Burnley’s MP Antony Higginbotham has raised local bus services in Parliament asking the Secretary of State for Transport to commit to supporting more rural services.
Referencing the late or cancelled services in the villages of Worsthorne and Cliviger Antony said:
Bus routes across Burnley and Padiham are vital to local connectivity, giving residents a link to jobs, leisure and essential public services. But too often they are late or cancelled, impacting in particular those in rural Burnley like Worsthorne and Cliviger.
Would he agree with me that these aren’t nice to have but essential for local residents? And would he make sure that they are given the priority they need to continue to improve that service?
Responding the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper said:
I agree with my honourable friend about the importance of local bus services. We know the bus sector continues to face a number of challenges, including driver shortages which is resulting in some services being reduced or cancelled. And we are working with industry to resolve this.
…we’re investing substantially to improve bus services. And I know he’ll be pleased to know that £30 million of the funding we’ve supplied has been allocated to support improvements to bus services in Lancashire, including in his constituency of Burnley.
Speaking after the debate Antony said:
Having access to a reliable bus service is a must for residents to be able to get about. And that’s even more important in some of our rural communities.
There has been significant investment in bus services across Burnley and Padiham with Transdev continuing to deliver a high quality service. However in the more rural parts of our borough residents have been facing issues and that’s what I raised with the Secretary of State today.
Whether it’s for workers, students or older people, I’ll continue to work to see quality bus services across all areas, because good connectivity is vital for a whole host of reasons.
