  Mrs Aspinall , Ball, Mrs Beer, Bowie, Bowyer, Mrs Bowyer, Churchill, Coker, Damarell, Darcy, P. Davey , S Davey , Downie, Drean, Evans, Foster, Mrs Foster, Fry, Hendy, James, Jarvis, Jordan, Martin Leaves, Michael Leaves, Sam Leaves, Lowry, Dr Mahony, McDonald,  Morris, Murphy (Deputy Lord Mayor), Mrs Nelder, Nicholson, Mrs Nicholson, Parker Delaz Ajete, Penberthy, Mrs Pengelly, Rennie, Dr Salter, Singh,  J. Smith, P. Smith, Sparling, Stark, Stevens, J. Taylor, K. Taylor, Tuffin, Tuohy, Vincent and Wheeler.

 

Against the motion (0)

 

Abstentions (4)

 

Councillors Mrs Bridgeman, Casey and Riley.

The Lord Mayor did not vote.

 

The following members were absent (3)

 

Councillors Ricketts, Storer and Wigens.

 

The amendment was agreed.

 

Councillor Coker summed up on the substantive motion and following a request from ten councillors for a recorded vote, the vote was –

For the motion (51)

 

Councillors  Mrs Aspinall , Ball, Mrs Beer, Bowie, Bowyer, Mrs Bowyer, Casey, Churchill, Coker, Damarell, Darcy, P. Davey , S Davey , Downie, Drean, Evans, Foster, Mrs Foster, Fry, Hendy, James, Jarvis, Jordan, Martin Leaves, Michael Leaves, Sam Leaves, Lowry, Dr Mahony, McDonald,  Morris, Murphy (Deputy Lord Mayor), Mrs Nelder, Nicholson, Mrs Nicholson, Parker Delaz Ajete, Penberthy, Mrs Pengelly, Rennie, Dr Salter, Singh,  J. Smith, P. Smith, Sparling, Stark, Stevens, J. Taylor, K. Taylor, Tuffin, Tuohy, Vincent and Wheeler.

 

Against the motion (0)

 

Abstentions (3)

 

Councillors Mrs Bridgeman and Riley.

The Lord Mayor did not vote.

 

The following members were absent (3)

 

Councillors Ricketts, Storer and Wigens.

 

The motion as amended was carried and it wasAgreed that –

 

(1)

Tamar Bridge Office Development is added to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee’s capital programme with a budget of £3.33million; 

(2)

it is noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43

Meeting: 21/10/2014 - Cabinet (Item 57)

57 TAMAR BRIDGE AND TORPOINT FERRY JOINT COMMITTEE: BRIDGE OFFICE DEVELOPMENT pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Anthony Payne (Strategic Director for Place) will submit a written report requesting that Cabinet endorses the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee’s (TBTFJC) proposal in September 2014, for the Tamar Bridge office development following consideration of a report and the business case. Cabinet are also asked to recommend that the City Council approves the addition of the bridge office development project to the capital programme with a budget of £3.33 million.   

 

The TBTFJC Terms of Reference require each Cabinet to approve major items of capital expenditure as part the capital programme and recommend a budget provision to Council. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Anthony Payne (Strategic Director for Place) submitted a written report asking Cabinet to endorse the proposal for the Tamar Bridge office development and to recommend that the project was added to the capital programme with a budget of £3.33 million.  The proposal had been referred from the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee (TBTFJC) on 12 September 2014, following consideration of a report and the business case.

 

The report indicated that - 

 

(a)

the project was designed to meet operational and customer service requirements, enable an effective response to incidents and emergencies, and provide suitable facilities for the management of the bridge and associated infrastructure; 

(b)

the terms of reference for the TBTFJC required each Cabinet (Plymouth City and Cornwall Councils) to approve major items of capital expenditure as part the capital programme and recommend a budget provision to Council. 

 

Minute 20 of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee of 12 September 2014 was also submitted.

 

Councillor Coker (Cabinet Member for Transport) introduced the proposals and advised that –

 

(c)

the bridge and ferry service was operated and maintained jointly by the City and Cornwall Councils, was self-financing with funding from toll income, with powers from the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Act;  

(d)

the bridge was a key part of the regional and national road network infrastructure;

(e)

the proposals would replace the existing portacabins, address health and safety matters, improve toilet facilities, provide disabled access, provide renewable energy production and address access problems for heavy goods vehicles and coaches.

 

David List (General Manager, Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry) and Richard Cole (Engineering Manager) also attended the meeting for this item.

 

Cabinet Members were also advised that –

 

(f)

the proposals would be submitted to Cornwall’s Cabinet and Council in due course;

(g)

the bridge and ferries were operated as a single business and without toll income to fund the operation, approximately £10millon revenue funding would be required annually (based on 2013/14 figures) which could require at least a ten per cent increase in Council tax.   

(h)

a bid was being submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for an education / interpretation centre and Network Rail would be encouraged to participate in the project. 

 

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

 

As set out in the report.

 

Agreed that the proposal is endorsed and the City Council is Recommended to add the Tamar Bridge Office Development to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee’s capital programme with a budget of £3.33million.