The Government is providing considerable funding through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP+) to councils across the UK, urging them to improve, subsidise and revive bus services.
I know that many in the Workington Constituency and the wider West Cumbria rely on buses in their daily lives, whether that's for shopping, medical appointments or simply socialising. They're a lifeline for many.
This is why I'm urging Cumberland Council to make use of this funding - and follow other local councils in using this cash quickly to protect and extend bus services. Recently we've seen services such as the M1 (Maryport Town) and the 60 Skinburness to Maryport cancelled. So far, Cumberland Council hasn't confirmed the future of the 93/93A service from Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway, putting that vital lifeline at threat.
In 2014, Labour-led Cumbria County Council took the decision to stop funding local bus services - cutting hundreds of thousands of pounds of vital support - choosing instead to spend government bus funding on tinkering with timetables or refurbishing bus shelters.
I'm clear, bus funding should go towards reviving cancelled services, extending existing services at either end of the day or into weekends, increasing frequency, and supporting those routes which are at risk of closure.
UPDATE 23RD OCTOBER 2023
I have today written to Councillor Denise Rollo following the significant uplift in bus funding being provided to Cumberland Council that they continue to refuse to spend. You can read that letter here. Westmorland and Furness Council have now done as I've been suggesting, Cumberland need to step up to the plate.
We've seen this before, when the Council Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance were in similar positions in Allerdale - they and Labour-led Cumbria County Council both actively refused government funding to freeze council tax, and instead increased council tax by the maximum amount for the entire five years it was available. One of their first acts this years as Cumberland Council, was to cancel a government-funded new swimming pool for Maryport.
