Agenda item

(a)       Section 41 Spokespersons

The following councillors to answer questions (if any) on the business of the joint authorities:-

(b)       Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel

Councillor Sue Derbyshire to answer questions (if any) on the business of the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel.

(c)        Greater Manchester Combined Authority

The following councillors to answer questions (if any) on the business of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee:-

(a)       Section 41 Spokespersons

Councillor Daniel Hawthorne asked Councillor Walter Brett (Section 41 Spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority) what his views were on the agreement signed by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service to permit firefighters to be deployed to cardiac arrest incidents. 

Councillor Brett responded that he was delighted that the agreement had been signed and that it would undoubtedly save lives.  Councillor Brett commented that the initiative had been developed following a visit by fire service chiefs to Seattle in the USA to observe why residents there had a significantly better chance of recovering from cardiac incidents than in some parts of Greater Manchester.

Councillor Daniel Hawthorne then asked Councillor Walter Brett (Section 41 Spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority) what his views were on the recent announcement that the work of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority would be subsumed into the role of the Greater Manchester Mayor from 2017.

Councillor Brett responded that he had great concerns about this proposal and that he had personally asked questions of the interim Greater Manchester Mayor about this matter and was aware that the Authority was lobbying the Greater Manchester Combined Authority with regard to it.  Councillor Brett stated that he considered that the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority worked well in its current format and that proposals for its abolition were to be regretted.

There were no questions in relation to the business of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.

(b)       Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel

There were no questions in relation to the business of the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel.

(c)        Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick asked Councillor Iain Roberts (Transport for Greater Manchester spokesperson) if he could explain to the Council Meeting what ‘Get Me There’ was.

Councillor Iain Roberts responded that ‘Get Me There’ was a multi-modal travel smartcard that ATOS had been working for a number of years to produce and had been rolled out for concessionary fares on the Metrolink network.  Councillor Roberts stated that ATOS and TfGM had now agreed to the mutual termination of a contract to design, build and operate the ‘Get Me There’ smart ticketing scheme and that he was working with Transport for Greater Manchester to understand more fully what had occurred.  Councillor Roberts reported that notwithstanding the termination of the agreement, he was working to try and find a solution to ensure that residents of Greater Manchester did not lose out unduly by way of the expeditious introduction of measures to provide an element of smart ticketing in the interim.  It was stated that this was asked for in August 2015 and that the initial response was that this could not happen; however in early September it was announced that a smart travel card would be available on buses by the end of the year and other measures would be introduced for the Metrolink network.

Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick stated that that ‘Get Me there’ was a single smart card which could be used across all modes of public transport and that it would be significantly more advanced than any other system currently in use in the country.  Councillor Fitzpatrick referred to a quote from Councillor Roberts in the Manchester Evening News on Tuesday, 1 September 2015 as saying “elsewhere in the country people are taking just a few months to get this type of system up and running”.  In the light of this, Councillor Fitzpatrick asked Councillor Roberts if he could identify where this type of system had been brought to fruition within this timescale.

Councillor Roberts responded that it was clear within the article and from the press release from the Liberal Democrat Group on 4 September 2015 that a smart card with those type of facilities was not being called for; rather a smart travel card was being pursued that could be used across different bus companies and trams.  He further stated that he congratulated Transport for Greater Manchester on their work towards achieving this.

Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick then asked Councillor Roberts why, in the light of his response to the previous question, he had subsequently tweeted on 6 September that “Last week the Lib Dems called for a Greater Manchester Oyster Card by Christmas and TfGM said no.  Just a week later and it’s a yes.”  Councillor Fitzpatrick stated that this was incorrect and that was not what had been proposed by TfGM.  It was further queried whether Councillor Roberts would take the opportunity at the next meeting of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee to explain himself and if his statement was determined to be incorrect, to make a full apology.

Councillor Roberts responded that the confusion within the Labour Group arose from the difference between a discussion that might be held within a committee, and how that message might be communicated to members of the public.  He confirmed that his position had not been that he was calling for a London-style Oyster card and that this had been clear within the press release issued by the Liberal Democrats.  He stated that he would not be apologising as the evidence was clear on what he had actually been calling for which is what Transport for Greater Manchester had delivered.