Tim Farron urges Transport Secretary to provide fairer bus funding for Westmorland

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, calling for Cumbria to be given a fairer deal for bus funding.

It comes as figures from the Campaign for Better Transport shows the stark disparities between how much money the Government gives to local authorities in England.

The data show that Westmorland and Furness Council received £9.38 per head of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding, meanwhile neighbouring Lancashire County Council receive £35.83 per head.

In a letter to the Transport Secretary, Tim outlined the unfairness: “I find myself constantly fighting to preserve local services which are often a lifeline for vulnerable people in my constituency.  

“Fortunately, I am joined in this work by multiple wonderful local groups, who devote their time to trying to address the shortcomings in public transport.  

“We live by a ‘use it or lose it’ mentality; yet for the hundreds of people who rely on these services to get to work, school or hospital appointments, it is simply inconceivable to imagine life without each of these services.  Yet they remain under constant threat due to the lack of funding.

“My question to the Government, then, is how can such a vast difference in funding for local public transport be justified?

“Will the Government commit to ensuring that all communities reach the same minimum threshold for bus provisions, with the relevant funding allocations so that no region’s residents are left at a distinct disadvantage, when they attempt to travel by public transport?”