Public Transport Consortium SIG - annual report to LGA Board 2025

Contact information

The Consortium aims to:

act as a forum for discussion and promotion of public transport issues affecting local authorities outside metropolitan areas;
promote the exchange of experience and good practice between member authorities and in liaison with other bodies;
advise appropriate committees or other executive bodies of the LGA on public transport issues;
represent interests of member authorities to Government, the Local Government Association, operators and other organisations involved in public transport; and
provide advice and guidance to member authorities concerning Passenger Transport policy and operations.

The PTC contributes to the following goals:

Goal 1: In liaising with DfT and Government Ministers, the PTC supports the LGA goal of promoting an equal partnership between local and central Government, reinforcing the role of local authorities in policy reform and arguing for the tools to deliver improvements in the local transport offer for their communities.
Goal 2: PTC works to build networks between member authorities to provide support through peer-based learning opportunities, through plenary meetings, study tours, topical newsletters.
Goal 3: PTC aims to support innovation through discussion sessions during plenary meetings which offer members the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other authorities and external bodies, such as DfT, LGA, Transport Focus, to aid in the development of new ideas for local public transport provision.
Goal 4: PTC is a member-based organisation, managed on behalf on members through the Executive committee which is representative of the political make up of the organisation. PTC is financially resilient and focused on its members and the communities served by them.

Hosted three Plenary and three Executive meetings: most held virtually, but the Annual General Meeting was held as a hybrid meeting, with attendees at 18 Smith Square as well as via MS Teams.
Note: The decision was made to cancel the Regional Meeting/Study Tour this year due to the General Election occurring on the date planned. The March 25 meeting was postponed until May 25 to facilitate the attendance of the appropriate DfT officers.
Provided members with the opportunity to consider the following topics at Plenary meetings:
The Your Bus Journey results & report (Discussion session hosted by David Beer, Senior Engagement Manager, Transport Focus and Niki Park, Norfolk County Council)
Dover Fastrack (Discussion session hosted by Phil Lightowler, Kent County Council). This gave an outline of the development of the scheme, including issues and resolutions.
What does public ownership of the railways really mean? (Discussion session hosted by Christian Wolmar, journalist)
Liaised with Rail Minister regarding Rail Connectivity across the Midlands and North of England
We continued to provide members with a weekly news update, highlighting activities from across passenger transport.
In 2024-25, PTC has become increasingly member-led, seeking input from Executive Committee members on the content and focus of discussion sessions.