Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will take steps to provide compensation to town and parish councils for time spent on (a) applications and (b) other work linked to sections of the HS2 that have been cancelled.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Policy changes are a common feature of Government and there is no mechanism or precedent for compensating local authorities or councils for abortive costs incurred as a result of changes in Government policy. Providing compensation in this instance would create wide-ranging and repercussive consequences for the taxpayer. Whilst abortive costs are unfortunate, they should be seen in the context of a broader package of support for local authorities that the Government is providing through Network North. For instance, a new £2.5 billion fund for local transport across all areas in the North outside the six city regions – smaller cities, counties, towns and countryside and as well as a new £3.3 billion fund for road resurfacing in the North.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of Network North funding will be allocated to improving public transport connections in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network North has committed to redirected money from HS2 with the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 reinvested in the North, the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands reinvested in the Midlands, and the full £6.5 billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston being spread across every other region in the country. We continue to work with our delivery partners to develop plans and deliver all projects and schemes announced as part of Network North, including agreement of funding allocations.
Of the £9.6 billion for the Midlands, North Shropshire will benefit from funding from a number of schemes under Network North:
It is important to note that it is at the discretion of Local Authorities to determine the allocation of funds from each of these schemes to specific projects and which schemes they choose to deliver within their areas.
Additionally, as part of Network North, we’ve committed to restoring the Oswestry to Gobowen line which will drive tourism, boosts local businesses, and encourage investment in the Shropshire area. We will announce further details in due course.
The Department has conditionally approved funding of £54.4 million towards the cost of the proposed Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road which would provide a new 4.5 mile single carriageway road linking the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury. Approval is conditional on Shropshire Council securing planning and other legal consents, carrying out procurement and submitting a Full Business Case.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Find out about every new transport project in your region, published on 5 October 2023, how much and what proportion of funding for local transport connections across areas in the West and East Midlands outside the city regions will be spent on transport in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network North has committed to redirected money from HS2 with the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 reinvested in the North, the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands reinvested in the Midlands, and the full £6.5 billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston being spread across every other region in the country. We continue to work with our delivery partners to develop plans and deliver all projects and schemes announced as part of Network North, including agreement of funding allocations.
Of the £9.6 billion for the Midlands, North Shropshire will benefit from funding from a number of schemes under Network North:
It is important to note that it is at the discretion of Local Authorities to determine the allocation of funds from each of these schemes to specific projects and which schemes they choose to deliver within their areas.
Additionally, as part of Network North, we’ve committed to restoring the Oswestry to Gobowen line which will drive tourism, boosts local businesses, and encourage investment in the Shropshire area. We will announce further details in due course.
The Department has conditionally approved funding of £54.4 million towards the cost of the proposed Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road which would provide a new 4.5 mile single carriageway road linking the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury. Approval is conditional on Shropshire Council securing planning and other legal consents, carrying out procurement and submitting a Full Business Case.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press release of 4 October 2023 on the redirection of HS2 funding to transport across the North and Midlands, what newly funded road schemes in the Midlands will be (a) in North Shropshire constituency and (b) funded by money redirected from HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network North has committed to redirected money from HS2 with the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 reinvested in the North, the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands reinvested in the Midlands, and the full £6.5 billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston being spread across every other region in the country. We continue to work with our delivery partners to develop plans and deliver all projects and schemes announced as part of Network North, including agreement of funding allocations.
Of the £9.6 billion for the Midlands, North Shropshire will benefit from funding from a number of schemes under Network North:
It is important to note that it is at the discretion of Local Authorities to determine the allocation of funds from each of these schemes to specific projects and which schemes they choose to deliver within their areas.
Additionally, as part of Network North, we’ve committed to restoring the Oswestry to Gobowen line which will drive tourism, boosts local businesses, and encourage investment in the Shropshire area. We will announce further details in due course.
The Department has conditionally approved funding of £54.4 million towards the cost of the proposed Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road which would provide a new 4.5 mile single carriageway road linking the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury. Approval is conditional on Shropshire Council securing planning and other legal consents, carrying out procurement and submitting a Full Business Case.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the funding for the Midlands Rail Hub will be spent in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network North has committed to redirected money from HS2 with the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 reinvested in the North, the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands reinvested in the Midlands, and the full £6.5 billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston being spread across every other region in the country. We continue to work with our delivery partners to develop plans and deliver all projects and schemes announced as part of Network North, including agreement of funding allocations.
Of the £9.6 billion for the Midlands, North Shropshire will benefit from funding from a number of schemes under Network North:
It is important to note that it is at the discretion of Local Authorities to determine the allocation of funds from each of these schemes to specific projects and which schemes they choose to deliver within their areas.
Additionally, as part of Network North, we’ve committed to restoring the Oswestry to Gobowen line which will drive tourism, boosts local businesses, and encourage investment in the Shropshire area. We will announce further details in due course.
The Department has conditionally approved funding of £54.4 million towards the cost of the proposed Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road which would provide a new 4.5 mile single carriageway road linking the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury. Approval is conditional on Shropshire Council securing planning and other legal consents, carrying out procurement and submitting a Full Business Case.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which spending programmes their Department devolves for administration to (a) local government in England and (b) other local spending bodies; and what the budget is of each such programme for each year for which budgets are agreed.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government has set itself a mission that, by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal, with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement. At Spring Budget, the government announced the trailblazer devolution deals with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and West Midlands Combined Authorities (WMCA), which included a commitment to introduce single funding settlements at the next Spending Review for these MCAs. At Autumn Statement, the government published a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GMCA and WMCA, setting out how the single settlements will work. The government also announced an ambitious new ‘level 4’ of the devolution framework, including a single transport funding settlement for eligible institutions, and a ‘consolidated’ pot at the next multi-year SR covering two DLUHC investment themes – local growth and place, and housing and regeneration. Following successful delivery of the ‘consolidated’ pot, and learning from the trailblazers, Level 4 institutions will then become eligible to receive a single settlement from the subsequent multi-year Spending Review.
Details of major funding programmes, including those administered by local government or other local bodies, are available on gov.uk.
DSIT’s £100 million Innovation Accelerators programme is accelerating the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters in Glasgow, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
The programme is pioneering a new model of R&D decision-making that empowers local leaders to harness innovation in support of regional economic growth. Partnerships of local government, business and R&D institutions in the three city regions led on selecting 26 projects for funding, working closely with Innovate UK.
DSIT also provides grant funding to local authorities for telecoms R&D projects through its Future Networks Programme.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to include improvements in Lincolnshire as part of the funding allocated through Network North.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Lincolnshire will receive additional funding through a number of different funding streams and projects as part of Network North. Please some examples of funding below:
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to agree five-year funding settlements for local transport with local authorities.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, the Government recognises the benefits of multi-year funding settlements for local transport authorities. Our £5.7 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements programme provides consolidated, long-term capital funding to 8 city regions across England through 5-year settlements from 2022/23 to 2026/27.
Decisions on funding settlements for other transport authorities will be a matter for the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the number of bus services since 2019.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The policies of this government have significantly protected bus services from the impact of Covid-19.
The Government provided over £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding from March 2020 to June 2023 to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. Due to this funding, bus service provision in England outside London remained at over 85% of pre-COVID levels in 2021/22, despite patronage dropping to 10% of pre-pandemic levels during the height of the pandemic.
We recently announced a long-term approach to protect and improve bus services backed by an additional £300 million from July 2023 until April 2025. £140 million of this funding will go to bus operators to support services, and the remaining £160 million will go to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to protect and enhance bus services, and support local fares initiatives.
This funding is in addition to the over £1 billion the Government is providing to 34 counties, city regions and unitary authorities to help local areas level up their bus services and deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans. We also make available up to £259 million every year for bus operators and LTAs to keep fares down and run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation through the Bus Service Operators Grant.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to (a) tackle reductions in bus services and (b) help ensure that older people can access transport.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport recently announced a long-term approach to protect and improve bus services backed by an additional £300 million until April 2025. £140 million of this funding will go to bus operators to support services, and the remaining £160 million will go to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to protect and enhance bus services, and support local fares initiatives. This funding builds on the over £2 billion the Government provided to bus operators and LTAs from March 2020 to June 2023 to keep bus services running and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.
This funding is in addition to the over £1 billion the Government is providing to 34 counties, city regions and unitary authorities to help local areas level up their bus services and deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans. We also make available up to £259 million every year for bus operators and LTAs to keep fares down and run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation through the Bus Service Operators Grant.
The Government supports council spending of around £1 billion a year on concessionary travel so that eligible older and disabled people can travel on off-peak buses up and down the country for free. Statistics for 2021/22 showed that concessionary bus journeys are down by more than a third since before the pandemic. That is why we recently launched the ‘Take the Bus’ communications drive to encourage older and disabled people who are eligible for a concessionary pass to use the free bus travel available to them to get out and about, meet friends and family, and rediscover local attractions.