Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has received a request from Greater Manchester for mayoral precept powers to fund bus franchising.
We have received a request from Greater Manchester Combined Authority [GMCA] to which we will respond, for an order amending the GMCA constitution, including providing for the Mayor to be responsible for all operational bus functions including operating and funding bus franchising. However, these constitutional changes are not required for the Combined Authority to start bus franchising.