The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon
Lightwood) With Permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement.
Today marks the first stop on this Government's journey to deliver
better buses. Day in, day out, buses shoulder the needs of millions
of working people across the country, whether they are getting to
work or school, or seeing the doctor or friends. A reliable bus
service is the difference between aspiration and isolation, between
getting on and...Request free trial
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport ()
With Permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement. Today
marks the first stop on this Government's journey to deliver
better buses. Day in, day out, buses shoulder the needs of
millions of working people across the country, whether they are
getting to work or school, or seeing the doctor or friends. A
reliable bus service is the difference between aspiration and
isolation, between getting on and being forced to give up—a
lifeline, plain and simple. But over the past four decades of
deregulation, that lifeline has been on life support. Communities
have suffered cuts to thousands of services, with 1.5 billion
fewer journeys taking place in 2019 than in 1985, when
deregulation began. Since 2010, a staggering 300 million fewer
miles have been driven by buses per year. That is the legacy the
previous Government left behind: a shocking decline in this
country's bus services, which has done untold harm to communities
across the country.
Behind those stats lie human stories—of the poorest groups, who
catch 10 times as many buses as trains, regularly let down; of
people denied access to work or education, because they cannot
depend on the journey there; or women and girls denied access to
a safe journey home. They represent a steady cycle of decline
that reverberates beyond buses to our economy as a whole, and of
public services not working for working people.
Enough is enough. This mission-focused Government were elected to
repair what is broken, and to reform what does not work. We are
clear about the fact that better buses are essential to a better
Britain, and that buses are a route not just to connection but to
economic growth, cleaner air, and a fairer chance in life for
everyone. That is why my right hon. Friend the Transport
Secretary has made fixing this country's broken bus network one
of her top priorities in her Department, and it is why, just two
months into office, we are kick-starting a bus revolution that
will put services back into the hands of local leaders, achieving
in just 10 weeks what the last Government failed to achieve in
more than 14 years.
The statutory instrument that we laid this morning opens up bus
franchising for all local transport authorities in England. It
gives local leaders more flexibility to adopt a model that works
for their areas, and because we are streamlining the current
two-step process, authorities will now only need to obtain the
Transport Secretary's consent before preparing a franchise
scheme. This is a transformative change, one that will give every
community the same powers that mayoral combined authorities
across the country are currently using to deliver better
services, along with the power to match them to local needs. We
know that the franchising model works: we need only look at the
Bee Network in Greater Manchester, where buses were brought under
public control just one year ago and where reliability has
already improved, passenger numbers have already grown and a new
24/7 service has just been introduced; or at Greater London,
where public control has meant that more bus journeys are now
taken in our capital than in the rest of England combined.
We are taking aim at the current postcode lottery of bus services
to ensure that our most popular form of public transport starts
running in the public interest. Local authorities know best how
to deliver for their communities, which is why today we are
empowering them to follow in the footsteps of Greater Manchester
and London, to ensure that they have buses in the right place at
the right time, truly serving local needs. Our plan will help to
turn the tide after decades of decline. The statutory instrument
will be backed by a public consultation, which my right hon.
Friend the Transport Secretary also launched today. It seeks
views on breaking down the barriers to franchising, and on how we
can support safer and more accessible services. By delivering
simpler guidance, it will support and speed up the franchising
process, meaning that councils will spend less time and money
filling in forms, and more time planning routes and prioritising
the interests of the communities that they serve.
However, this is just the start of our journey. Today's steps
pave the way for a new bus Bill later in the current
parliamentary session—a Bill intended to reform funding, to allow
franchises to be rolled out to more places more quickly and
cheaply, and to support councils that choose not to franchise but
still want the flexibility to deliver on local transport
priorities. The Bill will also allow us to remove the ideological
ban on municipal bus companies that was imposed by the last
Government despite the huge success of those companies, which can
be seen across the country where they are still in place—for
instance, the award-winning publicly owned services in Nottingham
and Reading. This, rightly, is not a one-size-fits-all approach,
and, crucially, it places no additional burden on taxpayers. It
simply acknowledges a truth with which many in the House will
agree: that the best decisions are not always made by Whitehall,
but are made in town and city halls throughout the country by
those who are accountable to local communities, and by those who,
day in day out, use the very services that we are talking
about.
It has been said before, and I will say it again: under this new
Government, the Department for Transport is moving fast and
fixing things. Today's steps place better buses at the heart of
this Government's plan for change. Four decades after buses were
deregulated, and after 14 years of decline, we are now empowering
communities to take back control of the services on which they
depend—to get Britain moving, to get our economy growing and to
get more passengers, wherever they live, back on board. I commend
this statement to the House.
Mr Speaker
We come to the shadow Minister.
Dr (Bexhill and Battle)
(Con)
I thank the Minister for his statement.
We on this side of the House are in full agreement that good
local transport is something that everyone deserves access to,
both for helping people to live their lives and for fulfilling
the economic potential of all parts of the country. At the heart
of our local transport services are buses. They are some of the
most convenient, well-connected and accessible forms of public
transport out there—crucially, not just in urban areas, but very
often in under-connected rural areas. That is why, in government,
we invested billions of pounds in the bus sector, including the
vital support provided to maintain services during the pandemic.
We rolled out thousands of new zero-emissions buses and
introduced the “Get around for £2” scheme, saving millions of
people money on their fares and helping to get passengers back on
buses.
Those interventions worked. Bus passenger journeys in England
increased by nearly a fifth in the year ending March 2023, and we
welcome this Government's desire to build on our progress in
order to improve services further, to get more routes running at
better frequency, and to make sure that as many people as
possible have reliable services that get them where they need to
go. I am genuinely interested in understanding how the Government
feel that this set of measures will achieve that. We are worried
about some of the significant risks, which the Government do not
seem to have considered.
This legislation places greater responsibility in the hands of
local authorities. We know that a number of local authorities
face financial and organisational challenges, and although I do
not doubt that there will be enthusiasm for making use of the new
powers, running any form of public transport brings real
challenges. Of course, as the Minister said in opposition, gaps
in experience could be filled by support from the Department for
Transport, but depending on the number of local authorities that
choose to take up franchising, this could mean that significant
central Government resources are required. Unless I have missed
something, today's announcement includes absolutely no funding to
pay for increased capacity at the Department. What projections
have the Government made of the costs, and how exactly do they
expect them to be paid?
It is the same story with local government finances. Make no
mistake about it: this is going to cost money. Many bus routes,
especially rural services, are loss making, even before we
account for the additional resources that local authorities will
presumably need to operate them. In his statement, the Minister
did not recognise the enormous challenges that have been created
by changing travel patterns post covid. If this Government are
committed to providing services at 1985 levels, as he seemed to
imply, they will need to commit to enormous levels of
subsidy.
I welcome the success stories in metropolitan areas that the
Minister talked about, but such services operate in a
fundamentally different space, because of the density of those
areas' populations. It means that if passenger numbers fall next
year, the financial risk will be taken on not by a private
company, but by the local council and, by definition, taxpayers.
Again, given that there appears to be no funding attached to the
policy, surely it can be funded only by increases to council tax
or cuts to other local services.
It is the same story when it comes to responsibility for capital
expenditure. Will this now be the responsibility of local
authorities? How exactly are they expected to fund it? As we
recently made clear when debating the Passenger Railway Services
(Public Ownership) Bill, it might be the Labour party's priority
to undertake ideological reforms to bring the transport sector
further into the control of the state, but passengers' priorities
are the price, performance and reliability of services, not who
is running them. We want to hear how the reforms will make a
difference to passengers' journeys and their accessibility,
frequency and cost, and how they will help to restore the number
of rural services and make journeys cheaper for passengers—and
not just through the generic pledges we have heard today, but
through concrete commitments on which the public can hold the
Government to account. The Minister made absolutely no commitment
to increase levels of services or miles travelled as part of the
Government's “revolution”.
There are some simple things that the Government could do for
passengers, such as extending our “Get around for £2” scheme,
which has been hugely positive for passengers and for the
viability of services up and down the country. I am aware that
the Chancellor is not Labour Members' favourite person at the
moment, but I encourage them to make the case for the
cost-of-living benefits of the £2 scheme, as well as for the
benefits of the winter fuel payment, in any hurriedly organised
meetings today and tomorrow.
The Government have got the wrong priorities yet again. At the
end of the day, passengers care about the preservation of
existing services, the extension of routes, improvements in
frequency and reliability, and cost. We on this side of the House
are all ears when it comes to what difference this policy will
make for them and—not to be forgotten—who is going to pay for
it.
Modernising our transport infrastructure and delivering better
buses are at the heart of our plan to kick-start economic growth
in every part of the country to get our country moving. This
statutory instrument is just the start of a package of measures;
the buses Bill will deliver further measures on issues such as
funding. Despite the challenging financial circumstances we find
ourselves in—inherited from the previous Government—we are
determined to deliver better bus services, growing passenger
numbers and driving opportunity to underserved regions. All
funding is rightly being considered as part of the spending
review.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for buses within local
transport authorities. Franchising is just one way that this can
be explored; there are also enhanced partnerships and municipal
ownership. We firmly believe that our priorities to deliver
better buses across the country are the right priorities, and we
have the mandate from the British people following the general
election to do just that.
(Blackley and Middleton
South) (Lab)
Last week and this week have been the best two weeks for public
transport for many decades, righting the wrongs of the
privatisation of the rail service and the deregulation of buses.
I did not hear an apology from the Conservative spokesperson for
laying waste to local government finance over the last 14 years
and destroying public bus services by handing them over to be run
by profiteers, pirates and other completely unsuitable people—not
in all, but in many cases. Does my hon. Friend agree that there
should be a massive apology from the Conservatives for the damage
they have done to public transport?
I believe there should be a massive apology from the Opposition
for the mess they have left this country in and for the mess they
have left our bus services in. Following the previous Government,
almost 300 million fewer miles are now driven a year compared
with 2010. That is an appalling statistic. This Government will
turn the tide for communities across the country by giving them
the opportunity to control local bus services and to have a real
say in developing the local transit systems that serve them. The
Secretary of State said—I will say it again—that we will move
fast and fix things. Here is the proof.
Mr Speaker
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
(Bath) (LD)
We Liberal Democrats welcome today's statement to give local
authorities, not just metro Mayors, more powers and the potential
to run their bus services. We Liberal Democrats have campaigned
for exactly that for a very long time.
The previous Conservative Government completely decimated local
transport systems, but the rot set in a long time ago. Almost a
quarter of bus routes have been cut in the past 10 years outside
London. Whoever wants to apologise for that, we need to see some
change. Bus services should be the most affordable and accessible
of all forms of public transport. Good, well-used bus services
would significantly contribute to getting to net zero and to
improving our air quality. The previous Government, again,
completely failed to make a positive case for that.
Not only are public buses crucial in urban areas such as Bath,
which suffers from more and more congestion, because people can
continue to increase their use of motorised individual travel,
and is also still struggling with cutting air pollution; bus
services are also important specifically for rural areas. What we
currently have is completely inadequate, so will the Minister set
out how today's announcement will improve rural bus services, not
just in the long term, but in the short term?
The ability of local areas and local transport authorities to
take back control of their bus services is crucial for rural
areas, because they know their communities best. Those decisions
should not be made from places in Westminster or Whitehall.
Again, local transport authorities understand the specific needs
of their local communities, be they rural or urban, and are best
placed to make those decisions and design the network around
those needs.
(Easington) (Lab)
I welcome the statement and draw to the Minister's attention the
Transport Committee report, “Bus services in England outside
London”, which was produced under the chairmanship of my hon.
Friend the Member for Nottingham South (), who is now
Under-Secretary of State for Transport. There are some excellent
recommendations in there. In regions such as Greater Manchester,
the process of introducing bus franchising has been quite
lengthy. Granting combined authorities the ability to directly
award contracts would significantly shorten that timeline,
allowing areas such as the north-east to bring about faster
improvements. Will the Minister confirm that the better buses
Bill will include provisions for direct award powers?
I can confirm that my officials are investigating the means to do
just that, and I will update the House accordingly as progress
continues.
(North Dorset) (Con)
I welcome the Minister's statement. He and the House know that
local government finance is under pressure, and that the delivery
of services in rural areas is much more costly than it is in
Manchester, Nottingham or London. That is just a geographical
fact, which I think we all accept. May I urge the Minister, if he
has not already done so, to engage the good offices of the County
Councils Network, as the lead body for county councils and the
unitaries, to find their views and suggestions? I also say to him
politely that if this is to work in rural areas, for all the good
reasons that he sets out about social mobility and access to work
and education, rural councils will require some extra money to
deliver what we all want to see achieved.
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question and for his
constructive engagement. I will certainly take up his
recommendation to meet that grouping. Of course, all funding is
being considered in the round as part of the spending review, but
I take his points on board.
Mr (Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
I very much welcome the Minister's statement. Deregulation has
been an absolute disaster in South Yorkshire. Since 2010, bus
passenger miles have fallen by 50%. That means lots of people are
not getting the services they previously had. The Minister has
referred to Greater London, which gets more than 10 times as much
Government finance per head for transport as South Yorkshire. He
also mentioned Greater Manchester. Manchester got a very good bus
service improvement plan—BSIP—settlement last time round. South
Yorkshire got nothing in the BSIP settlement. Does he recognise
the need to review some of these settlements? Otherwise, Mayor
, who is committed to
franchising, might see that the only responsibility they have is
to make the cuts to bus services in a different way from what
would have been the case without franchising.
There was a host—a plethora—of different funding pots relating to
buses, and we are keen to amalgamate and consolidate them, but
also, importantly, to devolve them to local areas so that they
have the funding flexibility they need to deliver better buses
across their areas.
Mr (Basildon and Billericay)
(Con)
It is great to hear of the success the previous Government's £1.1
billion investment into Greater Manchester's Bee Network is
helping to deliver. I was delighted to launch it with the Mayor
of Greater Manchester. As the Minister mentioned, one of the key
things about the postcode lottery is the cost of using the bus.
It can really put people off, particularly in rural areas where
bus costs have traditionally been a lot higher. Is the Minister
going to look at extending the Get Around for £2 scheme, which
has been a real success, particularly for access to education
opportunities and for those in lower paid work in rural areas? It
has really helped to drive bus passenger numbers upwards since
the end of the pandemic.
Delivering reliable and affordable public transport services for
passengers is one of the Government's top priorities, and we know
how important it is for passengers and for local growth. We are
looking at the future of the £2 fare cap as a matter of urgency.
We are considering the most appropriate and affordable approach,
and we will update the House in due course.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West) (Lab)
For as long as I have been a Member of this House, my
constituents have looked upon London with envy for one reason,
and one reason only—its cheaper and more reliable bus services
with real-time bus information. Too often, my constituents do not
even know if a bus is coming to the bus stop, never mind when.
, our regional mayor, has
committed to taking back control of buses. Can the Minister set
out how he will work with her and support her to deliver the bus
services that my constituents need and deserve after 14 years of
Tory failure?
I have already met the Mayor of the North-East on a number of
occasions, and I am working closely with combined authorities and
mayors across the country to make bus franchising simpler and
easier. We will, of course, make sure that the Department for
Transport provides support to local transport authorities, with a
centralised resource to ensure that we spread best practice
across the country.
(Farnham and Bordon)
(Con)
I thank the Minister for his statement. The town of Bordon in my
constituency is extraordinarily poorly served by bus routes, and
it is crying out for a rail link bus service to the neighbouring
town of Liphook. Will the Minister and his officials meet me to
discuss how we can get a rail link bus service from Bordon to
Liphook?
I am more than happy to meet any hon. Member.
(Scarborough and Whitby)
(Lab)
I welcome the statement, as will my constituents in Scarborough,
Whitby and the villages who have seen the vital bus services on
which they rely slashed over recent years. For example, cuts to
the 95 Sleights to Whitby service have severely restricted my
constituents' ability to go about their daily lives. Does my hon.
Friend agree that we need to move at pace to improve such routes
in rural and coastal communities?
I completely agree. This is fundamental to the work we have been
pursuing to make franchising quicker and simpler, and to avoid
the need for local transport authorities to spend their time
filling in forms at great expense. Britain is one of the few
places in the developed world that hands operators power to slash
bus services and set fares with very little say for the
communities that depend on those services. Decades of failed
regulation have left communities with little say on the essential
services on which they rely, and we are determined to change
that.
(Frome and East Somerset)
(LD)
As my hon. Friend the Member for Bath () said, the Lib Dems broadly
welcome the principle of this statement, as I think will the
Somerset Bus Partnership. The volunteers of this fantastic
organisation in my constituency work tirelessly to encourage
people to use buses. Somerset council is facing an historic
funding crisis and has narrowly avoided bankruptcy, so I am keen
to understand how the Government will provide long-term funding
so that such authorities can do the franchising that has been
promised.
As I said, we are looking to consolidate and simplify the funding
pots for bus services, and we hope to deliver more multi-year
funding settlements.
(Runcorn and Helsby)
(Lab)
I welcome the statement. The Minister is genuinely taking control
of our buses after years of the wheels on the bus not going round
and round. I look forward to seeing the return of a direct
service from Runcorn to Liverpool. Will the Minister meet me and
leaders in Cheshire to discuss taking control of bus service
arrangements through a new devolution deal?
I would welcome the opportunity to meet my hon. Friend.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister very much for a progressive, positive
statement that will encourage many. I welcome the steps towards a
more personalised approach to bus franchising. However, I believe
it is essential, as I think the Minister does, that any changes
should be rural-proofed to ensure that bus services allow our
rural communities to commute to work, to access medical
appointments and even to go shopping, by protecting services over
profit through an iron-clad guarantee. Will he confirm that this
is the Government's position?
I absolutely agree that rural bus routes and rural communities
must be carefully considered. The best people to take that
consideration are local leaders, which is why we are determined
to allow local leaders to take back control of their bus
services.
(Chatham and Aylesford)
(Lab)
I welcome my hon. Friend's statement. Villages in my
constituency, such as Eccles, Burham and Wouldham, have suffered
from 14 years of Conservative cuts and a reduction to the 155 bus
service, which many elderly people rely on. Will the Minister
assure councils such as Medway council and Kent county council
that they can now join forces and collaborate on bus routes, so
that we see an improvement to bus services for all our residents,
including those in rural, isolated communities?
The plan makes it possible for all local transport authorities to
take back control of their buses. There is also the option of
enhanced partnerships and municipal ownership. I look forward to
working with my hon. Friend to achieve his objectives.
(Doncaster East and the Isle
of Axholme) (Lab)
Buses are the most used form of public transport and a lifeline
for those on lower incomes. The inadequacy of bus services across
Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme is an issue that comes up
regularly on the doorstep. Hatfield Woodhouse only recently had
its bus reinstated after many months of having nothing at all.
Does my hon. Friend agree that delivering better buses will be
essential to the Government's missions, from growing our economy
to breaking down barriers of opportunity and accelerating to net
zero?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Effective public transport,
including bus services, is fundamental to delivering many of our
missions in government.
(Banbury) (Lab)
At the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the unveiling of
two brand new community-owned green buses in the village of
Middle Barton in my constituency. After 14 years of devastation
to public bus services in Oxfordshire, such community-led schemes
can go a long way to filling the gap. Does the Minister agree
that a decade of renewal promised by this Labour Government must
see an improvement and regeneration in rural bus services?
Absolutely. We want to give local transport authorities and
leaders the power to take back control of bus services, to shape
the future of those services to accurately reflect the needs of
individual communities.
Dr (Edinburgh South West)
(Lab)
I thank the Minister for his statement—we should speak about
buses much more often in this place. Edinburgh has an
award-winning bus service, which carries 2 million passengers per
week. Its highly unionised workforce—I think over 90%—works in
collaboration with the directors of the company. We already get
around for £2 inside Edinburgh because that is the price people
pay no matter how far they travel inside Edinburgh. That is a
fantastic example of what public ownership in public transport
can do. Does the Minister agree that more ownership and control
of bus services are key to driving down costs for passengers,
increasing patronage and hitting our net zero goals?
I agree with my hon. Friend. I was pleased to visit a municipal
bus company in Nottingham; the Under-Secretary of State for
Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (), represents that area. I
was blown away by the company's knowledge of and commitment to
the local area, and its having received numerous awards, with a
satisfaction rating of something like 89%. Municipal bus
companies are also a fantastic option for local authorities to
consider.
(Crewe and Nantwich)
(Lab)
It was interesting to hear the Opposition Front-Bench
spokesperson talk about the importance of preserving existing bus
routes, when their party had presided over 14 years when
thousands of bus services were lost to communities across the
country, including in my constituency, where we still do not have
a direct bus route from Nantwich to our local hospital. It has
taken this Government just 10 weeks to present a plan to fix
local bus services. Does that not epitomise how underserved our
communities and local economies have been by 14 long years of
Conservative government?
Mr (York Outer) (Lab)
It was great to visit the First Bus all-electric
depot in York the other week, but I was saddened to hear just
days later that First had withdrawn children's monthly bus
passes. After meeting representatives of the company, they are
reviewing that decision, but does my hon. Friend agree that
travel to and from school should be affordable? Will he meet me
to discuss the future of buses in York?
Of course I want to make sure that bus fares are affordable. I
will meet my hon. Friend to discuss his particular
circumstances.
Ms (East Thanet) (Lab)
As has been said, the past 14 years of Conservative Government
have left local bus services, especially those in coastal
communities, in a shocking state. In East Thanet, the 33, 34, 9
and 8A bus services have all been drastically cut, meaning that
in certain areas of Broadstairs and Ramsgate there is no bus
service at all within easy reach, and no one in either town has
access to a bus to Canterbury outside commuter times.
Conservative-run Kent county council must take up the powers that
are being offered by this Government to serve disadvantaged
communities such as that in East Thanet.
Buses matter to millions of people, but 14 years of the Tories'
broken bus system have led to countless communities being failed
and a spiral of decline in bus services. I hope all local
transport authorities consider the range of options available to
them to take back control of their buses and shape services for
the communities that they serve.
(Rugby) (Lab)
After the deregulation and decline of buses under the previous
Administration, I imagine that local authorities are somewhat
shocked and surprised at being given the opportunity to shape
services genuinely in the public interest. What additional
support is my hon. Friend considering to empower local
authorities, especially smaller district authorities such as
Rugby borough council, so that they can move fast and fix things
locally?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. We are increasing the
capacity of the Department for Transport to assist smaller
authorities, so that all local transport authorities can consider
franchising and other means of improving bus services in their
communities.
(Burton and Uttoxeter)
(Lab)
I thank the Minister for his statement. I am pleased to see him
driving forward this policy to improve our bus services, which
are a vital lifeline for my constituents in Burton and Uttoxeter.
Does he agree that this plan puts us on the right route by
expanding franchising powers so that local voices can finally
steer bus services in the right direction?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He has already been a
fierce advocate for public transport and bus services in his
constituency. Local leaders, not private operators as is
currently the case, will have the power to set routes, fares and
services, putting passengers first after decades of regulation.
That is the option available through franchising. Municipal
ownership is also an option, as well as partnerships with
operators and local authorities.
(Dartford) (Lab)
As the Minister has already pointed out, and others in this
Chamber have said, bus franchising has clearly delivered
fantastic results where it is already in operation in Greater
Manchester and London, but it will not be right for all
communities. In my constituency, there are often only two buses a
day connecting the outlying villages to Dartford and other
population centres. Does he agree with me that the upcoming bus
Bill will be a fantastic opportunity to end the postcode lottery
of bus services across the country, providing maximum flexibility
to local leaders, such as those in Kent if they are prepared to
use it, to choose the right system for their populations?
I agree with my hon. Friend. We must turn the page on years of
Conservative failure in local transport, which is why the
forthcoming bus Bill, in conjunction with our announcements
today, will help end the country's transport postcode lottery.
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