Your Say your Future
Thank you for taking part in our Budget Consultation Survey. The survey has now closed.
We asked residents of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Region to tell us their views on the proposed Mayoral Precept and our priorities for next year.
They key findings are:
- There was widespread support for increasing the Mayoral Precept to improve local bus services. The majority of survey participants supported the proposal to increase the Mayoral Precept to £36. Seven in ten participants agreed to increasing the Mayoral Precept to some extent to support bus service improvements. 450 people filled the survey in.
- One in seven participants use local buses most weeks and about one in ten use them most days. Three in ten survey respondents use them a few times a month. The remainder, almost a half, do not use the local bus services. More reliable bus services and more bus routes are the two key factors that survey respondents said are most likely to encourage them to take buses more frequently.
- Delivering high-quality apprenticeships is the most popular CPCA work programme activity in the survey followed by improving transport links in rural areas. Among the activities which are most supported by survey participants, there is a strong focus on the ‘Ambitious Skills and Employment Opportunities’ strategic objective.
- Eight in ten participants are looking for the combined authority to work in partnership with education and skills providers to increase local employment and educational opportunities. This is underpinned by similar support for making sure adult learners can access educational courses. Equally, eight in ten participants support sustainable agriculture for the region.
At its meeting on Wednesday, January 31st, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Board approved a Mayoral Precept of £36 a year for a Band D property.
The annual sum, which equates to £3 per month per household, will be invested in 30 bus route improvements including new routes as well as route improvements across the region.
Board members made their decision after reviewing the findings above.
The 30, new or enhanced, bus routes that will be funded by the increased Mayoral Precept were selected based on insight from over 700 responses to a survey asking residents to suggest new bus routes, or improvements to current bus routes.
Suggestions were assessed against the Combined Authority’s adopted bus strategy and discussed by members of the Board before being agreed alongside the increased Mayoral Precept.
Cambridge City
| Route number (or new link) | Further information |
|---|---|
| Express service linking Cambridge and Huntingdon with the potential to extend to Alconbury Weald | Develop draft route and timetable. Could also serve Fenstanton and is a cross area service on a key corridor of growth |
| New orbital bus service to key destinations around Cambridge, avoiding journeys into the centre and need to change buses | Develop key destinations and indicative routing that works best for connecting local communities |
| Busway – higher frequencies Trumpington to Rail Station and Addenbrookes | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements |
| Extension of Route 18 to Parkside and increase in frequency across whole route | Develop options with existing timetable |
| Restoration of a direct link from Histon Road to Addenbrookes | Engagement with relevant local operator on options |
East Cambridgeshire
| Route number (or new link) | Further information |
|---|---|
| Develop additional Ely Zipper service providing an enhanced link between Sutton and Ely via villages in between, while also exploring a link to Mepal. | Develop draft route and timetable. Could be incorporated as part of other enhancements, including new service Ely – Longstanton below |
| New service between Ely and Longstanton Park & Ride, via Witchford, Sutton, Earith and Willingham | Develop draft route and timetable. Could incorporate Ely Zipper proposal above |
| New service between Soham and Cambridge, via Burwell, Swaffham Prior, Swaffham Bulbeck and Bottisham. | Develop draft route and timetable |
| Improvements on B1102 corridor with interconnections to access different parts of Cambridge and other centres to which people travel. | Develop draft route and timetable |
| New Demand Responsive Transport trial. Collaborating with the community to define a service zone that offers maximum coverage to rural communities | Development will focus on Isleham and Little Downham and wider communities and beconsidered alongside scheduled services to identify gaps |
Fenland
| Route number (or new link) | Further information |
|---|---|
| 68 (Wisbech) | Enhanced days and hours of operation, plus extending route to include Morrisons, including a consideration of a Saturday service |
| 31/33 | Later evening journeys to Whittlesey (also serving Amazon and McCains) |
| New service connecting Christchurch to Wisbech and Downham Market. | Engagement with incumbent operator on Route 60. |
| New service between Chatteris – Manea rail station – Christchurch – Wisbech, co-ordinated with train times at Manea | Develop draft route and timetable – Chatteris to Wisbech via Christchurch and Manea |
| Enhancement on Peterborough to March route with extension to Chatteris and Ely | Engagement with incumbent operator anddevelop extension |
| Improvements to Chatteris – March – Whittlesey –Wisbech corridor | Assess existing contracts and commercial services to develop improvements |
| New Demand Responsive Transport trial. Collaborating with the community to define a service zone that offers maximum coverage to rural communities | Development work to commence |
Huntingdonshire
| Route number (or new link) | Further information |
|---|---|
| Provide a link between Fenstanton and Huntingdon railway station. Fenstanton could be incorporated into express service options linking Cambridge and Huntingdon | Develop draft route and timetable |
| Route 66 – improve frequency between Huntingdon and St Neots | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements and investigate potential for easier connections to Cambridge |
| To enhance frequency of service between Ramsey and Huntingdon and provide interchange with service operating between St Ives and March at Warboys | Continued refinement of timetable in partnership with community representatives and tender of revised services |
| X2/X3 Huntingdon – Cambridge – Addenbrookes | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements |
| 904 Improve frequency and earlier and later journeys | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements Additionally investigate the potential of extending the route to serve Folksworth |
Peterborough City
| Route number (or new link) | Further information |
|---|---|
| Options for orbital bus services to key destinations around Peterborough, avoiding journeys into the centre and the need to change buses | Define key destinations and how these can be linked taking into account lessons learnt from Route 29 |
| Improve service frequency through Thorney and improve service to Eye with improvements | Work with incumbent operator to increase frequency of services via Thorney and look at options for Eye |
| Route 5 – improve service frequencies | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements |
South Cambridgeshire
| Route number (or new link) | Further information |
|---|---|
| Integrate 1A and 5A services between Bar Hill, Swavesey and St Ives and enhanced frequencies | Develop draft route and timetable |
| Route 4 – Improve frequency Cambourne to Cambridge and investigate expansion of service to North East Cambridge | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements |
| Route 8 – improve frequency. More direct route and expansion to Rampton | Engagement with incumbent operator to assessoptions for improvements |
| X13 Haverhill to Cambridge – increase frequency | Engagement with incumbent operator to assess options for improvements |
| New Demand Responsive Transport trial. Collaborating with the community to define a service zone that offers maximum coverage to rural communities | Development work to commence |
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “Following this decision, we’ll be able to offer more routes and more frequent services, serving far more people more conveniently than is currently the case. What’s more, we’re also offering a huge reduction in the price of travel for everyone under the age of 25, with bus fares cut in half to just £1.
The Board has also agreed to an ambitious package of measures including £80m of new capital investment including £3.85m into reduced fares for under 25s; with bus fares cut in half from £2 to £1, an additional £5m into the development of ARU Peterborough, £9m into managing climate changes and £22m in improvements to road and rail connectivity.