Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it is his policy to make available proposed new powers to regulate bus networks to local authorities that do not have a metro mayor.

Local Authorities already have the powers to regulate their bus networks through the Quality Contract Scheme process set out in the Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Local Transport Act 2008.

We have now signed ground-breaking deals with Greater Manchester, Cornwall, and Sheffield, in which we committed to providing them with powers to franchise their bus services. The Buses Bill will be introduced later in the first session and will provide the powers for local transport authorities to regulate their local bus networks through a franchising process subject to agreement from government.

Government has real ambition to improve public transport in other areas too, and our devolution plans go beyond Manchester, Cornwall and Sheffield. If other places want to come forward with attractive devolution deals that include bus franchising we will consider them.