Green councillors have welcomed the news that the Department for Transport has substantially increased funding for the concessionary bus fares scheme in the Lancaster and Morecambe area.
The DfT announced an increased cash grant earlier today to Lancaster City Council to fund its costs in running the concessionary bus fare scheme, rising from a proposed £510,000 for 2010/11 to £1.2 million.
The increase is the result of a national consultation on a new distribution of £223m funding for the hugely popular free bus pass that will be fairer for councils and overall, the proposed changes offer an extra £4.85m between North West councils and passenger transport authorities.
Bulk Ward councillor John Whitelegg, who is the deputy chair of the Local Government Association Board that has worked hard to bring about this increase in funds and is delighted by the increase.
“This is fantastic news for Lancaster and many more local authorities who have been suffering severe losses on the concessionary fares scheme,” he told virtual-lancaster. “I have repeatedly said that central government must pay the full costs of this scheme in several meetings with DfT over the last two years and not allow it to lead to budgets cuts in other council services.
“They have listened and an extra £690,000 will be very helpful indeed as Lancaster City Council sets its budget over the next few months.”
“The free bus pass is a popular policy, giving 11 million older and disabled people greater freedom and independence,” said Transport Minister Sadiq Khan in commenting on the changes. “Around £1 billion is now spent in total on this scheme every year with over £200 million devoted to extending it to travel anywhere in England. Ensuring this extra money is distributed fairly and to where it’s needed most is critical to the continued success of the scheme.
“We have listened to concerns raised by some councils about the way the grant has been allocated and also assessed last year’s spending to ensure that we are getting it right. Today we are publishing a proposed revised grant distribution for 2010/11 which seeks to better match the pattern of costs being incurred.
In the North West, Lancaster, Wyre, South Lakeland, Burnley, Chorley, Fylde and Preston are among those councils that will receive revised, increased funding for the scheme.
“The changes we are proposing build on the success of the national bus concession and will not in any way affect older or disabled bus users who use the scheme. I now look forward to hearing views from authorities and hope to publish the final grant distribution early in the New Year.”
In total, around 200 authorities will receive more money or will be unaffected by the revised distribution. Overall the total amount of money allocated will remain unchanged.