Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional funding his Department provided to (a) Blackpool Council and (b) Blackpool Transport to support the provision of (i) bus and (ii) tram services in Blackpool during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
The total funding provided to Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport for Bus and Light Rail services for March 2020 to October 2022 is £9.5m, broken down below.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Bus Services since March 2020 is £216,052.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Light Rail Services since March 2020 is £3,520,190.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Transport for Bus Services since March 2020 is £5,779,425.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to help reduce the cost of tram services in England.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The provision of tram services is largely devolved in England. It is for local transport authorities and operating companies to determine ticket prices.
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has supported tram systems with exceptional financial support. In total, the Government will have provided around £250 million to English tram and light rail systems outside London. This funding has helped keep services running and reduced any need for local authorities and operators to pass financial pressures on to passengers.
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including local authorities, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter. As an energy intensive sector, it is expected many Light Rail systems will benefit significantly from this scheme.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reforming Public Service Obligations in order to assist the growth of (a) regional and (b) Blackpool airports.
Answered by Robert Courts
While we recognise that bringing new routes into a regional airport is likely to increase its passenger footfall, it is important to recognise that Public Service Obligations (PSOs) are a route support measure to strengthen connectivity.
We will consider whether there are further opportunities to utilise PSOs, alongside other policy measures, towards meeting our ongoing regional connectivity and levelling-up objectives. We will also continue to consider applications for PSOs on vital routes into London and lifeline services for remote communities that are in danger of being lost.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the usage of capital and revenue funding to support the development of small regional airports.
Answered by Robert Courts
Airports operate in a private capacity and their funding streams are subject to their own private and commercial activities. The DfT has not undertaken any assessment in relation to the usage of capital and revenue funding to support development of airports.