Council acknowledges “serious historic failings” which led to busway deaths

Cambridgeshire County Council is to plead guilty to two health and safety offences after the deaths of 3 people on a guided busway, admitting that it fell “far short” of meeting the highest standards of health and safety at work.

In May 2023, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced its intention to prosecute the authority for “historic health and safety offences” arising from the operation of the Guided Busway.

The charges brought against the council, under section three of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HWSA), relate to the deaths of Jennifer Taylor, Steven Moir, and Kathleen Pitts, along with other incidents where individuals accessing the busway were injured. HSWA section 3 places general duties on employers and the self-employed "to conduct their undertakings in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons other than themselves or their employees are not exposed to risks to their health or safety."

In a statement published yesterday (2 September), the Council’s Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Moir said: “In providing the Guided Busway for the people of Cambridgeshire, the County Council has a duty and responsibility to uphold the highest standards of health and safety at work.

“We fully recognise and accept that during the historic operation of the Guided Busway, when these incidents occurred, that we fell far short of meeting these standards. For that we are truly sorry.”

It added: “The safety of people accessing the Guided Busway is of paramount importance to the County Council and to the bus operators that use our infrastructure. We have ensured and we will continue to ensure that the lessons learned from these historic failures are addressed properly.

“We will further ensure that the current and future management of the Guided Busway is regularly reviewed, updated and that the necessary assurances are in place to enable us to provide this important, accessible and safe public transport system to the people of Cambridgeshire.”

According to the BBC, the proceedings, which began in May this year, could see the council face legal costs of £1.6m.

Lottie Winson