WILTSHIRE Council has missed out on being awarded funding from the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) as the Department for Transport says the plans were not ambitious enough. It has been revealed however, that Westbury may benefit from being geographically close to other counties who have received funding, as they will use inter-county services.
Lorraine Sencicle, a representative for Option 24/7, the countywide group that provides a bridge between bus users and Wiltshire Council said, “Due to our geographical position within the county of Wiltshire, it looks as if the position over bus service funding is not as bad as it first appeared.
“Although the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding does protect projects at risk due to lack of funding, the bus services affecting our locality crosses the border with Somerset. And guess what, the West of England Combined Authority are receiving £105.5m BSIP funding. This means that we may well benefit from the cross-border services, which are all of ours!”
The Department for Transport explained their decision to not allocate funding to Wiltshire, saying, “The successful areas have been chosen because of their ambition to repeat the success achieved in London – which drove up bus usage and made the bus a natural choice for everyone, not just those without cars.
“As the government stated in last year’s national bus strategy, Bus Back Better, areas not showing sufficient ambition, including for improvements to bus priority, would not be funded.”
However, Lee Fletcher from Option 24/7 said, “I would like to very strongly express the opposite view – as you all saw as the draft turned into the finished article, Wiltshire put forward a hugely ambitious Bus Service Improvement Plan, made all the more so by the fantastic input that you all helped to put into it.
“To suggest otherwise is a massive insult on the part of the Department for Transport towards the efforts of all concerned, and I would like to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done to support those efforts, and to support Option 24/7 in general.”
Wiltshire Council submitted their BSIP in November 2021, which was produced in partnership with bus operators and was designed to support the local economy by improving access to shops and businesses; help vulnerable and elderly residents to access essential services; reduce carbon emissions; and support leisure and tourism.
The government has announced that only 31 of 79 authorities that submitted BSIPs have received part of the £7bn funding.
Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for transport said, “We’re extremely disappointed that, alongside more than half of the other local authorities who submitted a bid, we’ve missed out on this funding. Council officers worked hard to produce a comprehensive and ambitious Bus Service Improvement Plan to support and improve bus services in Wiltshire – services that are vital in a rural county such as ours.
“If we had been successful, this funding would have enabled us to reduce fares and invest in new services for our most vulnerable residents and attract new users, but we will now no longer be able to make these investments at this time for the people of Wiltshire and visitors to our county.
“Bus services are still a priority for us and having well-connected communities is a key part of our business plan. We know that buses help to reduce congestion, improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions, as well as saving people money, particularly as petrol prices continue to rise.
“However, we’ll now need to regroup, and rethink our approach as we look to the future for bus services and transport in Wiltshire.”
D1 service Westbury to Warminster
Despite Wiltshire Council missing out on funding for their BSIP, improvements to local bus services (announced in September 2021), such as the reinstating of the half-hourly service of the D1, can still go ahead.
Lorraine explained, “The reinstating of the DI Westbury to Warminster half-hourly service is included in the first round of bus service improvements, not dependent on the BSIP funding within Wiltshire Council’s own plans.”
The improvements were to be made possible by £671,000 from the government given to Wiltshire Council.
