Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of public transport connectivity on levels of regional inequality in the West Midlands.

The Government is supporting improvements to public transport connectivity across the West Midlands through the £2.4 billion Transport for City Regions settlement allocated to the West Midlands Combined Authority through to 2031/32.

This devolved funding provides the Combined Authority and the Mayor with the flexibility to determine regional investment priorities, enabling funding to be directed towards projects that support connectivity, economic growth and the reduction of regional inequalities.