Cheshire council criticises £37m bus funding rejection

The government has been criticised by a council for making authorities "compete against each other" in order to win funding to improve bus services.

Cheshire West and Chester Council missed out on its £37m bid to make services more reliable and greener, while 31 areas in England were picked.

Councillor Karen Shore said she was "shocked" at how funding was decided.

The government said areas were chosen on their ambition to repeat the success achieved in London.

In the North West, the government scheme saw Warrington given £16.2m, Liverpool City Region get £12.3m and £34.2m awarded to Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.

Blackpool also missed out on the funding while Greater Manchester was awarded £94.8m, half the funding it requested.

"I am shocked that not only did councils have to compete against each other, but most of us have not received any support to make crucial improvements to our bus services," Ms Shore said.

The Labour councillor said the authority would work with bus operators on an improvement plan.

Ms Shore said plans would also continue to introduce a rural bus service following a grant from a different government fund.

Warrington Borough Council's cabinet member for transportation, highways and public realm, councillor Hans Mundry, said the funding was "fantastic news for Warrington and a real boost to our plans to invest in sustainable transport and transform bus travel in our borough".

"We are fully committed to driving up the number of people who choose the bus for their journeys, by creating a more reliable, sustainable and attractive bus service for Warrington," he said.

Warrington South Conservative MP Andy Carter said the funding would "mean more frequent buses and new routes in areas which weren't previously viable".

"This investment will reduce fares, support the cost of living, and create new jobs for people by enhancing bus services and lowering the cost of travel," he said.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, described the offer on the table as "disappointing".

"We are still in negotiations with government officials to convince them to provide the appropriate support that we need to deliver on their own stated ambitions to 'level up' the country," he said.

"While we have won the argument for London-style transport systems, we are still fighting to win London-style funding to make our plan a reality."

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "The successful areas have been chosen because of their ambition to repeat the success achieved in London - which drove up bus usage and made the bus a natural choice for everyone, not just those without cars."

Areas not showing sufficient ambition, including for improvements to bus priority, would not win a grant, the spokesman added.

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