UK Coach Industry

Sarah Pochin Excerpts

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Westminster Hall

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner.

Coaches are an essential part of Britain’s transport infrastructure, and they deserve proper recognition in Government transport policy. Their role goes far beyond holidays: they take children to school, workers to their jobs and patients to appointments, and they provide transport for our armed forces and community groups. They keep communities connected. For older people without a car, coach services can be a lifeline, helping them stay independent and preventing isolation. Coaches also support local jobs and businesses, bringing visitors into our towns, and they help to reduce the number of cars on our roads.

But operators are under serious financial pressure. Rising diesel costs are particularly difficult for companies tied into school and other contracts agreed months ago. Those extra costs cannot simply be passed on. The Government must treat the industry fairly. Bus operators in England have received additional fuel support through the bus service operators grant—I think it is 15p a litre, although it may have gone up, but I am not 100% sure. Hauliers have been given a temporary vehicle tax break. Coaches deserve proper consideration too—they get nothing.

In my constituency of Runcorn and Helsby, local coach companies such as Anthony’s Travel, which I am delighted to welcome to the Public Gallery today, face an additional burden: bridge tolls. Charges on the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges add to the cost of journeys across the river. A large coach can face a charge of £19.20 for a return crossing, before discounts. For operators making repeated journeys, those charges quickly mount up. That bridge tax puts further pressure on already stretched businesses—valuable businesses that we do not want to lose and which, like Anthony’s Travel, contribute so much to the local community. At the moment, the cost must either be absorbed by the operator or reflected in what customers pay. I would like Ministers to consider meaningful toll relief for coaches providing essential services, alongside fair treatment in future transport funding and support.

National Coach Week is an opportunity to recognise the people who keep this industry moving: the drivers, staff and operators delivering services that our communities depend on. The message to Government is simple: recognise coaches, listen to operators and give them a fair deal.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Pochin Excerpts

Thursday 16th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Wera Hobhouse—not here.

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

2. What plans her Department has for improving transport connectivity in Runcorn and Helsby constituency.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)]

We are empowering local leaders with unprecedented powers and funding to deliver the transport improvements that will best connect their communities. We have allocated £1 billion of local transport funding to the Liverpool city region, and £420 million to Cheshire and Warrington. Thanks to this funding, local leaders can prioritise bus improvements, road repairs, and better cycling and walking routes for their constituents.

[Sarah Pochin]

It has been a year since I started raising the issue of the Mersey tolls creating barriers to growth and prosperity in Runcorn and Helsby. Despite my asking questions, sending letters, meeting with Ministers and campaigning alongside local residents and businesses, the Government still refuse to consider support for businesses south of the Mersey, which are unfairly penalised simply because of their geography. Will the Minister now reconsider helping those who are affected with subsidies for businesses in Runcorn?

[Simon Lightwood]

The hon. Lady and I met in October to discuss the tolls on the Mersey Gateway. As she is aware, these charges are the responsibility of Halton borough council. Thanks to funding already provided by the Department, residents of Halton can register a vehicle to use the crossings for personal journeys, free of charge, for an annual fee of £12. Businesses and constituents have benefited greatly from the construction of the Mersey Gateway bridge, which was only made possible thanks to the toll income and our annual grant.

Northern Powerhouse Rail

Sarah Pochin Excerpts

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend has championed the station in Bradford enormously over recent years, and I can assure him that we will press forward with the work that is already under way with the council on a business case for the station. We will reach decisions by the summer of this year. We have made funding available to then move forward into detailed design, pending those decisions.

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

As a north-west MP, I of course welcome all efforts to improve connectivity across the north for my constituents, but the devil is always in the detail. I have looked at the Liverpool to Manchester proposals, and the journey would actually be 20 minutes slower than it is currently. The Secretary of State also talked about improving access to Manchester airport, but the link stops a mile outside the airport, and people have to take a bus from there. Will the Secretary of State assure the House that she will review the points that I have made?

[Heidi Alexander]

I was interested to hear the hon. Lady’s contribution. She claimed that she supports anything that improves the public transport network in the north of England, but in September last year Reform came out with a clear objection to the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme, telling the public that they should just accept their lot and be grateful. I look forward to hearing from her colleagues in future whether they have reversed their position on Northern Powerhouse Rail and finally seen the light.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jo White (Bassetlaw) (Lab)]

As the Secretary of State said, this is evidence that cross-Government working is in action, with the Treasury, the Department for Transport and the MHCLG setting the case, and establishing confidence that the north is open for business as the place to invest, to build and to live. We have a Government who have the self-assurance to shift away from the well-trodden path of growth traditionally centred on London and the south. The record is clear: the Tories under-invested in the north time and again, and Reform has already opposed everything that Northern Powerhouse Rail stands for—

[Sarah Pochin]

No, we haven’t. That’s a lie! [Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

Order. That was so loud.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I would welcome the Member withdrawing that.

[Sarah Pochin]

Yes, I do withdraw that. I am sorry. I apologise. However—[Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order.

--- Later in debate ---

[Heidi Alexander]

As I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies), we are keeping this matter under review. We had to take the difficult decision not to fund it in the spending review. That is not to say that the constituents of my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) are not benefiting from improvements on the railway—I know that the Minister for Local Transport is particularly excited about the new fleet of East Midlands Railway trains, which are providing a much better passenger experience for my hon. Friend’s constituents. We are determined to keep building on those sorts of improvements.

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I believe that the Secretary of State has inadvertently misled the House on Reform’s voting record. We have always supported more transport in the north. I ask your advice on how we can correct the record.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for letting the Chair know that she wished to raise this matter. However, the Chair is not responsible for how the Secretary of State answered her question.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Pochin Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Simon Lightwood]

Access to opportunity, including education, is of course a top priority for this Government. Our Bus Services Act 2025 and the multi-year funding allocations, including over £30 million for Cornwall, will help improve vital connections. I very much welcome the opportunity to meet my hon. Friend, which I believe will be next week.

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

17. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of public transport services in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)]

Happy new year, Mr Speaker. This Government are delivering a record £1.6 billion for Liverpool city region, £46 million for Cheshire West and Chester council and an additional £64.4 million for Liverpool city region through the local authority bus grant for 2026-27 to 2028-29 to deliver improvements to public transport for the benefit of local people. My Department continues to work closely with local authority officers across the country to ensure that this funding is put to the best possible use for local communities.

[Sarah Pochin]

I thank the Minister for her response. Given that the 2016 funding agreement for the construction and operation of the Mersey Gateway bridge requires a review of the tolling arrangements this year, will the Minister commit today to ensuring that MPs representing directly affected constituencies, such as Runcorn and Helsby, are formally involved in that review, so that the concerns of local residents are properly heard?

[Lilian Greenwood]

I am very glad that the hon. Member was able to meet the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), in October to discuss the tolls on the Mersey Gateway crossing. As she will know, the charges are the responsibility of Halton borough council, and thanks to additional funding provided by our Department, residents of Halton, for an annual fee of £12, can make 900 free crossings a year. Any changes to the toll arrangements are a matter for the local council.