Current central and local government support for bus services amounts to over £2 billion a year, including funds paid directly to community transport groups by the Government.
Does my hon. Friend agree that if there is to be a fully effective and comprehensive public transport system, there must be planned support for community groups that is complementary with support for other forms of transport? Up and down the country, groups such as Stafford community link are struggling to provide their current excellent services because of short-term, insecure funding. Can my hon. Friend promise them a more sustainable plan for the future, so that they can rely on it and make their own plans?
First, I congratulate Community Link—Stafford and District for providing an innovative, flexible and popular service that people want. That is the kind of approach that we have very much in mind in respect of our new proposals to improve bus services, which will allow a far greater long-term role for community transport, in areas that are not currently served well, by removing a number of restrictions. Community transport services throughout the country have told me that they are looking forward to their removal, as well as that there is a need for planned funding.
Hackney, South and Shoreditch has good bus services and one of the best providers is Hackney Community Transport, which provides some of the back-route services—those on the back streets of London, rather than the main routes. Will my hon. Friend explain how the Government’s new transport proposals will allow social enterprises such as HCT to benefit and to provide better and more customer-focused services for passengers throughout the country?
I have had meetings with Hackney Community Transport and I am very impressed by the service that it offers to my hon. Friend’s constituents. Our new policy, “Putting Passengers First”, removes restrictions; that will allow drivers to be paid and different-sized buses to be used than can currently be used, and it will simplify the issue of permits. All of that will assist social enterprise.
Will my hon. Friend also look into the way that community transport is funded? Barnsley Dial-a-Ride and Community Transport has an increasing workload as our regular bus services are in decline. Will she also compare the services operating in London with those that operate outside London? The London groups get direct grant, whereas community groups such as Barnsley Dial-a-Ride and Community Transport are paid through the passenger transport authority.
All of those matters are constantly kept under review. It is important to say that, through the bus service operators grant, the Government directly fund more than 700 community transport groups. The rural bus subsidy grant can, of course, be used by local authorities to support community transport, and I encourage them to do so. The revenue support grant from Government is also a major source of funding for local transport, including community transport. For the ninth successive year, that has increased overall in real terms. I understand the points that a number of Members have made well on funding community transport, and they will all be kept under review.