Bigger council tax bill will fund Eye and Thorney bus improvements, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor says

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s mayor has proposed trebling his portion of residents’ council tax bills.

Mayor Dr Nick Johnson, leader of the region’s Combined Authority (CPCA), has now confirmed he wishes to charge band D properties £36 this year, up from £12 last year – and nothing the year before.

The mayoral precept was introduced last year to provide a lifeline to buses that would have otherwise stopped running.

Dr Johnson says that this year it will help fund route 5, connecting Peterborough and Yaxley, and improve services for Eye and Thorney as well as a review of options for orbital services linking “key destinations” outside Peterborough's city centre.

The Labour politician has also said that the £11m net budget expected from the precept will go towards improving bus stops and shelters throughout the region.

“My argument is that for less than 10p a day per average household the Combined Authority can invest £11m per year in our bus network, enabling more routes and more frequent services, serving far more people more conveniently than is currently the case,” Dr Johnson said in his budget proposals.

“What’s more, this will accompany a huge reduction in the price of travel for everyone under the age of 25, with bus fares cut in half from £2 to £1.”

The mayor’s budget, which includes the suggested precept rise, will be debated by CPCA’s board on 31st January. It doesn’t need to pass a vote to be implemented, but can be vetoed.

Budget documents suggest that the authority expects more cash to be generated from the precept in future years: the fund is projected to rise to £11.2m in 2025/6 to £11.4m in 2026/7 and £11.7m in 2027/8.

Of course, the amount of money raised depends on how many houses there are in the region and what rate of council tax they pay.

In the upcoming financial year, the CPCA expects to charge Band A houses £24, Band B £28, Band C £32, Band D £36, Band E £44, Band F £52 and Band G £60.

Beyond that, Dr Johnson wants to see bus franchising in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, which would allow the CPCA to set routes, fares and branding.

The authority is currently considering the case for franchising against the case for an 'enhanced partnership' with bus companies, in which they would retain some control over operations.