Bus Services for Beacon Heights (Walsall)
The Petition of a resident of Beacon Heights Park Homes Park,
Declares that following the removal of the 934 and 936 bus services from Beacon Road, Walsall after 7 pm and on Sundays many elderly people who do not drive cannot access public transport at those times and further that the Petitioner calls for a bus service or minibus to be introduced to replace the 934 and 936 bus service.
The Petitioner therefore requests that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to encourage Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council to consider the objections of the local residents.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Valerie Vaz, Official Report, 2 July 2014; Vol. 583, c. 1046.]
[P001363]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
I recognise the importance of public transport for both the sustainability and independence of communities, and its valuable role in preventing isolation.
There are no statutory requirements on bus operators to carry out consultation, as such, when making changes to services. However, I strongly encourage bus operators and local authorities to work together, in consultation with local communities, to decide how best to provide access to services for residents. In that regard, I fully support the consultation toolkit that was published in 2012 by Passenger Focus, the independent champion for bus, coach, rail and tram passengers.
Where commercial bus services are not being run, local authorities do have powers to subsidise socially necessary services and I am pleased to be able to say that the funding which the Government provide to support buses, known as Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG), will be protected for 2015-16, as confirmed in the recent Spending Review.
Moreover, since January 2014, those BSOG payments which were previously paid to the bus companies for running tendered services to local authorities will instead go to the local authorities who tender the services. This funding is being ring-fenced until 2016-17 to ensure that it is still used to support bus services.