Transport Services Grant Running Late (Kirsty Williams AM )

Cymraeg
English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Transport Services Grant Running Late

June 3, 2008 5:00 PM

Kirsty Williams AM today challenged the First Minister on the Government's failure to allocate local authorities with their local Transport Services Grant for 2008-09. Council's across Wales are as a result having to run bus services on the assumption that the money will be assigned at some stage this year.

Bus passengers and community transport users benefited from £10.4m of funding allocated to the Local Transport Services Grant in February 2007-08, but this years sum has not yet been allocated.

Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Transport Kirsty Williams AM said: "The Plaid-Labour Government announced the finance behind this grant in February. We are now two months into this financial year and councils are running bus services on the hope that this money will come.

"Last years allocation arrived on time in February, so why is the grant running two months late this year without any explanation.

"Officials have been saying that this announcement will be imminent since February but there is still no sign of it.

"In Powys around 40% of the County Council's local bus service budget comes from the Grant, so this is an essential contribution to financing the county's public transport network.

"The Deputy First Minister must get a move on and make this money available to Council's so that they are not taking a gamble on their allocation."

Notes:

Local Transport Services Grant - The Local transport Services Grant provides funding for Local Authorities to finance a range of transport initiatives. The grant can be used to enhance existing transport schemes, introduce new services, funding the implementation of new community transport services and capital works such as improvement to bus shelters, transport information and enhancing accessibility through the purchase of low floor buses.