‘Better bus service may be five years away’ says minister
GREATER Manchester could be five years away from getting a better bus network, the transport secretary has claimed in a stinging attack on the region’s mayor.
In a parliamentary exchange on bus services – prompted by a series of questions on the issue from Jeremy Corbyn during Prime Minister’s Questions – Chris Grayling suggested Andy Burnham may not be able to meet his promises regarding bus services until 2023.
He claimed Labour mayors needed a ‘lesson’ in the powers they have already been granted by government.
Mr Grayling was speaking after a heated exchange yesterday in which the Labour leader repeatedly pressed Theresa May about the state of the country’s bus services.
Mr Corbyn pointed to fares ‘rising above inflation’ as passenger numbers fall and services are cut, highlighting that the government’s bus grants have been slashed by nearly half.
In response, the Prime Minister said local authorities ‘have many responsibilities in relation to buses, and I suggest that the Right Hon. Gentleman asks some of those local authorities what they are doing about the buses in their own areas.’
Mr Stringer, who also sits on parliament’s transport select committee, picked up the issue again.
“In a deregulated bus system, local authorities have no control whatsoever on routes and fares,” he told Mr Grayling in the House of Commons. The amount of funding for tendered services has been cut by 45pc.
“How, then, can the Prime Minister justify her statement that local authorities should be improving bus services? Will the Secretary of State give the Prime Minister a lesson in how the bus service system works?” Mr Grayling hit back, however, pointing out that areas including Greater Manchester had already been given devolved powers to reform their bus networks, including by directly franchising the system themselves. What I’ll do is give a lesson to Labour mayors about the reforms we put in in the last parliament that gave franchising powers to them,” he said.
“And he might like to ask the question of the mayor Greater Manchester why it is that his promise on bus franchising appears years away from happening.
“The last estimate I heard was it might just about be complete by 2023, way after his first term of office and way after he made a commitment to do it.”
During the 2017 mayoral campaign Mr Burnham promised to use Greater Manchester’s new powers to create an integrated bus system that would be ‘more affordable, more reliable, and more accessible to disabled people.’
It is understood the process to date, including discussions with operators, has not been as straightforward as had been hoped and that no agreement has yet been taken among local council leaders and the mayor about how they ultimately want to proceed.
Mr Burnham said: “The hypocrisy of the Transport Secretary knows no bounds. He has the brass neck to suggest Labour mayors are delaying bus reforms when we are still waiting for his department to put all the necessary regulations in place.
“And once again he reveals his complete lack of focus on transport in the north by getting his facts wrong. Nobody in Greater Manchester is working to the timetable he suggests.
“Greater Manchester is moving as quickly as possible and quicker than any other city-region to implement bus reform.”