Business of the House

Emma Foody Excerpts

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank Val Upton for all the community work she does in the hon. Member’s constituency. I hear her question; I will ask Ministers and ensure that she and Val get the reply they deserve.

[Emma Foody (Cramlington and Killingworth) (Lab/Co-op)]

The villages and towns across my constituency rely heavily on our bus services. Despite that, the big bus survey that I have been running recently shows that local people too often find buses to be unreliable and inaccessible and that they do not take them to the places they need to go. Will the upcoming buses Bill be an opportunity to debate how this Government are putting communities back in the driving seat and how a system can work for all our areas?

[Lucy Powell]

I am pleased to hear the results of my hon. Friend’s big bus survey. She is absolutely right: people want affordable, reliable bus services that take them to the places they need to go. Our buses Bill will give local areas the powers to do that. I have seen what happens when local areas like mine in Manchester have those powers; it has massively increased the number of people using bus services and has brought in extra funding from doing so.