News story

23rd June 2004

MP Speaks Up at Westminster for Local Community Transport Schemes

Steve Webb with Jenni Moorhouse from Yate, Sodbury & District Community Transport, and volunteer drivers Dave Spencer and Barbara Perks

Northavon MP Steve Webb has led a special debate at Westminster to call on ministers to secure the long-term future of local community transport schemes. The MP called the debate to highlight the importance to local residents of schemes such as Vale Link, which serves the Thornbury area, and the Yate, Sodbury and District Community Transport scheme. He began by reading out excerpts from letters from local residents saying how much they depend on services such as “dial-a-ride”, including one lady who said she would be “housebound without community transport”.

Steve Webb told MPs that these two local schemes have both been able to grow rapidly with the assistance of start-up funding from the Government, but this money has now ceased and they are looking for secure long-term sources of funding. The Lib Dem MP used his debate to call on the government to change the rules governing community transport schemes so that they could play a bigger role in meeting the transport needs of local residents, especially in rural areas.

He highlighted the red tape which means that community transport minibuses can only provide scheduled bus services in rural areas if they are driven by a volunteer, but not if the driver is paid. He said that while volunteers do a fantastic job, community transport schemes do need to have paid drivers as well, and the rules should be updated to reflect that fact.

Responding to the debate, Transport minister David Jamieson agree that community transport schemes did good work, and said that the Government was aiming to give local councils more certainty about their long-term funding which they could then pass on to community groups. He did not promise any new government money for local groups, but did say his department would look again at rules which prevent community transport groups from playing a fuller role in local transport services.

Commenting after the debate, Steve Webb said:

“I know that dial-a-ride and the other services provided by community transport groups are enormously valued by local people. Yet they seem to face a permanent struggle to obtain long-term and secure funding.

"For the sake of the people who use these services and also for the staff and volunteers who do such a tremendous job, this problem needs to be resolved once and for all. I hope that my debate will prompt the Government to be more creative about the potential for community transport and will help to secure their long-term future”.

Click here to read Steve Webb's debate on community transport