MP welcomes £1.8 million extra bus funding for Shropshire

The West Midlands is set to benefit from over £33 million of cash to improve bus services over the next financial year, the Transport Secretary announced on Monday.

This is the first tranche of £1 billion worth of new funding re-allocated from the now cancelled Phase 2 of HS2.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan, who has been campaigner on the lack of public transport in her constituency, welcomed the money.

The Liberal Democrat MP, who has petitioned residents over her ‘Bus Bill’ presented to Parliament last year and has been making appeals to Shropshire Council over the situation, said the money was "long overdue".

Mrs Morgan, who earlier this year brought bus operators, community transport providers, council representatives and other stakeholders together for a ‘bus round table’ event in Shropshire, said: “It is great to see that Shropshire is receiving a long-overdue boost to funding for rural bus services.

“In my time as North Shropshire’s MP, I have heard far too many stories of people unable to get about without a car – even between major towns.

"This stops people from accessing job opportunities, from getting onto the high street or to medical appointments, and creates real social isolation."

She added that data from the House of Commons Library last year showed that Whitchurch and Market Drayton were in the bottom 10 per cent for bus service provision in England.

“This funding won’t fix the state of our transport network alone," she said.

"But it is very welcome news all the same, and comes after a lot of hard work from local people campaigning on the issue.”

The news comes as the government has also announced thanks to the money saved by scrapping the northern leg of HS2, its "Get Around for £2" bus fare scheme will now be extended until December 31, 2024.