Councils will be allowed to run local buses as Labour scraps Thatcher's ban (original) (raw)

It’s understood Labour’s rule changes, to be tabled in the Commons on Monday, will lift the ban on local councils setting up community bus companies, allowing more local leaders to take more services into public control

Following the success of Manchester's Bee Network, more local leaders will be allowed to run bus networks

Bus services across the country could be taken back into public control under new rules to be unveiled by Labour this week.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh says decades of Tory deregulation of local bus services has let private firms “pick and choose” the most profitable routes, regardless of the needs of the community.

Thousands of vital routes have been axed, and passenger numbers have dropped by 1.5 billion journeys a year. Buses were privatised under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. But since 2017, metro mayors have had the power to run their own bus networks.

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham launched the hugely successful Bee Network last year - which increased reliability, introduced 24/7 services and boosted passenger numbers. He’s pledged to complete the process of taking Manchester’s buses under public control by next January (2025).

Similar plans are underway in the Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire. It’s understood Labour’s rule changes, to be tabled in the Commons on Monday, would lift the ban on local councils setting up community bus companies, allowing more local leaders to take more services into public control.

“My announcement next week will empower communities to take back control of their buses, and will drive up standards for everyone,” said Ms Haigh. “A new Buses Bill will follow, giving local leaders the tools to deliver on their local priorities, and help us end the postcode lottery of bus services which has failed passengers, failed communities and failed our economy.

“And it will end the ideological ban on publicly owned bus companies imposed by the Conservatives.”

Thousands of vital routes have been axed - that's what happens when control is handed to those who put profit above passengers

Louise Haigh says she promised to move fast and fix things - and that's what she's done (

Image:

Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

By Louise Haigh, Transport Secretary

Whever you live, whatever age you are, buses can be a lifeline. Whether that’s getting to school or work; seeing friends or the doctor – buses are the lifeblood of communities and the engines of opportunity.

They can be the difference between aspiration and isolation; between getting on or being forced to give up.

I’ve heard countless stories from people let down, of communities cut off, about opportunities missed, all due to poor bus services. I know how much this matters.

That’s why this Government was elected. To deliver on our mission to repair and rebuild Britain. To return our country to the service of working people. To fix what is broken.

And I am not wasting any time. My pledge to Mirror readers is simple: better buses are around the corner.

I promised to move fast and fix things, and next week I will be setting out the first stop on the journey to better buses, with steps to take back control of our buses.

For too long Private operators have been allowed to pick and choose whatever routes they want, regardless of what communities need. We want to see every area have the power to build their own public transport network in a way that works for them

We know this works. Just look at Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, where buses were brought under public control just one year ago.

Reliability has already improved, passenger numbers have grown, and new 24/7 services have just been introduced, helping support the region’s nighttime economy.

Four decades of deregulation has seen thousands of vital routes axed, and a staggering 1.5 billion fewer bus journeys taken each year.

This wasn’t inevitable. It is the result of political choices.

It is what happens when control of services is handed to those who put profit above passengers.

When whole communities are cut off and isolated, without a thought to the damage this does to local economies.

But this Government won’t repeat the mistakes of years past.

My announcement next week will empower communities to take back control of their buses, and will drive up standards for everyone.

But this will be just the start.

A new Buses Bill will follow, giving local leaders the tools to deliver on their local priorities, and help us end the postcode lottery of bus services which has failed passengers, failed communities and failed our economy.

And it will end the ideological ban on publicly owned bus companies imposed by the Conservatives.

We said we would deliver and we are. To those who put their trust in Labour at the last election, they should know that we will work night and day to get Britain moving again.