Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her oral statement on Bus Funding of 18 November 2024, Official Report, column 50, whether the £50 million funding settlement for the West Midlands is in addition to previously announced funding.

At the Budget on 30 October, we confirmed over £1 billion in funding in 25/26 to improve services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. On 17 November, we confirmed how we are distributing £955 million of that funding, with £712 million for local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) and better meet local needs, and a further £243 million for bus operators, including funding a long-standing grant to drive down fares and drive up services. West Midlands Combined Authority will receive just under £50 million of this funding.

We are continuing the level of additional funding that was provided in the current financial year as part of Network North but have changed how this funding is allocated between councils to ensure we are treating the whole country fairly.

Prior to the Budget, there was no funding committed for bus services beyond the end of the current financial year. None of the funding we confirmed at the Budget had been given to councils or was in the Department for Transport’s budget before then. Future spending decisions will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.