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RESOLVED:

1.      That this
Council:

a)      Strongly welcomes the
passage of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill 2024 which is in its final
stages of parliamentary approval.

b)      Notes the New Towns
Taskforce report recently published by the Ministry of Housing,
Communities, and Local Government which identifies Milton Keynes as
a new town location and highlights the potential for significant
Government investment in a future Mass Rapid Transit
system.

c)      Recognises that while the
proposed Mass Rapid Transit system will, in the long-term, provide
a transformational step in addressing Milton Keynes' transport
needs, residents cannot afford to wait years for reliable bus
services. The city urgently needs a bus service that is affordable,
accessible, and reliable now.

d)      Requests the Administration,
working with officers to bring forward an integrated proposal for a
Milton Keynes City Council backed bus service that can meet the
city's immediate transport needs and operate effectively alongside
the new plans for the Mass Rapid Transit system once it is fully
developed and operational.

e)      Recognises that delivering a
Council-run bus service would be a complex and specialist
undertaking, and that the Council may not currently have the full
technical or managerial capacity required to do so. Therefore,
request that the proposal in d) includes any additional resource
that would be required to fund and recruit any necessary external
specialist expertise and operational oversight required to design,
implement, manage and monitor an effective, value for money service
for residents, that is both credible and sustainable.