Oral Answers to Questions

Perran Moon Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.

[Luke Myer (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Lab)]

10. What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Simon Lightwood]

I thank my hon. Friend for his tireless work in campaigning for better bus services and funding for his constituents. I was delighted to confirm the over £3 billion of funding from 2026-27, including £5.1 million for Slough borough council. Local leaders should work to ensure that local authority bus grant funding is used to expand services, improve reliability and reduce fares for local people, and I support my hon. Friend in pressing his local council to do just that.

[Perran Moon]

The recent Pretty Poverty report highlighted just how vital buses are to the daily lives of Cornish people, and given the massive lack of investment in public transport by the Conservative Government, it is no wonder that Cornwall suffers from one of the highest figures for car ownership per capita in the country. With First Bus, one of our main operators, pulling out of Cornwall next month, constituents fear that essential routes will disappear. Will the Minister meet me and Cornish colleagues to discuss how the integrated national transport strategy will ensure long-term funding for Cornwall’s bus network?

[Simon Lightwood]

I have met Go Ahead, which is working with the council to pick up services that otherwise would have been lost. The Government are providing long-term investment for bus services, totalling £30.2 million for Cornwall, and I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to talk about bus services in Cornwall.