Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure the continued provision of existing supported bus services in the Garston and Halewood constituency.

Where there is not enough demand for a bus route to be commercially viable in its own right, all local authorities have powers to subsidise bus services which they consider socially necessary.

Local authorities are best placed to decide which services are most appropriate for support in their respective areas and deliver the greatest benefits for their residents. We believe it is right that such decisions should be made locally. To enable them to do this, the Government provides funding through Revenue Support Grant, which local authorities are free to prioritise as they set fit; and through the £50m local authority Bus Service Operator Grant, which is ring-fenced for bus services.