Easington MP Grahame Morris has today endorsed the Labour Government’s ground-breaking plans to empower local communities by simplifying the process of taking back control over local bus services from unaccountable private operators.

Under plans unveiled by the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, the Government will expand powers for all communities to reclaim control of local bus services, while removing barriers to streamline and accelerate the process toward public control.

Currently, only Metro Mayors have the powers to pursue bus franchising, but new legislation brought forward by the Government will see all local transport authorities enjoy the same freedom to bring their buses back into public control and deliver better services.

The Labour Government has also launched a consultation to gather views on proposals to streamline the process of delivering public control by removing unnecessary obstacles imposed by the previous Conservative Government.

Under the Conservatives, bus services in England’s regions outside London collapsed, with thousands of bus services cut, and almost 300 million fewer miles driven by buses per year, since 2010. Across the North East, alone, bus miles declined by over 30%.

The new powers, which will be introduced by a new Statutory Instrument in Parliament, represent the first step towards the Government’s manifesto commitment to reform the broken bus system.

The plans are the first stop on the Government’s journey to better buses, with a new Buses Bill to follow, which will revolutionise the bus network in the largest overhaul to local transport powers in four decades.

Speaking following the announcement Grahame Morris MP said:

“I am pleased the Labour Government are acting swiftly and taking bold steps to improve local bus services for our community.

After fourteen years of Conservative failure and neglect, our local bus network has been run into the ground.

For too long, my constituents have endured unacceptable delays, cancellations, and the frustrations of dealing with unaccountable private operators.

The Labour Government’s plan will empower our communities to regain control of our bus services and support local leaders in delivering better, more reliable transport, faster.”

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Buses are the lifeblood of our communities, but for too many people it has become impossible to rely on local services, as routes have been slashed and timetables hollowed out.

Today is the first stop on our journey to delivering better buses across the country. After decades of failed deregulation, local leaders will finally have the powers to provide services that deliver for passengers. And we are taking steps to support local leaders to deliver improved bus services faster and cheaper than ever before. With local communities firmly back in the driving seat, our bus revolution will save vital routes up and down the country and put passengers first.”