Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason larger local transport authorities have greater access to funding for disabled bus passes compared to smaller local transport authorities.

Funding for free concessionary pass holders is provided to Local Authorities by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Settlement Funding Assessment which is allocated by His Majesty’s Treasury through a formula that supports a wide range of activities to ensure that each travel concession authority receives the funding that they need.

The funding is not ringfenced, which enables local authorities to make spending decisions that more closely match local needs and circumstances.