The MP has pointed out that Tunbridge Wells will receive £3 million while Thanet receives only £500,000
A Kent MP has blasted the decision to give “leafy and well-heeled Tunbridge Wells” £3million towards investment in bus services, while Thanet receives “a mere £500,000”.
Polly Billington MP for East Thanet, said there was a £3billion boost for buses from the Government, of which £42million would be coming to Kent.
But she said Kent County Council, run by Reform UK, was “grossly unfair” in the way it had allocated money. The MP was speaking at Westminster Hall on Monday (January 5) during a debate on a petition calling for the extension of free bus travel to all over-60s across England, which had 101,000 signatures.
Ms Billington said London’s Freedom Pass model was the “envy” of older residents across England. However, there were other elements of bus travel which were important, including regular and reliable services, non-polluting buses, and safety, she said.
She also made the point if bus services did not exist in people’s communities, there was “no point” in having a free bus pass.
She said Kent had 7.5 million fewer bus miles now than it did 15 years ago, blaming the Conservatives on neglecting buses for more than a decade. Talking of the new funding, she said: “That £3 billion, however, translates to £42 million in Kent.”
“I would and should be celebrating that investment in opportunities for our county council to improve bus services, but unfortunately the decisions by the administration in Kent mean that very little of that investment will come to Thanet.”
“Leafy and well-heeled Tunbridge Wells will receive more than £3 million-worth of investment in its bus services. Thanet, with some of the most deprived communities, including the poorest pensioners, is receiving a mere £500,000.”
This meant only 2.3 per cent of Kent’s bus subsidy funding was going to Thanet, she said. She said the Bus Services Act gave Kent County Council power to restore vital bus services, and she gave the Number 9 as an example.
“Bus numbers matter to communities; they are the difference between being able to get out and about and being locked at home. Buses need to be regular and reliable, and they also need to be affordable, safe and clean,” she said.
She said when she conducted her bus survey, one of the comments was about the Number 9.
“To put it in the context of free public transport and bus travel for all of the over 60s, there would be no point in having free bus travel for many of my East Thanet constituents trying to get to a hospital appointment in Canterbury, because there is no bus to get there. They cannot shop in Canterbury, whether the bus is free or not, because there is not a bus to take them there. When we are developing a bus service for our communities, we must ensure that it has reliable routes as well as affordable fares.”
And she talked about free bus travel for younger people: “I have received representations in support of the Transport Committee’s recommendation for free bus travel for the under-22s—representations that I am extremely sympathetic to. We have young people who simply cannot get to work when they are on apprenticeship wages, or cannot get to their colleges because they do not have significant and sustained income. They are being penalised for trying to do the right thing.
The Labour MP for Folkestone and Hythe, Tony Vaughan, was leading the debate, and said 211 of his constituents in Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh had signed the petition by Karen Hickman, from Lincolnshire.
He said: “I was worried to hear my hon. Friend Ms Billington talk about being pushed down the list when it comes to the amount of money her Constituency—a very socially deprived area—gets versus somewhere like Tunbridge Wells, where there is not such deprivation. One wonders why her constituency is getting so much less than areas where levels of car ownership are probably much higher.”
“There must be accountability about how the money is being used. Substantial amounts of money are being given, so it cannot be suggested that the Government have not properly funded this. It is down to local authorities to spend the money in the right way. I will continue to do my job to hold Reform-led Kent county council to account on the way in which it is delivering its service.”
He said he had run a bus survey in December to hear from his constituents how they wanted the £42 million of extra bus funding to be spent.
“Many told me that bus services are not frequent enough and are often unreliable, with too many late and even cancelled services. Many highlighted the issue of affordability. They want Reform-run Kent county council to spend that £42 million of extra funding on protecting existing routes from private sector cuts, more frequent bus services, cheaper fares, improved evening and Sunday services, and better bus links to schools, colleges and hospitals,” he said.
He said one constituent suggested extending free bus travel to the over-60s, but many of them talked about wanting routes that had been “cut under the failed experiment of privatisation to be reinstated”.
“They asked for changes such as frequent, direct bus services from Folkestone to the William Harvey hospital, more evening and weekend bus services across Kent, and the reinstatement of routes such as the 73, 77, 78 and 111 services in Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh,” he said.
It was resolved that the House had considered the petition.
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