MAY 2021

WARRINGTON ZERO EMISSION BUS

REGIONAL AREA SCHEME

APPLICATION FORM

Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme – 2021 to 2022 Application Form

Call for Expressions of Interest Applicant Information Local transport authority: Warrington Borough Council (For joint bids only) Which local transport authority is the lead bidder: N/A

Area within authority covered by bid: Warrington Borough Bid Manager Name and position:

Contact telephone number:

Email address:

Postal address: Warrington Borough Council,

Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH

Submission of proposals:

Applications to the Scheme will be assessed against the criteria set out here and in the guidance document. Please adhere to word limits. We will not accept any additional information unless specifically requested. Proposals must be received no later than 17:00 on the following days.

Fast track process - 5pm on 21st May 2021 Standard process – 5pm on 25th June 2021.

You will receive confirmation that we have received your proposal within 1 working day. An electronic copy only of the bid including any supporting material should be submitted to buses@dft.gov.uk. Please include “ZEBRA (Fast track Process) Local Transport Authority name” in

the subject line of the email if you are applying under the fast track process.

Please include “ZEBRA (Standard Process) Local Transport Authority name” in the subject line of the email if you are applying under the standard process. Enquiries about the Fund may be directed to buses@dft.gov.uk. Transparency and privacy Please refer to the guidance for this scheme before completing the application form to understand how DfT will manage your data.

SECTION A: Mandatory Questions

Areas must satisfactorily answer all of the questions in this section to be eligible to progress to Phase 2 of the scheme. If you would like further information, please contact the Department for Transport at buses@dft.gov.uk.

Areas must provide the information requested in questions A1-A5.

A1. In total, how many new zero emission buses will your proposal deliver?

120 buses.

Our financial model assumes a 30 year programme in total, with 120 buses delivered in Year 1 through ZEBRA funding. We have assumed that a further 120 buses will be needed by Year 15 replacing the first round of electric buses at the end of their operational lifespan.

Therefore, in total this proposal will see 240 buses delivered.

A2. Total DfT funding sought (£m)

The funding that we are seeking is made up of:

Funding for Buses = £18,510,000

Funding for Infrastructure = £4,140,000 Total funding sought = £22,650,000

A3. Third party funding contributions (£m)

This proposal is not dependent on any third party funding. If successful the scheme will be delivered using the DfT ZEBRA grant and Warrington Borough Council resources. Warrington’s Own Buses (WOB) will pay an appropriate lease value to the council for the buses.

A4. Funding from other government schemes (£m)

No other Government funding is required for this project.

The proposal does, however, complement funding secured from Government through the Town Deal and the Getting Building Fund. Amongst other improvements, funding secured from these two sources is being used for the delivery of a new bus depot and to implement new bus priority measures. Warrington Borough Council have also underwritten £2.93m of the overall cost of the bus depot that will be used exclusively by the largest bus operator in Warrington, namely Warrington’s Own Buses. Further details of this can be found in section F.1.2.

A5. Total cost of the proposal (£m):

As noted in A1, we have considered this as a 30 year project. Over those 30 years, the total investment required is estimated to be £97,218,000.

That figure includes:

First round of new buses (Year 1 - with ZEBRA funding contribution)

Infrastructure costs (Year 1 – with ZEBRA funding contribution)

Battery Refresh (Year 10)

Second round of new buses (Year 15)

Second battery refresh (Year 25)

A6, If your bid is successful, are you able to invest DfT funding within the time outlined by your scheme?

Yes. As set out in Section F, the new fleet of buses can be operational within two years of a successful funding announcement.

A7. If your bid is successful, are you able to capitalise DfT grant funding?

Yes

A8. Have you considered whether additional zero emission buses are needed to replace existing buses?

This issue has been the subject of discussion between Warrington Borough Council and Warrington’s Own Buses. If we are successful in this bid, Warrington’s Own Buses fleet will be converted to electric buses and the new electric fleet will be charged overnight when services are not operating. This means that the same size of fleet as is currently operational will be required. More details on the number of buses that we are bidding for funding for can be found in Section E.

A9. Have you provided a breakdown of infrastructure costs for your proposal?

Yes, a full breakdown of all costs is included in the financial model included in Appendix 3.

A10. Does your proposal have the support of bus operator(s) in the area?

This application has been developed in partnership with Warrington’s Own Buses, who operate 85% of our network and are very supportive of the proposals. This is confirmed in a letter of support that is appended.

In a meeting in on 16th April, we engaged all local operators in Warrington in the early discussions on the development of our Bus Service Improvement Plan. At this meeting, and subsequently via email, all operators were offered the opportunity to be involved in this project. All other operators are supportive of proposals to enhance bus provision in the borough, but do not feel it appropriate to be part of this bid at the current time.

Warrington’s Own Buses are committed to de-carbonising all of their operations. They will look to upgrade ancillary vehicles once the bus fleet becomes electric. They are also encouraging staff to shift to electric vehicles for their journey to work and within their new depot there will be provision of electric vehicle charging points for staff use.

Warrington’s Own Buses also operate services out to Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, Cheshire West and Cheshire East. These areas will also benefit from the environmental improvements associated with zero emission buses.

A11. Have you spoken with any energy companies when preparing your proposal?

Yes, Scottish Power have been involved in the development of our proposal. A letter of support from them is included in the appendices.

Additionally, through the Rewire partnership we have been working with Pure Leapfrog to identify innovative technology for charging buses and battery storage options. These will be explored further in the next round of the application process if we are successful at this expression of interest stage. Pure Leapfrog’s commitment to our proposal is expressed in their letter of support in the appendix.

We have also had discussions with Zenobe regarding battery storage solutions.

A12. Does your proposal comply with the accessibility requirements set out in the scheme guidance?

Yes. Our proposal will see Warrington’s Own Buses entire fleet replaced with new electric vehicles. As new vehicles, these will be accessible and adhere to equalities legislation including the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000.

We are very happy to commit to all of the new buses providing an enhanced level of accessibility, including:

• Equipment to identify the route, each upcoming stop, and the beginning and

end of diversions:

o Visibly, using at least one screen on any deck, with the lower deck

screen visible from all priority seats;

o Audibly, with announcements audible on any deck, including in the pri-

ority seats and wheelchair space; and

o Using induction loops, in priority seats and the wheelchair space.

• An induction loop to aid direct communication between drivers and passengers

who use a hearing aid.

• An additional flexible space in addition to the mandatory wheelchair space, suit-

able for a second wheelchair user and/or at least two unfolded pushchairs or

prams.

SECTION B. Defining the place B.1. Warrington

Warrington is the largest urban area in Cheshire by some way and is one of the largest free standing urban areas in the North West of England outside the two conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The defined area for this application covers the entire borough of Warrington, which comprises the main urban area, surrounded by a rural hinterland which includes a number of distinct settlements. A map of the borough and our location in the North West is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Warrington’s Location

B.2. An Economic Success Story

Warrington has a strong and resilient economy, and one of the most successful towns in the UK today in terms of economic development, investment, employment rates and growth; and over the last ten years has repeatedly been recognised as such in national research and league tables such as the Centre for Cities ‘Cities Outlook’. Omega in the West of Warrington has been one of the most successful development areas. A 233ha mixed use development being delivered over 25 years. The growth of logistics and manufacturing on this site has created some 8,000 new jobs with employers including Brakes, Hermes, Travis Perkins, ASDA, the Hut Group and Plastic Omnium. Development of some 1,100 new homes is underway. Birchwood Park in the east of the borough is central to the Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone. Over 160 companies, including Nuclear Decommissioning Agency, are located on the Park, employing over 6,000 people.

B.3. Levelling Up Although Warrington is a prosperous Borough, it is also an unequal one and a key defining feature of Warrington is the marked differences in prosperity and quality of life within the Borough. 2019 Indices of Multiple Deprivation show that:

24 LSOAs (18.9%) in the 20% most deprived LSOAs in England

10 LSOAs (7.9%) in the 10% most deprived LSOAs in England (12 in 2015). Of these, 9 lie in the Central wards of Warrington, and 1 lies in the Oakwood area in Birchwood ward.

Worklessness is an issue in some areas of the Borough with the lack of connectivity between areas in need and employment opportunities partly to blame. Bus connectivity to employment sites is key to addressing this. B.4. Buses in Warrington

In Warrington’s Own Buses, Warrington has a municipal bus company who undertake the vast majority of BSOG-claimable mileage in the borough. It is this Council owned municipal operator that we are working in close partnership with for this proposal. Pre-Covid mileage by operator is shown in Table 1. Based on that we anticipate approximately 85% of bus mileage across Warrington to be operated by new electric buses.

Operator Fleet Size Live KMs in Warrington

Proportion of bus KMs in Warrington

Warrington’s Own Buses 120 79,089 85%

Arriva 12 12,811 14%

Go North West 3 1,107 1%

Table 1 – Bus services by operator in Warrington – 7 day week

Note: A small amount of mileage is undertaken by MD Buses and MP Travel.

SECTION C: Ambition C.1. Public Transport Ambitions C.1.1 Our Policy Background

Our fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4) sets out a vision for the borough: Warrington will be a thriving, attractive, accessible, and well-connected place

with popular, high-quality walking, cycling, and public transport networks supporting our carbon-neutral future.

That vision, and wider policies, will see Warrington transformed as a place to live, work, and enjoy. The car-dominated central area will become cleaner, greener, safer, and more attractive. People will be more comfortable in the town centre, supporting the businesses there. Residents across the borough will have a choice of attractive travel options for each journey. Electric buses can play a key role in this transformation by improving air quality, reducing carbon emissions, reducing noise, and encouraging people to change from private car use. LTP4 Policy CF2 states that:

“We will investigate how we can best support local fleet operators to switch to

vehicles that use cleaner fuels” The Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and has set about delivering its nett zero carbon target by 2030. Figure 2 shows the role that an electric buses play in delivery of our wider policies.

Figure 2: Electric Buses Role in Policy Delivery

C.1.2 Improving Bus Services There is a strong willingness and ambition to improve bus provision amongst stakeholders. We have begun discussions with all operators about an Enhanced Partnership and will be confirming our intention to pursue this before the end of June. We have been supporting WOB and Arriva in the development of proposals for a Statutory Quality Partnering Scheme on Liverpool Road. A number of ongoing work programmes will support improved journey time and reliability:

Bus Priority / Mass Transit Study – ongoing piece of work identifying priority locations for additional bus priority measures and producing scheme drawings for those sites.

First and Last Mile Transport Masterplan – Developed with LEP funding support. Proposes high quality infrastructure enhancements to support sustainable travel close to the town centre.

Warrington was in the first cohort of towns to be awarded funding from Government’s Town Deal (£23.1m). Schemes include a series of bus priority measures.

The new bus fleet will operate from a new depot, which is fully funded, including £5.175m from Getting Building Fund. C.1.3 Fiscal Measures to Support Bus Services

Achieving significant modal shift in Warrington will require measures which help to manage private car usage. Two outcomes that such measures could deliver in supporting our transformational transport vision:

Providing a source of funding to support the delivery of sustainable transport improvements to encourage more people to use public transport, walk and cycle; and

Reducing car usage by providing a disincentive to people to use their car; thereby incentivising bus use and increasing patronage and revenue

We are exploring options for this for a solution that could deliver these outcomes but, subject to further work and engagement with the business community, in LTP4 we committed to investigating the potential of a Workplace Parking Levy (Policy NM12):

We will investigate Workplace Parking Levy as a Demand Management measure to support the delivery of mass transit and other transformational

transport schemes in Warrington.

C.2 Community Benefits C.2.1 Warrington’s Own Buses Our bid focusses on the fleet of buses operated by Warrington’s Own Buses, who are the municipal operator that has been serving Warrington since 1902 when the first electric trams operated in Warrington. As a municipal operator Warrington’s Own Buses strive to deliver the best possible public transport service for Warrington. Community ownership gives local people a real say on transport strategy. The close working relationship between the Council and the bus operator creates the ideal environment for collaborative working on projects such as the introduction of an electric bus fleet that will benefit all communities in the borough through by improving the local environment. Warrington’s Own Buses have made three commitments that will ensure that successful of these electric bus proposals will benefit the local community:

Apprenticeship – Warrington’s Own Buses will instigate a new engineering

apprentice scheme focussing on electric buses. New apprentices will be recruited regularly throughout the programme.

Job Security – This project will help to secure the long term future of jobs with

Warrington’s Own Buses. This provides job security for the local people currently employed by the operator

Local Supply Chain – Wherever possible Warrington’s Own Buses use a

local supply chain. This project will help to secure the use of that supply chain, benefitting businesses in the local area

A recent example of partnership working benefitting the community is the ‘Covid Bus’. This initiative has seen the Central and West Warrington Primary Care Network and NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group work alongside Warrington’s Own Buses and Warrington Borough Council to take the coronavirus vaccine out into the community on a bus for residents to get their first jab.

C.2.2 Central 6 Communities Communities in central areas of Warrington have expressed the desire for less polluting public transport in Warrington very clearly through the Warrington Central 6 Masterplan. This was commissioned by the Warrington Central Area Neighbourhood Renewal Board that is made up of community, partner organisations and council representatives. The Masterplan focuses on communities within the Central 6 wards, and was developed after extensive engagement with these communities. These wards are most adversely affected by poor air quality, include the most bus movements, and include 9 LSOAs in the 10% most deprived in England. The Masterplan identifies seven themes around which enhancements should be made. One of these is “Well connected affordable movement”. This aspires for there to be a movement network that has choices for how people get around including supporting improvements to the bus services and increasing patronage. One of the actions identified by the community through the engagement process and development of the masterplan is “Support local bus companies to replace older diesel with electric, hydrogen or biogas vehicle to meet air quality improvement targets.”

C3. Support for your proposal and wider vision

Warrington is in a very strong position to introduce a fleet of electric buses. This is reinforced by the letters of support we have received from a wide range of stakeholders and partner organisations. All letters can be seen in full in Appendix 2. C.3.1 Support from the Bus Operator

Warrington’s Own Buses, are very supportive of this bid, and are very keen to work with us to develop these proposals to delivery. Warrington’s Own Buses are wholly owned by Warrington Borough Council and have a track record of improvements and strong operational delivery. The company was awarded bus operator of the year in 2019, reflecting the high regard in which this operator is held.

We have the experience, engagement, enthusiasm, and relationships to deliver a successful project, and fully support the bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional

Area funding that is being submitted.

We look forward to working together with the Borough Council and the DfT on the development of a business case should we be successful in this early

round of the application process.

C.3.2 Support from the local Distribution Network Operator

Scottish Power, the local Distribution Network Operator, are also supportive of the scheme and have provided expert advice into the development of our proposal.

SP Energy Networks has been working collaboratively with WBC. We have provided inputs on the overall capital costs of delivering the required

infrastructure, the labour involved and overall views on the operation of the

proposal once delivered.

We are also working with Pure Leapfrog to develop our proposals.

We are pleased to be working with Warrington Borough Council to identify innovative solutions that will support the introduction of electric buses and

associated charging infrastructure in Warrington.

C.3.3 Support from our Local Members of Parliament

An electric bus fleet in Warrington would have significant national importance. As such, this proposal is supported by both of the Members of Parliament that represent Warrington. The MP for Warrington South, Andy Carter, highlighted Warrington’s situation as the perfect location for a pilot project.

Warrington is demonstrating that the town is able and ready to set the gold standard in environmentally friendly public transport. With the borough’s

largest bus operator committing to the project, and a new fit for the future bus depot soon to be in development, Warrington is the perfect location to serve

as a model for zero-emission bus travel.

The MP for Warrington North, Charlotte Nichols, highlighted the air quality benefits of the proposals and the impact they could have for increasing bus travel.

Warrington has a pressing need for significant measures to improve air quality in the town. I believe that the electric buses will be a major step towards

ameliorating this problem by removing all of the pollutants emitted from tail pipes of the town’s bus fleet. Air pollution has understandably become a major

cause for concern amongst Warrington residents in recent years and I welcome the fact that both the Council and the local bus operators are

committed to addressing this concern.

C.3.4 LEP Support

The Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership are supportive of the bid and explained how the project fits with the sub-regions Strategic Economic Plan.

Warrington’s Zero Emission Bus bid supports the wider sub-regional priorities of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP and I can confirm that the CWLEP is supportive of the project. It fits well with our Strategic Economic Plan and

complements the other transport schemes which the LEP is supporting.

C.3.4 Improving Air Quality and the Health of Residents

Warrington’s Director of Public Health highlighted the benefits for air quality.

An electric bus fleet operating in our town would remove a significant amount of the harmful pollutants that are emitted in Warrington each day. This would hugely benefit the health of some of our most vulnerable residents who live

close to busy roads in deprived wards.

The Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust highlighted the health improvements for residents and the benefits this would have for healthcare services.

This proposal presents a unique opportunity to make significant improvements to health of residents who live in parts of the town that

currently suffer from poor quality. Air pollution has a damaging effect on vulnerable members of our society, and

this has both short and long term impacts on health services.

C.3.5 Making Warrington a better place to do business We have the support of the local business community, including:

Warrington Chamber of Commerce

Measures taken to reduce the impact of poor air quality will improve the health of our members’ employees and customers, and improve the local

environment in which our members do business.

Birchwood Park Business Park

An electric bus fleet is essential to support a high-quality sustainable alternative to the private car for journeys to Birchwood Park.

Lingley Mere Business Park

This would encourage modal shift onto what is a greener mode of transport and thus help reduce the impact of car based travel upon the surrounding

highways networks.

C.3.6 Part of a Greener, Integrated Transport Network

Electric buses will be part of an integrated public transport network in Warrington, and are supported by the transport industry:

Transport for the North

This is the sort of initiative that is crucial as we all seek to build momentum behind a regional push to reach close to zero emissions from our surface

transport by 2045.

Northern Trains

We are supportive of Warrington’s ambitions to encourage rail passengers to travel to our stations using sustainable modes of transport and see ambitions

to introduce an electric bus fleet in the borough as an important tool in supporting that objective.

Avanti West Coast

We support this submission as it will move Warrington Borough Council forward in creating a greener public transport system.

North Cheshire Community Rail Partnership

Electric buses in Warrington would allow users of the North Cheshire Line to access the rail network using brand new, cleaner, greener buses

Warrington Climate Emergency Commission

This electric bus proposal will see the vast majority of buses that operate in Warrington be electric vehicles, reducing Carbon emissions and supporting

the aims and objectives of the Climate Emergency Commission

SECTION D: Air Quality

Approximately 145 people in Warrington are expected to die prematurely from

poor air quality annually.

This proposal provides a unique opportunity to make a significant change, address poor air quality, make residents healthier and reduce premature deaths. Two AQMAs are in place (Figure 3) for exceedances in the annual mean nitrogen dioxide (NO2) objective limit.

Figure 3 – AQMAs in Warrington

Our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment shows that the Warrington AQMA directly impacts on deprived areas, where existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are above the national average. Source apportionment for a 2016 Low Emission Study identifies the predominant source of poor local air quality is road traffic, and that buses have a disproportionate impact compared to the distance travelled.

Bus travel accounts for 1% of distance driven on Warrington’s roads, yet accounts for 11% of NOx and 5.7% of PM2.5 of traffic emissions.

As part of the Detailed Assessment (2016) for the designation of the Warrington AQMA, it was assessed that to meet the national NO2 objective limit, road related NOx emissions need to be reduced by 41%. This proposal would be a significant action towards meeting that target. Warrington’s Own Buses operate over 85% of bus mileage in the borough using a diesel-powered fleet. The Euro classification make up of this fleet is shown in Table 2.

All of these vehicles arrive and depart the town centre Bus Interchange (located within the AQMA) on multiple occasions each day

Euro Rating Number of Vehicles

3 42

4 13

5 50

6 15

Table 2 – Euro Class make up of Warrington’s Own Buses Fleet

Changing to an all-electric fleet within the AQMA will save 11% of the current NOx emissions and 5.7% of PM2.5 emissions within this area. Exhaust emission savings have been estimated by looking at the number of buses for each Euro class and their mileage compared to moving to an all-electric bus fleet. Over a 12 month period across all routes it has been estimated that this would be the equivalent emissions savings of:

NOx: 48,942 Kg

PMx: 854 Kg

CO2: 6,670 tonnes Our Air Quality Action Plan (2018) sets out a series of measures to improve air quality. The Plan sets out 5 key priorities. Two of these are directly relevant to this proposal:

Priority 1: reduce traffic volume and improve flows Priority 3: reduce emissions from bus and public transport

Measure 2 within the Action Plan directly links into the Local Transport Plan to set out measures to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and reduce emissions. The Action Plan is currently being refreshed and updated. The draft version is to include a new measure to change the bus fleet in Warrington over to electric. This revised Plan is expected to be formally adopted in the summer 2021 and would link into the proposals in the bid to support air quality measures.

SECTION E: Value for Money The Value for Money Proforma has been submitted alongside this application form.

SECTION F: Deliverability F1. Method of delivery and timescale for implementation

F.1.1 Risk A key risk to the project that we identified early on was the need for a new substation. This significantly increased the cost of the project and the size of the ZEBRA grant we would be seeking. It also created a risk to delivery as the timescales for substation development exceeded the required 24 month programme to have operational electric buses. Therefore:

We are de-risking this by underwriting the cost of the new substation, and have engaged Scottish Power to begin feasibility work on its development.

The top risks and mitigation are set out in Table 3.

Risk Mitigation

Lack of engagement from operators

We have engaged all companies that operate in Warrington regarding their involvement in the project. Warrington’s Own Buses are very keen partners in the project. These operate circa 85% of bus mileage in the borough, so are ideal partners to work with to achieve maximum benefit.

Financial model is not viable

We have worked closely with Warrington’s Own Buses to develop an ambitious but achievable financial model that will support the purchase and operation of the new buses. This is supported by our ambitious proposals to investigate fiscal measures that would provide a revenue source for sustainable transport whilst incentivising bus use.

Delay to delivery of new fleet

We have begun early discussions with bus manufacturers to ensure that we are well-placed to begin the procurement process once a successful funding announcement is made.

Delay to delivery of substation

Charging infrastructure at the depot will require a new substation to serve the area north of Warrington town centre. We are underwriting the cost of the substation and working with Scottish Power to expedite provision of this facility.

Legal challenge under state aid and subsidy rules

We are committing to seek Counsel advice and work closely with DfT in stage two of the application process to ensure our proposals are compliant.

Table 3 – Top Risks and Mitigation

F.1.2 New Bus Depot

Our proposal is complemented by a new bus depot on a site just 400 yards from the bus interchange. This replaces the existing depot which is outdated, and located on the notoriously busy Bridgefoot and Brian Bevan Island junctions (Figure 4).

Figure 4 – New depot site in context of current infrastructure and AQMA

Planning consent has been granted for the new depot and work on site will commence in September 2021. A twelve month build programme will see the new depot operational in autumn 2022. The depot is fully funded. A breakdown of secured funding contributions shown in Table 4.

Grant Name Amount

Accelerated Fund Grant £1,000,000

Getting Building Fund Grant £5,200,000

Town Deal Grant £832,300

Total Grant Funding £7,032,300

Approved WBC Borrowing £2,930,474

Total Cost £9,962,774

Table 4 – Bus Depot Funding Breakdown

Design work has been completed to make minor modifications to the planned depot (Figures 5 and 6) to allow for the inclusion of charge points for electric buses.

Figure 5 – New Bus Depot Artists’ Impression

A solar canopy will be included at the depot, further improving the environmental credentials through:

Providing charging opportunities for local businesses and taxis

Opportunity to sell green energy back to the grid

Possible opportunity to charge buses from battery storage facilities on adjacent council owned land

Figure 6 – New Bus Depot Site Plan with EV Chargers

F.1.3 Financial Model We have worked with Warrington’s Own buses to develop a financial model to support the delivery of an electric bus fleet. Currently, we envisage that we will buy the buses and lease them to the operator. An appropriate lease cost, expected to be per bus will be agreed with all operators for lease of the vehicles. Our financial model is based on that scenario. We are also considering other options such as an equity investment into Warrington’s Own Buses (wholly owned by the Council) that would allow the operator to buy the buses. This would be explored at Business Case stage. The assumptions that have been made in developing the financial model are shown in Appendix 3. An extract of the model is in Appendix 4, and a summary of costs and our expected funding requirement at this stage of the all-electric bus town process in Table 5. Our ZEBRA submission will cover a 30 year period. The anticipated operational life of the buses is 15 years, so there will be two Electric bus acquisition rounds during this period. ZEBRA will provide support for the initial round of electric bus acquisitions, however the project includes the costs of two electric bus acquisitions. It is expected that the remainder will be funded through PWLB borrowing by Warrington Borough Council, after capital receipts from the sale of old ICE buses and refresh batteries

). The total expected Zero Emission Bus Regional Area grant ask, covering 120

new buses and additional costs at the new depot is £22,650,000

We have considered this as a 30 year project. Over those 30 years, the total

cost is estimated to be £97,218,000.

Round 1 (With DfT Grant)

New Electric Buses - Round 1

Number of Buses Cost

Cost of Electric Buses 120

Cost of ICE Diesel Buses 120

Cost Difference 0

(Between EV and ICE Buses)

ZEBRA Grant for Buses (75% of Difference)

WBC Funding for Round One Buses

Infrastructure

Solar Canopy/Panels

EV Chargers

Total Infrastructure

ZEBRA Grant for Infrastructure (75%)

WBC Funding for Infrastructure

Further Costs in 30 Year Project (No DfT ZEBRA Grant Support)

Number of Buses Cost

Battery Refresh Round 1 (Year 10) 120

Warrington's Own Buses Second Electric Fleet (Year 15)

120 0

Battery Refresh Round 2 (Year 25) 120

WBC Funding of Further Costs

Total Expected Cost of Project

Total WBC Funding (including capital receipts)

Total Expected ZEBRA Grant

Table 5 – Summary Project Cost and Funding Requirement

F.1.2 Timescales Discussions with manufacturers of electric buses have indicated that the entire fleet of new buses could be delivered within 18 months of order. The entire new fleet could be operational within two years of a funding announcement (Table 6). This programme takes in to account the expected funding announcement of September 2021, with the fleet operational by September 2023.

Month 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Announcement of successful funding bid

Finalising specification of new fleet

Procuring new fleet Manufacture of new fleet

Delivery of new bus fleet

Entire new fleet operational

Table 6 – Timescales for Implementation of New Fleet

F2. Monitoring and evaluation

This project is of huge significance locally as it will transform the bus fleet in the borough, improve our local air quality, and demonstrate the importance of sustainable transport as we work towards our zero-carbon future. It will also boost the profile of Warrington as a place to live, work, and invest. It is also a nationally significant project, and a demonstration project for the wider introduction of electric buses. We recognise that the monitoring, evaluation, and sharing of best practice from this project is important to us, to our neighbouring authorities, to Government, and to local authorities and bus operators across England. We are committed to working with DfT to ensure that a thorough approach to monitoring and evaluation of the project is developed in order to ensure that learning and best practice can be transferred to other locations in the future. An enhanced partnership will be in place by the time electric buses become operational, facilitating data sharing. A Communications Strategy will be developed alongside the final Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy. This will consider how key learnings can be shared more widely at various phases of the project, ensuring that our learning can influence:

Future DfT funding criteria

Other local authorities considering similar schemes

Other bus companies looking to introduce electric buses

The energy supply industry

Other interested bodies Our proposed approach to a collaborative monitoring and evaluation strategy is shown in Figure 7.

Developing a Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy

Collaborative working to ensure monitoring and evaluation meets all needs

Key Partners: Warrington Borough Council

Warrington’s Own Buses Department for Transport

Communications Strategy

Phased approach to communicating findings to other local authorities

and bus operators

Key Partner: Department for

Transport

Business Case Development

Keep a log of Lessons Learned

Key Partners: Warrington Borough Council

Warrington’s Own Buses Department for Transport

Project Implementation Impact on the Bus Industry

Bus Patronage, Customer

Satisfaction, Operating Costs,

Maintenance, Mileage

Key Partner: Warrington’s Own Buses

Impact on Local Environment

Continue to monitor air

quality, Existing network

of air quality monitoring

stations

Key Partner: Warrington

Borough Council

Impact on Modal Shift

Bus Patronage, Traffic Levels and Queuing,

Journey to Work

Key Partner: Warrington

Borough Council

Evaluation of Findings

Holistic approach to evaluating and reporting findings

Key Partners: Warrington Borough Council

Warrington’s Own Buses Department for Transport

Figure 7 – Proposed Evaluation, Monitoring and Sharing Best Practice

We see three key factors as key to monitoring and evaluation. The first of these is the one that is of most importance to the bus operators. That is the monitoring of the impact of electric buses on the bus industry, both in terms of passenger numbers and costs. These variables will be monitored in partnership with the bus operators:

Bus patronage

Revenue

Mileage

Operational costs per mile. This monitoring will allow us to understand if bus travel is more attractive for passenger journeys when newer, electric buses are available. It will also demonstrate how the running costs of an all-electric fleet compares with a traditional diesel fleet. The second element of our monitoring strategy will be of the factor that is most influential on the health of our residents. We will continue to monitor air quality in the borough. The location of our air quality monitors are shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8 – Air Quality Monitoring Locations

Monitoring will continue within the AQMA to provide an understanding of the of the impact that changing the bus fleet has on air quality, The third element of our strategy will be monitoring of traffic levels. This will provide some information on how changing to an all-electric bus fleet encourages a modal shift away from private car journeys to the use of public transport.

We expect this all-electric bus town project to contribute to our LTP4 aspiration to reduce private car use for commuting, based on Census Journey to Work data (Figure 9).

Figure 9 – LTP4 Mode Shift Aspirations

F3. Procurement, State Aid and subsidy rules

To date only one operator, Warrington’s Own Buses, has expressed an interest in being part of the scheme.

Warrington’s Own Buses operate 85% of our bus network The operators who collectively operate the remaining 15 percent of the Warrington bus network were approached to participate in this scheme, they have declined the opportunity at this point in time, principally as the services they operate into Warrington form a very small part of their respective depot operations, which would make their scheduling and operational processes very complex. We will explore the opportunity to decarbonise these services in the future, including within our emerging BSIP and Enhanced Partnerships.

We are still exploring the preferred final model for utilising the grant funding however the present financial model is based on the Council acquiring the buses and leasing them to Warrington’s Own Buses at an appropriate lease, less the amount of the grant funding received.

The Council’s legal team have been closely involved in the development of the bid and are advising on the subsidy implications and are comfortable that this solution is compliant with the new UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement (“TCA”).

If successful at the first stage of the process, the subsidy control implications will be fully worked through and tested with expert advice from Counsel on the implications of the proposed model together with any steps necessary to ensure compliance with the TCA.

APPENDIX 1

LINKS TO ALL COMPLEMENTARY WARRINGTON POLICIES

Policy Link

Air Quality Action Plan

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/air_quality_action_plan.pdf

Air Quality Annual Status Report

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/anual_status_report.pdf

Central 6 Regeneration

Masterplan

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/central-6-regeneration-masterplan

Climate Emergency and Green Energy

Strategy https://www.warrington.gov.uk/climate-emergency

Climate Local Climate Change

Strategy

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/climate-change-strategy

Emerging Local Plan

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/localplan

Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/jsna

Local Transport Plan 4

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/ltp4

Town Centre Masterplan

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/town-centre-masterplan

Warrington Means Business

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/business

APPENDIX 2

LETTERS OF SUPPORT

15th May 2021

Dear Steve,

DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council Warrington’s Own Buses is a municipal operator proudly serving the residents of Warrington with a history that can be traced back to 1902. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Warrington Borough Council to develop proposals that could see our existing diesel fleet replaced with new electric buses through Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. If the application is successful, our proposal will see huge benefits for communities and businesses in Warrington through improved local air quality and an enhanced public transport offer. It will complement other projects that we have been working with the Borough Council on, including proposals for more bus priority measures, and a Bus Service Improvement Plan. We have the experience, engagement, enthusiasm, and relationships to deliver a successful project, and fully support the bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding that is being submitted. We look forward to working together with the Borough Council and the DfT on the development of a business case should we be successful in this early round of the application process. Yours sincerely,

Pure Leapfrog

Mailing Address:

7-14 Great Dover Street

London SE1 4YR

T: +44 (0)20 7825 4160

W: www.pureleapfrog.org

Private Limited Company Registered in England & Wales No.07038343

Dear Steve,

DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council

Pure Leapfrog is an energy and climate change not-for-profit comprising a multi-disciplinary team that uses our talents to help people and the planet. We have a particular focus on projects in underserved and disadvantaged communities, and to that end are currently quite active in NW England.

We accompany organisations on the road to net zero; helping them turn ambition into climate action through bespoke emission reduction and carbon offsetting programmes.

We are committed to researching new interventions, products, services and models that can help communities help themselves in the effort to decarbonise.

Collaboration is key to what we do. We work with partners from a wide range of sectors in order to deliver common goals against well aligned values. This includes the £2.7million Innovate UK Smart Local Energy System project we are working on in Warrington, exploring the lowest cost technological and commercial pathways to whole system decarbonisation through smart systems.

We are pleased to be working with Warrington Borough Council to identify innovative solutions that will support the introduction of electric buses and associated charging infrastructure in Warrington.

We wish the Council success with your early application for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area Funding and look forward to further work with you in the future if the bid is successful.

Yours Sincerely,

Andy Carter MP

Member of Parliament for Warrington South

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Tel: 020 7219 6867

Dear Steve, DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council I am pleased to offer my support to Warrington Council’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. I have previously raised the matter of investment in public transport with the Prime Minister’s Transport Adviser and I’m keen to see support a zero-emission bus scheme. As one of the most successful towns in the UK for economic development, investment, employment rates and growth, Warrington has a strong and resilient economy, and has developed a strong labour market. This growth has brought some challenges for the town, including areas with poor air quality resulting from vehicle emissions. This challenge combined with our success and proposals for further economic growth make Warrington an ideal place to introduce an electric bus fleet and make greener journeys the natural choice for the residents of the town. This Government is committed to investing in bus networks with lower fares – flat fares in urban areas – and increased frequency. We want to keep bus fares low, bring back and protect rural routes, and speed up journeys. At the centre of this we are investing in electric buses, which I hope Warrington can benefit from. With this expression of interest that sets out a strong proposal, Warrington is demonstrating that the town is able and ready to set the gold standard in environmentally friendly public transport. With the borough’s largest bus operators committing to the project, and a new fit for the future bus depot soon to be in development, Warrington is the perfect location to serve as a model for zero-emission bus travel. Yours sincerely,

Andy Carter Member of Parliament for Warrington South

Charlotte Nichols MP

Member of Parliament for Warrington North

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Tel: 020 7219 3000

Constituency Office:

Orford Jubilee Hub, Jubilee Way, Orford, Warrington WA2 8HE

charlotte.nichols.mp@parliament.uk

www.charlottenicholsmp.com

Tuesday 11th May 2021

Dear Steve,

DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area – Warrington Borough Council

I am writing to let you know of my full support for Warrington’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding.

I am impressed by Warrington Borough Council’s application and commitment to making such a change to support our economic growth and improve the air quality for my constituents and all Warrington residents.

We can be rightly proud of our thriving local economy and Warrington’s appeal to an increasing number of people who want to live, work and run a business in the town. However, I do recognise that with this growth comes certain challenges. The town’s growth together with associated traffic congestion has resulted in poor air quality caused by standing and slow-moving traffic.

Warrington has a pressing need for significant measures to improve air quality in the town. I believe that the electric buses will be a major step towards ameliorating this problem by removing all of the pollutants emitted from tail pipes of the town’s bus fleet. Air pollution has understandably become a major cause for concern amongst Warrington residents in recent years and I welcome the fact that both the Council and the local bus operators are committed to addressing this concern.

Furthermore, I hope that a successful bid will lead to a virtuous cycle where bus travel becomes increasingly appealing and reduces the proportion of residents who choose instead to make car journeys, also helping to reduce congestion.

Charlotte Nichols MP

Member of Parliament for Warrington North

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Tel: 020 7219 3000

Constituency Office:

Orford Jubilee Hub, Jubilee Way, Orford, Warrington WA2 8HE

charlotte.nichols.mp@parliament.uk

www.charlottenicholsmp.com

Climate change rightly concerns the residents of Warrington North. Electric buses will complement the other work that Warrington Borough Council is doing to reduce carbon emissions from transport in supporting the country to reach our urgent climate change targets. I fully support the Council’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030. In addition to these aspirations, I consider that with Warrington’s Own Buses one of the country’s few municipal bus companies, this bid is additionally attractive. We have an existing and effective system of accountability, and should we be successful in this bid the welcome public investment would be realised in public assets. For the reasons outlined above I endorse the proposal and I hope that Warrington Borough Council’s Expression of Interest can be given serious consideration. Yours sincerely,

Charlotte Nichols MP Labour MP for Warrington North

Date 18/05/2021

Dear Steve, DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Funding– Warrington Borough Council The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) leads the growth of the Cheshire and Warrington economy through a powerful partnership between the private, public, and voluntary sectors. Our ambition is to be the UK’s most sustainable, inclusive, healthiest, and growing economy. Warrington’s Zero Emission Bus bid supports the wider sub-regional priorities of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP and I can confirm that the CWLEP is supportive of the project. It fits well with our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and complements the other transport schemes which the LEP is supporting. In July 2017 Cheshire and Warrington launched its refreshed SEP which sets out the sub-region’s growth ambitions to 2040. The refreshed SEP sets out the high-level vision to double the size of the Cheshire and Warrington economy by 2040, founded on a series of spatial and thematic priorities including digital. In 2018 Cheshire and Warrington produced a sub-regional transport strategy to underpin the SEP. Improved connectivity is a central and recurring theme of the SEP and improving accessibility will be essential for the unlocking of strategic and wider development sites for housing and employment as well as relieving the many congested areas of the local and strategic transport networks. The LEP has revised priorities in response to Covid19, our new trading relationship with the European Union, and Government’s recently published Plan for Growth. We are currently

consulting on a Recovery Plan which sets out our vision for the recovery of Cheshire and Warrington from Covid19 and the LEP’s priorities for local delivery over 2020-21. Work is concentrated around five areas of focus, one of which is decarbonising transport and boosting sustainable transport.

We are currently producing a detailed Cheshire and Warrington Bus Strategy which aims to ensure that Cheshire and Warrington understands the available solutions for increasing the use of buses to underpin its economic growth aspirations. This is therefore the opportune time for proposals for an electric bus fleet in Warrington to be considered as part of this strategy. We understand the air quality issues around Warrington and the impacts that this has on the health of residents, and this project would be a significant step towards improving those conditions. These proposals would therefore support the LEP’s priorities, help to improve the quality of the local environment in Warrington and support further growth of the town’s economy. Regards

Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership

Warrington.gov.uk

Dear Steve

DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council

I would like to express my support for Warrington Borough Council’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. If the proposal is successful, the opportunity to transform the majority of the bus fleet to electric vehicles will be hugely beneficial to air quality in Warrington, and to the health of the people who live here.

Air pollution plays a role in many of the major health challenges of our day, and has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and changes linked to dementia. This damage occurs across a lifetime, from a baby’s first weeks in the womb all the way through to the years of older age.

Approximately 4% of all mortality in Warrington during 2015 was attributable to man-made particulate pollution. Air pollution is harmful to everyone. However, some people suffer more than others because they: • Live in deprived areas, which often have higher levels of air pollution;• Live, learn or work near busy roads;• Are more vulnerable because of their age or existing medical conditions

The quality of the air we breathe affects everyone in society but there is also a strong link with inequality issues. Areas with poor air quality are also often located in more deprived areas. Warrington has two Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) declared for exceedances in the national objective limit for annual mean nitrogen dioxide. The designated AQMA within inner Warrington runs through the most deprived areas within the Borough.

An electric bus fleet operating in our town would remove a significant amount of the harmful pollutants that are emitted in Warrington each day. This would hugely benefit the

Professor Steven Broomhead Chief Executive

Thara Raj Director of Public Health

East annexe Town Hall

Sankey Street Warrington WA1 1UH

29th April 2021

Warrington.gov.uk

health of some of our most vulnerable residents who live close to busy roads in deprived wards. Yours sincerely,

Families & Wellbeing

11 May 2021

Dear Steve,

DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council I am pleased to confirm that Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust is supportive of the proposals Warrington’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. This proposal presents a unique opportunity to make significant improvements to health of residents who live in parts of the town that currently suffer from poor quality. Air pollution has a damaging effect on vulnerable members of our society, and this has both short and long term impacts on health services. For children and young people, evidence has shown that air pollution has been linked to low birthweight and premature births. Local analysis of low birth weight births between 2013 and 2015 shows that 5.8% of babies born in Warrington were of low birth weight (less than 2,500g). Children living in areas with high levels of air pollution are at increased risk of developing respiratory health conditions. People with pre-existing chronic health conditions are especially susceptible to the effects of poor air pollution. This includes conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), and diabetes. On average each year in Warrington there are more than 280 deaths from respiratory disease. Between 2013 and 2017, the standardised mortality rate of respiratory disease deaths in Warrington was 22.2% higher than expected. Recent evidence has shown that there is a link between air pollution and lung cancer; Warrington has a higher incidence of lung cancer (a standardised incidence ratio of 116.5 between 2012 and 2016), and each year in Warrington there are approximately 130 deaths due to lung cancer. /………………

Older People are also affected by poor air quality. Lung function naturally declines as we age, however evidence has shown that living nearer to busy roads speeds up the rate of decline. The rate of deaths from respiratory disease among people aged 65 years and older is significantly worse in Warrington (731.6 per 100,000) than England as a whole (627.8 per 100,000).

Yours sincerely

Director of Strategy & Partnerships

An electric bus fleet operating in Warrington would significantly reduce the harmful pollutants emitted in Warrington each year. This would have a positive impact on the health of residents in the borough, lengthening life expectancy and protecting the NHS.

Date 14/05/2021

Dear Steve,

Re: DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council I am writing to express the Warrington Climate Emergency Committee’s full support for Warrington Borough Council’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. In June 2019, Warrington Council declared a Climate Emergency and committed the Council to taking steps to cut carbon emissions in line with an aspiration to achieve zero carbon by 2030. In March 2020 Cabinet agreed the formation of the Climate Emergency Commission. The Climate Emergency Declaration was passed with all party supply at Council in July 2019. Following this the formation of the Climate Emergency Commission was approved by Cabinet in March 2020. Since then, the Committee has been actively engaged with setting out an action plan and has formed an Implementation Team. The actions and planning set out by the Commission are designed to help Warrington achieve its ambitious nett zero carbon target by 2030. The work that the Council is doing to support a more environmentally friendly future includes:

Investment in Together Energy

Investment in two solar farms

Developing an Electric Vehicle Strategy

Installation of EV chargers at Time Square and Warrington West Station car parks

Installation of EV chargers for WBC fleet vehicles

Working with Innovate UK to develop a Smart Energy System This electric bus proposal will see the vast majority of buses that operate in Warrington be electric vehicles, reducing Carbon emissions and supporting the aims and objectives of the Climate Emergency Commission. Yours Sincerely,

Registered in England and Wales: Registered 4734547 VAT No. 841655521

Lingley Mere Management Company Limited c/o Property Services 1st Floor Clearwater 2 Lingley Mere Business Park Lingley Green Avenue Great Sankey Warrington WA5 3LP

Date 11th May 2021

Dear Steve, DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council

I would like to take this opportunity to provide written support Warrington Borough Council’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. We are keen to support improvements to public transport services that serve the Lingley Mere Business Park. West Warrington continues to undergo ambitious economic growth. In recent years this growth has seen the development of Omega, Chapelford Urban Village, Lingley Mere, and Warrington West Station. An electric bus fleet would offer a high quality sustainable alternative to the private car for journeys to Lingley Mere. This would encourage modal shift onto what is a greener mode of transport and thus help reduce the impact of car based travel upon the surrounding highways networks. Electric buses would contribute to improved health of our staff and visitors, and improve the local environment in which we live and work.

Registered in England and Wales: Registered 4734547 VAT No. 841655521

Date: 29 April 2021

Dear Steve,

DfT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council Thank you for sharing your plans for electric buses in Warrington. This is the sort of

initiative that is crucial as we all seek to build momentum behind a regional push to reach close to zero emissions from our surface transport by 2045.

Local transport is key to allowing people to access work, health, leisure and education opportunities. We have a pan-Northern transport objective to improve

opportunities to people across the North, working towards a healthier and more inclusive North, as well as having a positive impact on air quality.

The development of a core bus network, using new engine technology to ensure that the bus fleet is as green as possible, and working towards a zero-carbon public transport network is essential to providing effective and efficient access to all urban

centres in the North, including Warrington. It is also entirely consistent with the necessary decarbonisation pathways identified within the consultation version of TfN’s Decarbonisation Strategy.

TfN is extremely supportive of your funding bid for electric buses. We are aware of the necessity to improve air quality in Warrington, and to increase the number of

people who choose to travel by bus instead of using their cars. TfN is committed to reducing the impact of road-based travel on the environment, air quality and carbon emissions, and support measures that improve air quality as a whole.

An electric bus fleet would improve the health of Warrington residents by reducing the amount of harmful pollutants in the air. It would also improve the local

environment in the town, making Warrington a more attractive place to live, work and do business.

TfN supports Warrington Borough Council’s bid for funding and I wish you every success with your bid.

NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED

ALBANY HOUSE, FLOOR 8, 94-98 PETTY FRANCE, LONDON, ENGLAND SW1H 9EA

Company No. 03076444

28 April 2021 Dear Steve, DfT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area – Warrington Borough Council Northern would like to express our support for Warrington Borough Council’s Expression of Interest for funding from DfT’s All-Electric Bus Town fund. Warrington town centre is an important hub on the rail map, with east-west connections on the CLC line from Warrington Central, and north-south connections on the West Coast Main Line from Warrington Bank Quay. There is strong commuter demand both into and out of the town centre rail stations for commuters. The ambitious growth plans set out in WBC’s emerging local plan, and the objectives to support a shift to more sustainable transport modes mean that Warrington’s importance as both an origin and destination of rail journeys will continue to grow. Northern are proud to operate and serve six stations in the borough of Warrington, including Warrington Central, the brand-new Warrington West Station that opened in December 2019 and the key interchange station at Birchwood. We are supportive of Warrington’s ambitions to encourage rail passengers to travel to our stations using sustainable modes of transport and see ambitions to introduce an electric bus fleet in the borough as an important tool in supporting that objective. Warrington’s electric bus proposals would allow our passengers to access the rail network using brand new, cleaner, greener buses. This would benefit the health of our passengers and the health of the residents who live close to our stations. We fully endorse this submission as it will move Warrington Borough Council forward in creating a greener public transport system for the borough of Warrington.

13 May 2021

Dear Steve,

DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area – Warrington Borough Council

West Coast Partnership would like to express our support for Warrington Borough Council’s Expression of Interest for funding from DfT’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area fund.

Warrington town centre is an important hub on the rail map, with regular services to the North, Scotland, London and Birmingham on the West Coast Main Line from Warrington Bank Quay and east-west connections on the CLC line from Warrington Central. There is demonstrable strong demand both into and out of the town centre rail stations for leisure, business and commuter travel, which is expected to grow.

The ambitious growth plans set out in WBC’s emerging local plan, and the objectives to support a shift to more sustainable transport modes mean that Warrington’s importance as both an origin and destination of rail journeys will continue to grow.

West Coast Partnership are proud to operate and serve Warrington Bank Quay Station. We are supportive of Warrington’s ambitions to encourage rail passengers to travel to the station using sustainable modes of transport and see ambitions for a sizeable electric bus fleet in the borough as an important tool in supporting that objective, enabling sustainable end to end journeys.

An electric bus fleet in Warrington would allow our passengers to access the rail network using brand new, cleaner, greener buses. This would benefit the health of our passengers and the health of our neighbours who live close to Warrington Bank Quay station.

We support this submission as it will move Warrington Borough Council forward in creating a greener public transport system for the borough of Warrington, and if successful will explore opportunities to work with the council to develop a strong passenger proposition

Page 2 of 2

for end to end journeys by rail and bus, building upon our current scheme to introduce real time bus information screens at the station.

Yours sincerely,

West Coast Partnership

11th May 2021

Dear Steve, Re: DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council The North Cheshire Community Rail Partnership was established in 2018 with the purpose of increasing support and community engagement along the line of Hooton to Helsby and Chester to Warrington, to deliver a better rail experience for everyone. We are a non-profit partnership between the University of Chester, the railway organisations and local authorities, including Warrington Borough Council and our main aim is to help improve rail services, enhance local station environments, improve links with all regional transport providers and develop and promote sustainable and healthy travel. We are supportive of Warrington’s ambitious bid to introduce an electric bus fleet. Warrington is an important origin and destination for passengers that use the North Cheshire Line, and this project would allow those passengers to travel to and from Warrington Bank Quay station in a sustainable, less polluting way. Furthermore, the University of Chester is a keen supporter of the aims and ambitions of the town. Electric buses in Warrington would allow users of the North Cheshire Line to access the rail network using brand new, cleaner, greener buses. This would benefit their health, and the health of the residents who live close to Warrington Bank Quay. One of the CRP’s aims is to develop the North Cheshire Line as a national demonstration project focussing on sustainable development. The electric bus proposal would support us in this aim, providing a unique opportunity for a town in our area to become the UK’s first town with an entirely electric bus fleet. If Warrington are successful in their bid for this funding, the new electric bus fleet would support a number of the CRP’s objectives, including improving bus links, and improving transport links along the Cheshire Science Corridor. We are supportive of Warrington’s ambitions to encourage passengers to access the rail

network using sustainable modes of transport, and see ambitions to introduce electric buses in

the borough as an important tool in supporting that objective.

Yours Sincerely,

Date 14/05/2021

Dear Steve,

Re: DFT Zero Emission Bus Regional Area– Warrington Borough Council I am writing to express the Warrington Climate Emergency Committee’s full support for Warrington Borough Council’s bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding. In June 2019, Warrington Council declared a Climate Emergency and committed the Council to taking steps to cut carbon emissions in line with an aspiration to achieve zero carbon by 2030. In March 2020 Cabinet agreed the formation of the Climate Emergency Commission. The Climate Emergency Declaration was passed with all party supply at Council in July 2019. Following this the formation of the Climate Emergency Commission was approved by Cabinet in March 2020. Since then, the Committee has been actively engaged with setting out an action plan and has formed an Implementation Team. The actions and planning set out by the Commission are designed to help Warrington achieve its ambitious nett zero carbon target by 2030. The work that the Council is doing to support a more environmentally friendly future includes:

Investment in Together Energy

Investment in two solar farms

Developing an Electric Vehicle Strategy

Installation of EV chargers at Time Square and Warrington West Station car parks

Installation of EV chargers for WBC fleet vehicles

Working with Innovate UK to develop a Smart Energy System This electric bus proposal will see the vast majority of buses that operate in Warrington be electric vehicles, reducing Carbon emissions and supporting the aims and objectives of the Climate Emergency Commission. Yours Sincerely,

APPENDIX 3

ASSUMPTIONS MADE WHEN DEVELOPING THE FINANCIAL MODEL

ZEBRA Bid Assumptions

APPENDIX 4

SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL MODEL

35