Council urges new PM to look at rural bus funding

Shropshire Council is urging new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to look at fairer funding for public transport in rural areas.

Councillor Rob Wilson said the authority had written to Burnham, who he said was "very passionate" about bus travel and ongoing cuts to funding for public transport in areas such as Shropshire.

He said the county had a community that was "probably more reliant on public transport" than people living in cities and he would welcome a review of the bus fare cap.

While mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham invested heavily in public transport and began bringing Manchester's buses back under public control in 2023.

Under its bus franchising model, the mayoral authority sets routes, timetables, and fares, with private bus operators awarded contracts to run them.

Similar plans have been put in place to bring the West Midlands' bus services back into public hands from 2027.

WIlson, portfolio holder for transport and regeneration at Shropshire Council, said the authority had seen a £200,000 reduction in government funding for public transport this year, as well as increased costs from operators, resulting in a £1.25m funding gap.

He said public transport was an example of where cuts "could really have an impact on people's lives".

"Having public transport available is really important for getting to healthcare, education, work, visiting friends and family so we need to make the point that in rural areas it's probably more expensive but probably even more important," he explained.

In a letter, Wilson and the authority's leader Heather Kidd, both Liberal Democrats, added they wanted the prime minister's support for "a fairer funding settlement that properly recognises the challenges of delivering essential services across large rural counties".

They urged the government to "review the distribution of local bus revenue support to ensure that rural counties were treated fairly".

Meanwhile, councillors in Telford and Wrekin are hopeful that Burnham will also find a way to give them more powers over the borough's buses.

At a recent cabinet meeting, deputy leader Richard Overton, Labour, praised the findings of a council report into local bus services which said the authority had used residents' feedback to bring about improvements, including updating timetables and adding extra journeys.

"I hope the new prime minister will give even more powers to do more," Overton said.

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