Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made with the Secretary of State for Transport of the potential impact of suspending the Rural Services Delivery Grant on transport services in rural areas.

The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash-terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced and can be used by local authorities on local priorities, including transport spending.

On average, places with a significant rural population will receive almost a 6% increase in their Core Spending Power next year, and no council will see a reduction in their Core Spending Power.