Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Urban Transport: Future Funding

31 March 2022 · 2 other contributors · 9,942 words

Opened by Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East

Responding minister: Trudy Harrison

TransportClimateEnergy

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Clive Betts raised concerns about urban transport: future funding in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Public transport is crucial for low-income families and young people in urban areas.
  • The bus service in Sheffield has declined, with cuts to weekend and evening services and a 21% drop in passenger numbers over the past decade.
  • Government funding for buses outside London is significantly lower, with only 5 allocated to Sheffield compared to 75 per head in London.

Key requests to Government

The Government must outline a clear strategy for public transport funding, commit to long-term financial support, expedite the franchising process, and provide estimates of upfront costs. Additionally, they should develop a plan for light rail systems that includes green hydrogen buses as part of a comprehensive approach towards cleaner transportation.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East

Public transport is crucial for low-income families and young people in urban areas. The bus service in Sheffield has been declining, facing cuts to services at weekends and evenings with a drop of 21% in passenger numbers over the past decade. Government funding per head for buses is significantly lower outside London compared to £75 in London, with only £5 allocated to Sheffield. Post-covid recovery remains uncertain; current figures show that passenger numbers are still down by 25%, and there's a concern about another funding cliff edge if support ends in September.

Other contributors (2)
  • Gavin Newlands SNP Paisley and Renfrewshire North

    Discussed the importance of devolving transport powers to urban areas, highlighting Scotland's ambitious plans for active travel with a budget increase to 10% of the overall transport budget by 2024-25. Criticised the UK government for failing to meet its net zero target and questioned the progress on delivering zero-emission buses under the ZEBRA scheme, noting Scotland has delivered more than England in this Parliament.

  • Gill Furniss Lab Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

    The MP discussed the severe cuts to urban transport networks due to Conservative policies, highlighting that bus coverage is at a decades-low level with over 134 million miles of routes lost since 2010. She raised concerns about funding shortfalls for zero-emission buses and the decarbonisation of public transport, noting discrepancies between the Prime Minister's pledge and current allocations. Additionally, she criticised the Government's levelling-up agenda regarding railways in northern England. Inquired about VAT rates on community charging and expressed concerns about how chargers could be fitted into lamp posts without causing parking or queue issues. Highlighted potential chaos if not handled properly.

Government Response

Trudy Harrison

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for the first time, Mr Sharma. It is also a pleasure to respond to the hon. Member for Sheffield South East because of his commitment and work on transport issues. The Government has supported local transport networks through emergency and recovery grants totalling nearly £2 billion, with an additional extension providing over £150 million in extra support. We have committed to achieving net zero by 2050 and phasing out petrol and diesel cars, along with publishing the electric vehicle infrastructure strategy last Friday. The Government announced £1.2 billion of dedicated funding for bus transformation deals as part of £3 billion of new spend on buses over this Parliament, aiming for 4,000 zero-emission buses by 2025. For light rail, we allocated over £250 million during the pandemic and will provide additional support to six months trials with a decision imminent. The levelling-up fund worth £4.8 billion invests in local transport infrastructure including bus lanes and railway station upgrades. We are spending six times more on dedicated cycling and walking infrastructure compared to what was mentioned by another MP, establishing Active Travel England to ensure cycle infrastructure aligns with LTN 1/20 standards. The Department has published the integrated rail plan for the north and midlands, pledging £96 billion investment in Britain's rail network. We are committed to city region sustainable transport settlements, allocating £570 million to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for improvements such as Supertram network renewal. On walking and cycling, we launched an ambitious plan to boost these activities with over 30,000 public charge points and a target of at least six rapid chargers at all motorway service areas in England. We mandate open data, reliability, transparent pricing, and contactless payment for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. We are working on securing reservations and future-proofing motorway service areas with heavy goods vehicles using battery-electric technology. The Government aims to ensure that no driveway is a problem by providing funds for charge points and plug-in grants across cars, vans, and HGVs.

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