Anna Sabine
Main Page: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)Department Debates - View all Anna Sabine's debates with the Department for Transport
(1 day, 9 hours ago)
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Lilian Greenwood
My hon. Friend is a great champion for local transport. This Government are committed to supporting improved bus services, and at the spending review we confirmed more than £3 billion in long-term funding until 2028-29. We believe that local leaders are best placed to make decisions about services in their areas, and this funding includes £133.5 million for Greater Manchester that the local authority can use to expand the Bee Network, as she suggests. Of course, we very regularly meet Mayor Andy Burnham to discuss that.
Anna Sabine (Frome and East Somerset) (LD)
Part of my constituency falls in the West of England mayoral combined authority, which oversees some local bus services. Although recent Government funding has been allocated to improve bus transport across the authority, much of it appears to be concentrated on getting people in and out of Bristol, rather than around the surrounding towns and villages. If the Government are committed to driving economic growth, should they not recognise the importance of investing in reliable rural transport networks to enable such communities to grow and thrive?
Lilian Greenwood
The hon. Lady is absolutely right. Rural communities also need access to good public transport, which is why we are exploring the ways in which we can better support rural bus services. As I mentioned earlier, there are five pilots looking at the possibilities of franchising in rural areas, which I know will be of interest to people, including Mayor Helen Godwin.