Speeches by Lightwood.

“Often they do, but we have talked about different models of franchising, where urban routes can almost subsidise and help to balance—offset—the challenges in rural areas, because more profitable routes tend to be in urban areas, for instance. In franchising, you need to see the whole network, and that allows you to hel…”

“You could say that about any part of policy and investment in public services. Of course you would like to put more money in where you can, and as part of the spending review we are putting our bids in accordingly, but I go back to the point that this is not just about funding. It is about using the funding that is ava…”

“We are investing in terms of the bus grants to allow those local areas to invest. They need to decide what their priorities are in that area. They understand the social and economic challenges in their rea, to make those interventions work.”

“I do not think it is just about money. It is, as I said, about the powers and the partnership work that needs to take place as well.”

“It goes back to there not being a one-size-fits-all approach.”

“We are providing that funding through the bus grant. Obviously, you know that we have a challenging economic inheritance. Funding needs to be clearly value for money for taxpayers, but there is a finite resource that we are able to call on. It is about giving that flexibility. Also, not just with the bus grant and the …”

“They will need to set out what a socially necessary bus service is for their area, I guess, and the list would follow from that. It goes back to accountability and transparency about why those decisions have been made, and whether all possible alternative routes are considered if those are changed or cancelled.”

“Have we prescribed yet exactly how we—”

“We are not giving money specifically for socially necessary bus services; we are giving bus service improvement funding. It is a bus grant, so it can be used for whatever they see fit to improve buses in their community for passengers.”

“They are not, but we are giving them simplified, consolidated funding, and the powers and support needed to achieve that, which have not been there in the past and which has led to the erosion over time.”

“The direction of travel we are trying to move in is to give local areas the freedom to use the funding to achieve their objectives, rather than us putting barriers in the way.”

“No, I don’t think the new measure will have extra funding associated with it. LTAs and bus operators will include that process through existing mechanisms. The power in terms of grant making and the bus grants that we already provide to support the bus service improvement plans—the BSIPs—will enable that work to be und…”

“No. We will provide guidance to help them come up with their socially necessary criteria, but I think it is important that local areas are able to consider and detail what the socially necessary services are for their individual communities, and the individual challenges that they face. I can see the read-across there,…”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“I could see it being used for that. The criteria being used by local transport authorities when ascertaining what is a socially necessary bus service in their area would be very clear.”

“This goes back to the bus service improvement plans, as well. That is the mechanism in which they identify future changes and improvements in their bus network, whereas the socially necessary bit is more about how we protect, and make sure that there are processes, when it comes to designation.”

“I think that the provisions in the Bill mandate them to identify socially necessary bus services. They have to do that as part of an enhanced partnership.”

“I take that point, but this is why we have bus service improvement plans. That is fundamentally what it is about. You are asked to consider, as part of that, your aspirations, and as part of that you would look at gaps in service. I would expect that. I am sure that, in guidance, it says you need to take consideration …”

“I don’t know if it does. That is part of the accepted challenge for local transport authorities. They want to deliver the best service possible for their areas. Those criteria could be used, but it is about protections, and reassurance to passengers on existing services. It is the trust issue again—that every possible …”

“This goes back to the conversation and the work that is going to have to take place in each of those enhanced partnerships, and possibly franchising, about the kinds of bus services the local communities want, and the Government then empowering those local communities with the tools and funding to achieve those objecti…”